Some games utilize every button on a controller, and even make you use multiple inputs at a time to get the most out of the controller. Others merely make you move around, and the game takes care of the rest (much like the recently released Never Stop Sneakin’). Neither of these layouts are necessarily better than the other, as the gameplay loop and execution is key to making a game fun and enjoyable. To put this game in perspective, think of a twin stick shooter, but you only turn left and right while everything else is done for you.
While You Are Downloading is not meant to be a game that you play for hours on end. Quite honestly, it’s meant to be something you do while you’re waiting for other games to download. Of course you can play it in other situations as well, such as waiting for the bus, standing in line, or while on break at work. The point is that it’s easy to jump into and play, and there is no definitive end, so you can continue to strive for the best score you can get.
As mentioned before, this game is akin to a twin stick shooter in what you do (think Geometry Wars), except your ship is self-propelled and your shots are automated with certain time intervals depending on what you’re using. You’ll start off with a basic peashooter, but you can pick up different weapons as you progress. These include spread shots, front and back shots, mega shots, and more as you progress and unlock them by earning higher scores. The pickups are not indicative of what you’ll get, so if you happen to like what you have, you may want to avoid changing up your equipment.
Enemies start off as mere target practice, moving along the stage single file, but soon start to make wavy patterns before shooting their own projectiles and tracking your movements. Each time an enemy is destroyed a cluster of green boxes will appear and move toward you waiting to be collected, which will increase your score. Without collecting the score boxes, the game is pretty pointless, as you are attempting to get the highest score possible. And as the increased score unlocks more weapons, it’d be silly to not nab them. Of course, as the game progresses it becomes increasingly difficult to collect them immediately, as you’re constantly under attack.
That’s about all there is to the game, for those that are interested. It’s not something for those that are hoping for a deep experience, especially as there isn’t a leaderboard to compare your score to others. In that regard, with no level counts or competition, there isn’t a whole lot of draw for playing the game beyond the first time. I also find the automated shots to be annoying, as timing is one of the main mechanics at play, and I’d rather choose when to shoot myself.
If you’re looking for something to play in the interim of downloading a different game or movie, this works as a fun little distraction. However, it’s not often that I’m downloading something on my PS4 and then choose to turn on my laptop to play something else. Because of that, I believe this would be much more fitting on a mobile platform, especially with the limited controls and quick entry to the game. I find myself pulling out my phone for a distraction more often than not throughout the day, so it’d be best to nab it there if it’s made available.
5 out of 10
Pros
- Easy to Play
- Never-Ending Content
Cons
- Too Simplistic
- No Motivation to Play
- Shots are Timed
While You Are Downloading was developed and published by Alien Nude LTD. It was released on PC March 2nd, 2018. The game was provided to us for review on PC. If you’d like to see more of While You Are Downloading, check out the Unity Asset Store from Alien Nude LTD.
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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