Whisker Squadron: Survivor

Very unfortunate game, lots of potential, no updates, boring, was better in early access.

Roguelites can be hit or miss for me. I'm not opposed to them but it's not a style I'm inherently drawn to either. But Whisker Squadron: Survivor got its hooks in instantly and never let go. Near six hours and a fully completed run later I can safely say I adore this game. To start with the most important part, this is an excellent Star Fox style shooter. Tight controls, punchy weapons with a great enemy roster to use them on, and a super charming cartoon cyber-neon aesthetic with a killer soundtrack. It's the perfect foundation for the progression systems to build on, hitting that "just one more run" sweet spot. Each of the three acts features a randomized branching layout, letting you prioritize stages with bonus conditions or opportunities to collect additional powerups. There's a wide array of upgrades you can collect during runs and some of them can open up some really fun new twists, like boosting through tight spaces to gain health or using your spin block to reflect projectiles back at enemies. Runs aren't radically unrecognizable from each other but there's good room for customization that gives each run personality. Like any game built on randomization sometimes you'll be at the mercy of the RNG more than others. But no run ever felt truly unwinnable. Between runs you can also unlock more permanent boosts to basic stats as well as new weapons, ships, and pilots at specific milestones. Progression comes at a fairly steady pace. I can see some folks potentially burning out on the game quickly if they're the type to really grind for unlocks. You won't be buying everything in a hurry. But if you focus on playing for fun and letting things open up as you go, you'll find a healthy selection of new toys waiting for you each time you feel tempted to try another run. Playing for fun really is the key here because the game is a joy. This is one of my new arcade favorites, and I can see myself picking this up for a run here or there for a long time to come. I'll be first in line when its currently unnamed sequel takes off.

Extremely shallow game, fight controls are floaty at best, hit boxes are terrible, there's little actual replayability, and the main gameplay loop is like the bad levels of a Starfox game. Maybe if you can pick it up for less than 3 bucks?

Similar feel to RACE THE SUN [which I loved on PS3] but with pew pew pew goodness, feline pilots and tighter spaces. Played this when it came out in early access and didn't realize it was fully released. Whoops. Had fun with this one in the short time I played, though I do need to give it another go...

It is ok, but after only a few runs I found myself wanting more variety, more options, more weapons, more ships, but its all surprisingly limited.

it's not bad... it's just not very fun for more than 2 hours

TL;DR: Great idea, frustrating execution. Poorly designed controls, artificial difficulty, and unnecessary limitations kill the fun. Just two lines of code would have been enough to improve it significantly. It’s a shame. A real shame. This game should be awesome, but all it delivers is frustration. The controls are clumsy. For some reason, the dev thought it was a good idea to force aiming and movement onto the same analog stick. That’s bad on a controller and absolutely terrible with mouse and keyboard. I die more often because I can’t move or aim where I want, not because I made a mistake. And let’s be honest: this is probably a one- or two-line fix in Unity (or whatever engine this mess is built in). Enemy design doesn’t help. Many enemies have instant-kill attacks, and the “skill” here is memorizing audio cues just to parry them. Speaking of audio: the cat companion will not shut up, repeating the same line over and over until it drills into your skull. I actually like the setting, but it barely evolves at all. Progression feels flat, and being forced to listen to the full boss introduction every single time you die is just another pinch of salt in an already open wound. The fun parts are artificially restricted. Barrel rolls? Limited by energy. Shoot? Limited by energy. Everything fun is limited, like a bad mobile game designed to punish you for playing instead of encouraging mastery. I could ask for a refund. But part of me still hopes the dev will just write those two lines of code that would turn this from a frustrating experience into something genuinely fun and enjoyable. Pros: Cool setting Solid core idea Barrel roll would be fun Cons: Terrible control scheme Artificial difficulty (instakill + audio memorization) Repetitive, annoying dialogue No meaningful progression Fun locked behind energy limits Verdict: Good idea, bad execution. Right now, frustration outweighs fun. If you want to play star fox try Ez Zodiac

Chineeeeeeese please！