If there is one genre that I will never tire of, it’s the shoot-em-up (shmup). Not every offering is perfect, but they are often good for a few minutes of relaxation after a hectic day when other games would require too much time or effort to enjoy. Some games in this genre lack staying power due to a lack of gameplay or enemies that never pose a real threat. Luckily, 10tons Ltd has managed to keep their shmup games fresh and entertaining, which includes their most recent title Tesla vs. Lovecraft.

You’ll step into the shoes of Tesla as he takes down the forces of Lovecraft across multiple areas using a mech, standard weaponry, as well as some designs by the legendary inventor himself. Each level will either task the player with mowing down waves of enemies thrown at them, or completing basic tasks such as collecting items or destroying other non-threatening objects. Each level can be completed between a few seconds and a few minutes, with an entire playthrough on a single difficulty lasting a few hours through its 20+ levels. That said, there’s a decent amount of content to be found in this title.

After completing a few tutorial levels and collecting all of the pieces needed to assemble your mech suit, you will begin each level in the suit, which is a limited ability that will drain quickly. Once it has been depleted you can collect the pieces again, as they will respawn at random points in the level and once complete, and you can activate the ability again at your leisure. In addition to the mech, you can teleport or dash through enemies and obstacles, which makes traversing the level and avoiding enemies quite easy on the standard difficulty. This ability can be used multiple times in succession and has a fairly quick recharge rate.

The arsenal at your disposal is pretty normal for this type of game. You’ll start each level with a basic pistol and typically find various types of shotguns, machine guns, but being that this is Tesla, you’ll also find a gun that shoots lightning balls. You are able to carry one crowd-control ability in addition to one weapon at a time. While the abilities are limited to a set number of uses, the weapons feature unlimited ammo, although they must be reloaded. The biggest game changer will be the perks that modify how your weapons fire, with upgrades such as ammo bouncing off of walls, piercing groups of enemies, or multiple bullets being fired at the same time being up for grabs. I found the repeater shotgun (basically a fully automatic version) with the multi-shot and bouncing effects to be the most worthwhile. When you end up with a good roll, it’s amazing.

During standard play you’ll level up Tesla and be given the option between one of two perks to apply to the character. The upgrades stack, so if you’re lucky enough to get multiples of the more devastating perks, you’ll want to take advantage of them. These come fairly often, but reset each time the player leaves the level, giving the title a rouge-lite feel. This works for the most part but can add frustration as well. Since the upgrades and weapons available are randomized, some of the more difficult levels will be harder if you don’t find something to even out the playing field, resulting in multiple attempts to complete the level.

There are also permanent upgrades that can be applied to your character. These require the player to collect crystals that are rewarded for killing X number of a certain enemy, finishing levels, completing weekly bounties, and will appear randomly in higher levels as pickups. These upgrades do not change gameplay as much as the perks do mid-game, but they will help the player once reaching the higher difficulties. The biggest issue with these is the cost of the upgrades compared to how often you accrue them not being balanced. Having completed the first difficulty and being half way through the second as of this writing, I have only been able to purchase a few of these.

Offering the high level of polish that 10tons LTD has been known for in its previous releases (Time Recoil, Jydge), the game controls like it should. The only thing I would have changed would have been removing the right trigger requirement to shoot and simply use the right stick. The enemies you face are well rendered and rarely blend into the level, which has been a bit of a setback in previous shmups. With the visuals being on par with most indie games you’ll find on the market, the graphics won’t disappoint, but are nothing to write home about. You’ll face off against spiders, blobs, and strange tentacles, among other ghastly stylized creatures that spew a respectable amount of purple blood upon death. While the bosses are simply larger versions of the normal enemies, they pose a decent challenge and require the player to strategically choose their upgrades early in these encounters.

If you would like to take a friend with you on your journey into madness, the game offers local co-op play. Sadly, I did not have a companion available to play with, so I cannot comment on how well this works. For those that are into endless modes, the game has you covered, with the option being unlocked early into the game. If you’re a fan of the shmup genre or 10tons Ltd’s other work, you won’t be disappointed.

8 out of 10

Pros

• The Perk System
• Clear Visuals
• Loads of Replay Options

Cons

• The Crystal Upgrades are Grindy
• Some Balancing Issues from the Rouge-Lite Mechanics

Tesla vs. Lovecraft was developed and published by 10tons Ltd. It was released on PC January 26th, 2018, PS4 on March 13th, 2018, and on X1 March 16th, 2018 for $14.99 ($11.99 if preordered). The game was provided to us for review on X1 and PS4. If you’d like to see more of Tesla vs. Lovecraft, check out the official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

 

 

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