STEVE MILES·MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019
“So i’m standing in the Upgrade Shop,with choices..Do i use my 500 salvage for that extra shield?Or do i risk the added protection for an extra bar of Ship Health? 4 missiles left out of 14,so do i get those at the sake of being drastically underprotected? 500 salvage can only get me ONE option…Decisions..Decisions… Finally i opted for the extra shield and then took to the launch screen for the next mission.I advanced into space,through those advancing asteroids and onto the direction of the white arrow,which guides me to the next mission map.Suddenly i was at the border of the map screen,and purple arrows appeared to indicate the enemy was close and ready to engage.I stopped right there,and fired into the direction of the arrows.(There’s a Game Tip there for you!)and i could hear the crushing sound of laser fire hitting enemy craft.A slight pause,and i advanced into the sight of enemy craft,but they were damaged enough for me to quickly take them out,one at a time.Enemies exploded,and salvage left by their destroyed craft,ready for the picking…Voila! i got 8 Missiles on the pickup,and at last,there was a slight turn of fortune for the impending mission through the advancing caves….”
One of the many scenarios you will face,should you pick up the lastest version of GALAK Z:THE VOID,by 17-Bit games.You may have played the “S Variant”edition that is free to play on the e-shop,and if that is you,you will get a headstart on controls and the characters and type of gameplay included here.
GRAPHICS ..“The Void”,comes from the PS4 version,and on loading you can instantly see the graphical difference here,compared to the last title.Its Superb! Rather like an 80’s cartoon anime akin to say “Battle of the Planets”.The little extra animations are worth a mention here..the debris floating about from destroyed enemies,dust from exploding rocks,and my personal favourite,the statistics from a completed mission displayed on the side of the craft(World War 2 dogfight style!)
STORY..You are A-TAK,a pilot defeated by an evil baron,who is hell bent on revenge,and ends up on a space station “Axelios”,run by main character “Beam”.Beam will give you missions in order to gain salvage(the upgrade currency)in order to upgrade your ship,take down the Imperial army on the way,and thus gaining a significant boost in eventually taking on the Baron himself and winning the day.
GAMEPLAY/LENGTH..Missions are variable,and include 5 missions per season from 4 seasons in all.20 missions might seem like a short game,but advancing difficulty on completion of each season,extends its longevity. For each mission,players are given an objective and taken across space until reaching a mission map on a 3×3 grid.You will need to use skill and a very reserved attitude in order to survive,blast your way,or possibly escape unnoticed from the countless enemies you will face on the way.Spore plants grow in certain areas of the winding and sometimes fiendishly narrow caverns,with spiked plants also hindering and damaging your craft,should you hit them and take shield damage.Should you manage to reach the objective,there’s still the journey back through the caverns and eventually to a “Warp point”where you can warp back to the safety of your station/game hub. Of course,this is a Roguelike with randomly generated levels,and through the map,scattered blueprints and upgrades to add to your ship,should you make the warp point home.The inclusion of Permadeath meaning that anything collected will be lost!
MODES/REPLAY VALUE…ARCADE mode,is the slightly easier option for beginners not used to the controls and first timers in general.Death in this mode,takes you back to the level you started,so progress to mission 3 and die,and you start at 3 and not right at the beginning. ROGUE mode,is the main game mode and described as the “way it should be played”.Death on many missions completed will return you right back to the very first mission,yet get lucky enough to collect 5 “crash coins”,and you are given an option to replay the mission you died on.There is also a supply crate with your last collected upgrades,scattered somewhere on the next playthrough,should you be lucky enough to find it! (Dark Souls style!). Finally there is the THE VOID which is unlocked after the completion of Season 1 and abandons the gameplay of the previous 2 modes.You are taken Online,with the option of a Daily challenge with a preset loadout and the main Void mode,where destroying the enemy gives score points,and salvage to upgrade, accumulated through various levels. Scores amassed are placed on an online leaderboard,and thus a welcome break from the intensity of the main modes. So,plenty of returns in this game,for its random generation,high difficulty spike,and random locations of upgrades and blueprints.
GALAK Z:THE VOID,is a brutal and fiendishly difficult space combat game.Enemy AI is geared to attack and destroy,yet intelligent enough to try to outwit and outsmart you aggressively and defensively. Random generation seems well spread out and generally fair,and for this reviewer,the space battles have given me one of the most enthralling,exciting and utterly engaging experiences on the Switch to date. Sound is a very decent futuristic synth soundtrack,littered with witty and sarcastic dialogue between the main characters throughout.
OVERALL..a very competent and engaging title,that will reward you with a great feeling of achievement for every little victory acquired.Once you play this,you will gain respect for its relentless brutality,thus gaining utter satisfaction from the rewards ear
Thanks to 17-Bit for the code …
