Crunchy Leaf Games
Some games are so foundational that you’re able to twist their formula thousands of times and they ’ll never get stale . That ’s how I feel aboutAsteroids . I ’ve played hundreds of game that Riffian on the classical distance shooter at this point , fromGeometry WarstoHyper Meteor . Even the weakest variations still tend to hook me in some agency . There ’s just something satisfying about the primal joys of blasting alien ships .
I ’ve got that feeling again while playingGalactic Glitch , which is out in other access today via Steam . On its control surface , it look like your ordinary top - down space crap-shooter — and it is . you could already guess the rudiments of fun by looking at some screenshots . Developer Crunchy Leaf Games takes that one step further , though , by placing a retro biz mode into a more modern action - roguelike . It may not be the most complex biz in the genre in its other state , but I ’m still enjoying the jolts of reliable retro action thatGalactic Glitchprovides .
Crunchy Leaf Games
The premise here is straight . player navigate a diminutive starship through an interlink maze of round arenas with bouncy rampart . Each one contains some enemy to shell and some episodic reinforcement in the human body of run - based upgrades , orb - shaped up-to-dateness , and permanent power ( thinkDead Cells ) . The goal is to complete a run by blasting through different biomes and occasionally purchase lasting perks back at a base between runs .
The military action should n’t be too surprising to anyone who has played a authoritative space shooter . I can turn around a full 360 stage while fell and capsicum enemy with shots . Galactic Glitchdoes add its own spin on that tried and true formula , though . Its unequalled gimmick is that player can take hold of small enemies or meteoroid and chuck those at enemy . Each weapon also has a sinewy secondary weapon , and additional upgrades lend more depth to combat . One power I find get me occasionally set up a projectile by dodge ; another allow me visit backstab damage on aliens by shoot them from the side .
My favorite signature is even small-scale : Enemies are prone to well-disposed fire , so they can unwittingly damage one another . That adds some evasive strategy to battle as I can cautiously bait some aliens into blast one another if I move just right on . Games likeAsteroidsare all about finding your step in a sci - fi dance , andGalactic Glitchgives me a plenty of moves to execute that with finesse .
Considering that it ’s only now launching in early access , Galactic Glitchcan feel a footling light in its former state . The center loop-the-loop is there thanks to its progression hooks , but it ’s admittedly a bit insistent to take flight through circular zones and hammer the shoot push . gratefully , that does broaden out a bit even in this build . There ’s a wealth of weapons to unlock that can change up my playstyle , like a short - kitchen stove shotgun that forces me to stay snug or a weak but long - range set of homing laser . Run - based upgrades help broaden my scheme more , though its currency payout feel just a bite meagre compared to the cost of item at present .
There ’s still some pull off to do if Crunchy Leaf Games is going to create a roguelike with staying power , but the grounding is there . Galactic Glitchshows promise thanks to some familiar action that ’s so intuitive that I ’m easily pulled into another run so I can unlock more puppet . If you ’re looking for an old andiron that ’s actually teach some young tricks , it ’s worth conduct the other accession plunge and see where that wormhole guide .
Galactic Glitchis useable now in early access via Steam .
