ROCKETRON

I put off buying and playing this game for so long thinking it was some kind of gimmicky side project for the devs based on what i saw in the trailers and instead focused on other 'Vulkaiser goodness' that the same devs have made spades of in other titles happening in the same universe. No time wasted there as the Gogoh will always be in need of some melee weapon, gun powder and heavy laser based humbling but clearly i should have looked more closer to this title as it is now after a quick 'easy' game up there on the list of my favorite combat focused metroidvanias. Rocketron is cheap, on sales often and very easy to pick up and play and it is one of those games where you are not really ever stuck. You do need to hunt for upgrades to reach areas, key cards, secrets and all that but it is not the main focus. You solve exactly 0 puzzles in this game which is a good change of pace. But you do need to haul a*s all over to reach places and explore. Good well balanced combat is the main thing here along with big bosses flinging a lot of heat your way which breaks your weapons. Oh this one is a good one: Game has a major mechanic in that weapons you carry have durability and the weapon you use right now takes damage when you take damage. So you need to worry about your own health bar + health of your current weapon. (Melee weapon and basic gun doesn't take damage). No healing at save points. Basic rapid firing assault rifle and shotgun can take a few hits but the guided shuriken and laser that are the most useful tools in the arsenal goes down quick. And stays down too for a long time so you are constantly collecting health for both yourself and to distribute some to your dead weapons. Some people have complained about this in their review. I do not agree, it just means your skill ceiling has been met. Either lower difficulty or fight and improve your tactics! Some really tough fights take place every now and then and they are most enjoyable. The breaking weapons mechanic is the game calling out those who spend all their upgrade points on just one weapon -> Very nice, you can still do your 'glass cannon' setups but now you must pair your setups with proper maneuvering skill as well! So one way or another you are forced to use the whole plethora of weapons you have or git gud with the movement. Particularly when the skill level is any level above Easy. So to sum it up: It is not a puzzle focused game as most of this genre games out there but more of a combat focused one and it's a very good one too. Completely overlooked it seems. Well don't overlook it! - look straight at it - and buy it. It wont cost you much but the action is good and difficulty is easy on you for your first ride. Cons? No major ones that i see but i did 'stumble' upon the ending when i was just exploring on my first run trough. Wont happen again though and i will fire this one up for more difficult runs.