This week on LIT, we put two games made of pure chaos head to head. Its Critical Annihilation, a twin stick shooter developed by DEVOGA in February of 2016, versus Circuit Breakers, a traditional top down arcade style shooter developed by Triverske in November of 2015. May the best game win!
STORY
BECCA: Critical Annihilation doesn’t have much of a story. You blow up the invaders with your guns and rockets. It comes across as simplistic but still manages to be incredibly satisfying and addicting. You can destroy everything around you, even the poles and enemy bases. You do have specific missions and customizable characters. You have the option to level your character up as well! Monsters are varied throughout levels, bringing many interesting aspects.
WILL: The story in Circuit Breakers is just evolved enough that you get a little bit of atmosphere for the game without completely taking away from the absolute chaos stemming from this modern rendition on Galaga. The simplistic nature creates a very easy to play and highly enjoyable game.
WINNER: It’s a tie! Story isn’t quite the focus of either of these games, but they both do what they need to.
GRAPHICS
BECCA: Built in a Voxel Engine, my favorite part of the graphics in Critical Annihilation was the blood spatter. The blood explodes everywhere but isn’t gory. It can even be paint! When the titles come onto the screen, they shatter to pieces and remain on the playing field for a time. The monster blood is colored, depending on the monster, and the pixelated nature tied in with the soundtrack really mesh well. What’s the best part of this for me? The environment is 100% destructible.
WILL: Circuit Breakers has an art style very similar to many of the top down indie games that are out right now. It is somewhere between an 8-bit and 16-bit art style. Where this is not necessarily bad, I would have liked to see something that really set this game apart from the rest. It all just felt a bit on the boring side when it came to the graphics.
WINNER: Critical Annihilation absolutely wins! The creative style of graphics in this game puts it over the edge.
SOUNDTRACK
BECCA: I bought the main song used for the original demo of Critical Annihilation, if that says anything about the game’s soundtrack. The funky electronic beat carries over into the full release, and the energetic beats keep you excited about the game. I found myself giggling and bouncing as the music blared in my ears. The music is a good part of what kept me coming back to this game, and what will keep me coming back in the future.
WILL: Who doesn’t love killing robots? Who doesn’t love a good 80’s rock song? Who doesn’t love a good 80’s rock song playing while you kill robots? The answer to all of those questions: no one. The soundtrack for Circuit Breakers is full of that 80’s rock guitar and kick ass attitude, and it might be my favorite soundtrack in a shooter game so far. I have to fight the urge to head bang while I blast things to bits.
WINNER: Critical Annihilation takes it again! Its funky beats kept us excited and pumped through all the gameplay.
MECHANICS
BECCA: Critical Annihilation uses the usual WASD movement system and brings in the mouse for shooting. Left click is your primary gun, and right click is the big rocket explosion. You use space to jump, and the enemies will jump with you! Not much is necessary, and I was glad I didn’t have to focus on learning different mechanics. I could just jump into the game and have fun!
WILL: This is an area where Circuit Breakers took some risks, and I feel they paid off. The general movement is WASD which is to be expected, but you use the arrow keys to shoot. I found this to be a new challenge as most top down shooters give you the mouse to point and click. The arrow keys really mad the combat feel fluid in the game adding some much needed depth.
WINNER: Critical Annihilation takes it again! Circuit Breakers brings a refreshing feel to mechanics, but Critical Annihilation brings back a familiar touch.
REPLAYABILITY
BECCA: With different levels to explore, weapons to pick up, monsters to see, and characters, I find myself going back again and again. Being able to level up and add to skills absolutely makes me come back to this game. Critical Annihilation brings in so much variety and depth in every aspect.
WILL: If I was in the mood to just watch things explode, Circuit Breakers would be my go to game every time. I feel it is one of those games that wouldn’t get old. There are several characters who provide unique play opportunities. As well as challenges and other characters to unlock, the team at Triverske has created the ultimate in modern arcade style games. Get your quarters ready for hours of gameplay.
WINNER: Critical Annihilation takes it! There’s so much depth to this game, and it really brings the thunder in replayability.
We had some great games this week, but our winner is”¦..
CRITICAL ANNIHILATION!
This game is just plain fun. The graphics are refreshing and add a whole new take on the popular 8-bit world of indie games, as well as the non-stop action and mayhem. A huge round of applause for this week’s winner, but be sure to check out both games. We will see you all next week for more Layton Indie Throwdown!
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