It`s always interesting when we get a ID game to review through, as the ID market has really taken off the past few years. So many games are now having the creativity and platform to build upon, and developers have even more options now than they did a few years back. It`s great to see, and we`ve seen some really good ID games. I tend to go into ID games not knowing a single thing about them, and for me, that adds to the excitement and enjoyment I get from reviewing ID games. A bit different to mainstream games which I know a bit about what I`m reviewing. Blue Rider is a new ID game to the Xbox Store that hit us only a few weeks ago. Is it a game that`s going to join the other ID games in being a must-buy? Or will it be another one that unfortunately falls into the stinker category?
Blue Rider is a game developed and published by Ravegan, and is a shoot-em-up game. You must get through several levels, working your way through each one taking out the enemies and robots that are there to make your life difficult. You`re going to need to keep your health at a high, to keep your weapons upgraded, and to make sure that you keep yourself fighting and killing the enemies. You`ll come to a boss at the end of every level, and you need to beat the boss to gain access to the next level. Now, that may sound and seem easy, but actually, you`re going to be quite surprised.
The game has taken inspiration from many arcadic games in the past, and you can see elements in it that you`ll recognise instantly from the retro days, where you`d have to work your way in a similar fashion to Blue Rider. I quite like when I see games that have taken inspiration from previous titles and genres, and it`s really nice and quite a throwback to see on the modern day gaming platform. Fans who are old enough to remember games from 20-30 years ago, we`ll definitely see some similarities that Ravegan have tried to throw in, and have done quite well.
The game is fun, there`s no doubt about that. It`s a good shooter. But, you`re going to find yourself after a while frustration kicking in, as you discover that the game is actually a lot difficult than it seems. There isn’t any option to change the difficulty within the game, which means that it`s set to one base level. Now, as the levels progress, the harder the game`s going to get, but you`re going to get it right from the start. Level 1 was fairly standard, and manageable, but level 2 is when it starts getting tough. You find that power-ups such as health refills and weapon upgrades don’t come enough during the game, and if you get hit by an enemy shot (the enemies fire balls of light so to speak, if you get hit by one you`ll lose some of your health) then you can lose it very quickly. Especially when you`re being fired at from all angles. You`re going to need to duck and dodge your way through the level, and through your enemies.
But that isn’t the frustrating part of the game, oh no. if you die, there are no checkpoints or respawn. You have to start the whole level again. From the beginning. There is nothing more frustrating than being right at the end of the level on the boss area, and then having to start right from the beginning in order to get there again. It adds a whole new level of frustration to the game, and although similarly to what perhaps we may have seen on games and consoles 30 years ago, it`s a bold move by Ravegan to not put any forms of checkpoints or save points in there at all. I fear whether this is going to put people off, as people will get frustrated and potentially turn off after a while. I had to resist the urge to not do it after a while, but patience is definitely going to be needed.
Blue Rider is a fun game that is a throwback to arcadic gaming and is a good shoot-em-up. Patience is going to be needed though throughout, as the lack of save points and checkpoints will frustrate some. But it`s a good little ID game, and quite a fun one and is one that`ll keep you entertained for sure.
A huge thank you to XCN for supplying us with a review copy of Blue Rider
Game: Blue Rider
Developers: Ravegan
Publishers: Ravegan
Genre: Shoot-em-up
Price: £6.39 (From Xbox Store)