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Twin stick shooters seem to be a bit like buses and the next in the queue is From Space from Triangle Studios and Curve Games. With the promise of alien shooting action and some jolly cooperative gameplay with like-minded people from around the world, all looks rosy in the From Space garden. But can the game live up to the expectations I’m already placing on it? Well, there’s only one way to find out, so grab your best firearm and let’s shoot some alien scum!
The story of From Space is pretty light, revolving around some crystals that have appeared on the surface of Earth. These seem to be highly coveted by pink aliens that look like they are made of Playdoh (other clay based building products are available), with them ready to cause chaos. But instead of deploying the National Guard in this situation, it is left to a ragtag band of up to four random people to take out the trash and get rid of the aliens. What could be easier? Well, quite a lot of things as it turns out.
Presentation is very good, all things considered, and the graphics have a pleasing cartoony style to them. The aliens in particular are an amusing bunch, with various different types to take out. I must say, the animation of these pink blobs is top notch. The big guys with shields and the ones that are called “slackers” are particularly good, with the latter having a stretchy arm attack that looks pretty cool. The operatives that we can choose from are different depending on the mode we play – in Horde mode, we start off with a basic character and can then unlock extra characters by levelling up, while in Story mode the choice of characters is initially wider. Each character in story mode has a class and a set of perks that can be altered to suit your playstyle, so finding a character that matches your way of playing is pretty easy. Again, these guys can be levelled up as we go, unlocking their class specific weapon amongst other things.
The viewpoint for the game is that of the traditional isometric top three quarter view, and while the camera works well, the way that the scenery becomes transparent when you approach it can sometimes cause issues – it is hard to walk up an invisible staircase, and sometimes you have to move away from where you should be to be able to see where you need to go. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but something I noticed while playing.
The sound and general audio is also good, with squishy alien noises and gunfire all present and correct. It’s nice that every character has their own stock phrases that they shout out in certain situations; such as when ammo is running low and health is critical, for instance.
The actual gameplay though is split right down the middle. There is that Horde mode, and there is Story mode, and progression in one does not carry across into the other, which is a bit of a shame. I’d quite like to take my fully tooled up Specialist into Horde mode, but alas.
Delving into each though and that Horde mode does what it says on the tin. We select a character and a loadout, then a map from a selection, loading in and trying to survive. Each Horde mode game lasts five rounds, with increasingly bigger and more difficult enemies spawning in each wave. Basically, we need to stay alive, and make the aliens not alive, and that’s the long and short of it.
There are a couple of rounds where there are objectives to achieve, which vary from standing by a computer to keep it safe while data is uploaded, through to running around the level pressing buttons when prompted. Trying to achieve these objectives is very difficult indeed, and so it is just as well that the game features a drop in, drop out co-op multiplayer mode. It is extremely heartening when someone – or indeed several someones – join your game to help you out, and obviously having four times the firepower helps when taking out the big aliens that appear towards the end of a run.
Once you have done enough, you’ll need to get your group to assemble at the teleporter to exit the level, keeping safe while it counts down. This can get very tense indeed but successfully extract and you’ll get the chance to spend some ill gotten gains on researching new weapons and so on. The weapon levelling system in this mode is actually better than the main game, as we can choose which parts of the weapon to improve – damage and capacity are my choices! Once we have recovered and sorted ourselves out, it is time to go again, ensuring that Horde is a lot of fun.
Story mode follows the same basic pattern, but has more of a narrative to it. We need to try and reduce any alien influence in the area that we find ourselves in, doing so by a variety of means. There are people who need help, so we should assist them when we can, and there are alien drop pods and nests that need to be destroyed. Completing these tasks reduces the alien influence, and this makes killing the end of level bad guys easier. Plus, the only good squishy pink alien is a dead squishy pink alien, right?
In Story, our character levels up and they become able to carry more weapons, which is always a good thing. One thing to note is that different weapons take different ammo. That does mean that having two weapons of the same type will see the ammo shared between them. In From Space you’ll find ballistic ammo, which is used in pistols and assault rifles, blast ammo which is used in shotguns and rocket launchers, and green ammo, used by weird weapons that fire blobs of poison. These blobs can also hurt you, so be careful! And just to add a little spice, some aliens are only weak to a certain type of ammo, so having a collection of weapons of different types can help.
In addition to the guns, there are also other things that can be picked up and utilised in From Space; throwables like grenades for instance. Other things include barbed wire that slow the aliens down, dome shields to protect the team, and electric traps. There is a lot of content here to have a go at, is the takeaway feature.
From Space comes together well; in fact, it is one of the better twin stick shooters I’ve played. Playing solo is okay, but it really comes alive with a group of players, whether friends or strangers. What have you got to lose – apart from a few hours of your life?