Review: Futuridium EP Deluxe

Hey bartender, give me an Captain Fox Mcloud on Acid.

Originally released on iOS, Futuridium has finally landed on gaming consoles last week in the form of the EP Deluxe Edition. This new Deluxe version gives players new levels, new gameplay modes, more music, and a graphical overhaul. This game reminded me of the good ol' Star Fox games... on acid, actually I'm pretty sure that this game is actually based off of one of  Foxes' acid trips after he watched Luke Skywalker blow up the Death Star. I hope that he doesn't decide to go to rehab anytime soon.

Futuridium is a 3D shooter at its core and the objective of the game is to destroy all of the blue cubes that are scattered conveniently on each level, which reveals the main core which also needs to be destroyed to blow up the level into a bunch of pretty particles. Its a simple concept but you also have a constantly depleting fuel gauge, which will end your mission once it reaches zero. There are also plenty of deadly hazards, such as turrets and moving platforms, that are riddled throughout the later levels that will try to prevent you from completing your goal. If you happen to get hit once you will be warped back to the beginning of the level with a good chunk of fuel lost. Once you lose all that precious fuel though, its game over.

Thankfully maneuvering the spaceship is quite simple. The ship has two speeds, a normal speed and a super fast speed. Since there is no slow speed, you'll have to be quick with your shots and dodge the hazards quickly. The ship also comes equipped with square button that can make your ship pull off a 180 degree turn that will allow you to travel back and destroy any cubes you may have missed. The shooting mechanics does take a while to get used to at first, which had me cursing at the PS Vita for a while. The game’s depth perception makes it hard line up your shots and the bullets have range, so there are times where you will shoot at a cube and missed completely even though you aimed right at it. Once you get used to the depth perception and the shooting mechanics, the game becomes really fun.

The game has five different modes that you can play through. The main mode, called "Deluxe", features five sets of ten levels. Each set must be completed in a single run before the next set is unlocked, if you die you have to start the set of 10 levels all over again, unless you have an extra credit of course then you can just continue from where you died. The levels will constantly throw in new ideas and challenges at you that will probably cause you to die a ton of times before you beat that level. The only problem with the levels is that they start to feel a little repetitive and while the graphics are an awesome throwback to the retro-games of yore, at times everything can almost be too colourful so it can be hard to actually pick out the cubes.

The other gameplay modes can be unlocked by the total number of blue cubes that you have destroyed. You can also unlock new skins and more credits. There are a bunch of different modes, including "Classic mode", Single Level mode, where you can practice playing on any level you have encountered in "Deluxe mode"; and a fun little mode called "Flappyridium" that is inspired by everyones mobile game.

One of my favorite parts of the game is the music, it's fantastic! There is a sizable chunk of music tracks that are all worth listening to with headphones on. The score has cowbells, guitars, electronic beats, and almost everything else; the soundtrack will definitely give your ears an orgasim or should I say... an eargasim.

Futuridium EP Deluxe is a simple yet difficult 3D-shooter that is fun to play in short bursts. There are bunch of unlockables that manages to keep the game fun and the replay value high. The presentation is awesome, the music and the graphics are great; although at times the graphics can negatively impact the gameplay. For only $12, you can't go wrong with the purchase of MixedBag's Futuridium EP Deluxe.