Super Turbo Demon Busters! – Review
The title sounds like a cool show from the flashy 80’s and its gameplay reminds us of the early 90’s which immediately brings a nostalgic feeling to the table. Super Turbo Demon Busters! will let you enjoy the old days in new fast ways, and it has some great references to other games as well. Will you be able to make it out of the hellhole, or will you perish under the endless waves of enemies? Use your resources tactically, play your cards right and maybe you will live to tell your story.
Story
On a distant planet we find a group of survivors stranded deep within the onslaught of many hostile creatures and deadly viruses, with the Mercenary being our first hero that is fighting through the corridors of hell. We are dropped in a battle with only some radio chatter coming in telling us to move forward quickly and to find other survivors. As suddenly a nuclear bomb detonates near our group and we run from its destruction, everything becomes more mysterious of what is going on there.
Unfortunately there is no real story, only the small talk between soldiers that most of the time ends with them cursing at each other. This gives the feeling that they try to forget the darkness they found themselves in with some crooked humor. We do miss a real background to what is happening or how everybody got on this planet and the game would have really benefited from a decent story.
Graphics
This game brings homage to the older RPG titles and this is clearly noticeable with the way it is set up and shown. Super Turbo Demon Busters! is viewed top-down and looks like early Final Fantasy games mixed with combat elements from Earthbound. What blends nice is the retro menu feeling with the pixel-art graphics and the hand drawn characters profile pictures. Everything is very pleasing to look at and it makes the gameplay work all the better.
Sound
Music is the way to create a feeling and while the gameplay can be very scary and hectic, it is good to have a very calming soundtrack playing. This is because now you feel in control and it slightly takes the edge off of things because you decide the pace. It is not unlike Doom where kick-ass rock background music is playing because you need the adrenaline in order to make it out in one piece.
Next to the great music the sound effects are all really well done. Weapons have unique tonesand feel really tight and realistic. Attacking sounds have that fine punch to them and the enemies biting the dust just make you feel like the king.
Gameplay
Super Turbo Demon Busters! is a rogue-like RPG that is both fast paced and tactical at the same time. In one corner you have the role-playing element that is fun and you can slowly take your time to plan your moves but if you desire you can fly through this game at a decent tempo. You start with the Mercenary and later in the game you will unlock more fighters to play with. Each character has their unique abilities and stats. This means the Scout has less health but can heal herself while the Commandos is bulkier and is suited for dealing high amounts of damage. To make a dent on enemies you must plan tactically and use the right hero in the best scenario. Ammo can only be found on the battlefield or collected through the dropship every few rounds. The troops have their preferred weapon and with this they have more chance to score critical hits. You can choose to spend money to upgrade abilities such as attacking, health and ability.
Another neat feature is that while on some parts you will fight multiple hostiles, some weapons will deal with this accordingly such as the shotgun or laser rifle will hit multiple targets. Why it is important to use the right tools for the right job is because some enemies are resistant to firepower, or even melee attacks. The game controls extremely easy with interaction just at the click of a button. To explore halls and items just simply click them, enemies will not attack on their own so you can decide who to take on first and with what weapon. You simply attack enemies by clicking on them, guns with spread will deal the most damage on the chosen target and lighter spread/splash damage.
Conclusion
Super Turbo Demon Busters! is something that feels like it should belong in the past but fits well in the current day. You can compare it a little bit to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, it was both retro inspired but new and improving. The music is calming and the sound effects are good and the pixel-art is both nostalgic and cool. Certainly a strategic rogue-like RPG worth picking up if you love a retro inspired tactical game.
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