With the belt-scrolling beat ’em up present process one thing of a renaissance of late, it seems like a brand new title enters the fray each different week. Whereas some efforts utilise IPs like Double Dragon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to garner consideration, others are rekindling the style’s magic with authentic concepts. Enter Nuala Studio with Vengeance Hunters, a fledgling challenge that’s notable for its growth platform, the Neo Geo, a 34-year-old piece of arcade {hardware}.
Vengeance Hunters doesn’t draw back from cliche. Its introduction pans over a brooding metropolis skyline whereas describing a dystopian future beneath risk from “Excessive rolling suitmen. Captains of business. Bastards of the higher crust.” Vaguely political, then. Enter three protagonists, the awkwardly titled Sweet, Golem, and Loony; an athletic feminine, a cumbersome robotic, and a brawny part-cyborg male, respectively.
One factor you may’t fail to be impressed by is Vengeance Hunter’s graphics. Nuala Studio’s artists actually put within the work right here. The backgrounds are stuffed with element, with very good color casting and palette blends forming the sport’s far-flung reaches. You roam by forestry, wastelands, metropolis streets and your compulsory (and arguably much less fascinating) company headquarters. Tonally it seems like an ’80s cartoon with chunk, one thing alongside the strains of COPS or Bravestarr: grownup sufficient with its vibe, often bursting with blood, whereas sustaining its conventional arcade sport roots.
It seems good in movement, too, with massive, well-animated sprites that traverse the display in distinctive and fascinating methods. Audio-wise it’s adequate, closely synthy, evoking a pseudo-’80s sci-fi really feel – but it surely lacks a sure edge and authenticity. It sounds prefer it needs to be Streets of Rage in locations, but it surely’s softer and extra ambient, much less impactful or memorable.
The fight system options some intelligent nuance, and whereas not as combo-heavy as one thing like Winkysoft’s Guardians (1995), there are a number of distinctive components that draw from extra fashionable concepts. Every character has a weak and onerous assault, a leap and a signature transfer that can be utilized infinitely. Urgent each assault buttons dually engages a conventional breakout transfer, paid with a portion of your life bar.
Nevertheless — and we like this concept so much — slightly than outright dropping your well being, the portion you gamble on the breakout is greyed out. Do you have to efficiently then lay into your opponents with out interruption, you may beat that gray again to a secure yellow. It’s a sensible and efficient strategy to handle an outdated staple of the style, and brings with it larger strategic dimensions.
The combo system is versatile, too. In truth, there are juggle alternatives that, ought to you will have the reflex, resemble sure superior preventing video games, permitting you to hop into the air on repeat to tag hits earlier than following up with both a standing onerous assault or signature transfer. Sweet is the weakest of the three characters. In comparison with Golem and Loony she’s simply not as fascinating, and underpowered. Loony has the benefit of a projectile signature transfer, capable of shoot his robotic arm throughout the display, leveraging his comparatively sluggish pace by retaining encroaching enemies at bay.
Golem, the robotic, is the perfect for our cash, sporting each muscle energy and pace, with a signature transfer that lets you seize enemies on each floor and within the air, and swing them ahead or pile-drive them backwards. There are additionally charged particular strikes that may be added to strings or juggles, and every character can double-tap ahead to sprint and assault.
On the entire, Vengeance Hunters is an efficient challenge with some depth. We like the truth that the bosses have distinct patterns, and there are secret sub-sections and story variations relying on who you play as. At one level you hop on a motorbike and go driving by the desert wastelands, avoiding poisonous barrels and squid-like creatures; whereas elsewhere, you problem a boss in a digital one-on-one preventing sport on an arcade cupboard. These novel touches do properly to interrupt up the repetition and encourage replayability.
Regardless of the stable positives, although, there are just a few areas we take situation with. The problem is well-balanced, pretty difficult on defaults, and encourages studying and experimentation. However, on the identical time, there are elements that get a bit attempting. For some motive, there are tons of issues blowing up within the sport: barrels, bombs, bombs inside containers, pipe bombs, and even enemies. Issues appear to be blowing up far and wide, and actually a bit too recurrently. You’ll be able to be taught to keep away from these incendiary risks, however, since you may’t choose the bombs up, it will get irritating if you maintain getting both knocked out of your circulate by an explosion or having to interrupt off your assaults to evade one.
Moreover, there are secondary weapons to wield, however they’re bizarre. Somewhat than your common swords and pipes, they arrive within the type of cannons that hover over your character’s head and fireplace isometrically. Meaning it is advisable be stood barely above and diagonally to catch enemies with them. They’re hardly inconceivable to make good use of, but it surely’s a type of concepts that will have appeared higher on paper, since they’re not notably satisfying to make use of. In comparison with the whopping nice rifles accessible in one thing like Capcom’s The Punisher, they don’t do a lot to boost the gameplay.
Crucially, the fight, whereas organized in such a method that experimentation pays off, falls simply shy of these stable connections in lots of ’90s arcade video games of the identical mould. It really works, however the suggestions isn’t fairly on the identical stage. Combo manufacturing feels good, however there’s one thing lacking from the general weight.
One of many oddest omissions, although, just isn’t having the ability to seize anybody. We really feel like grabs are an integral a part of belt scrollers as they help you crowd herd, and whereas one might argue that Vengeance Hunters goes its personal method, the absence nonetheless feels odd. That is notably evident when taking part in as Golem, who might be essentially the most pleasant character within the sport largely resulting from the truth that he has a seize as his signature transfer.
There are 5 fairly drawn-out phases to work by, however studying them and their accompanying boss encounters will take a while. It may appear odd that you just begin the sport in a rainforest preventing Amazonian zombies — particularly after the futuristic metropolis skyline of the opening story — however at the very least it’s fascinating. A few of the later areas aren’t fairly as authentic. Lastly, native co-op is accessible for 2 gamers, however there’s no on-line right here.
Conclusion
Vengeance Hunters does many issues properly. Its pixel artwork is great throughout the board, with some very cool-looking enemies. It additionally has a number of fascinating concepts in its fight mechanics that enable seasoned avid gamers to dig deep. It’s a sport that ranges from the spectacular to the often doubtful. Enemy repetition begins to grate a bit, however then wonderful and imaginative boss battles redress the stability. We don’t really feel fairly so snug with the omission of grabs, the odd format of its sub-weaponry, or its slightly overbearing variety of explosive obstacles, however we are able to’t ignore that it’s competent and well-executed in lots of different key areas. Important? Maybe it falls simply wanting that, however for followers of the style and people who get a thrill out of mining combo potentialities, there’s a vivid, stable, and at occasions slightly intelligent belt scroller right here.
