GAME REVIEW: Blue Rider

Blue Rider game review

Blue Rider is a next-gen game that gracefully borrows from hits that came before it. It has elements of R-Type with a dash of The Chaos Engine with a visual style reminiscent of Megaman. While progression through each level is somewhat linear, the game does allow players to navigate and explore each level at their own pace. You’re not playing against a timer, but there is a gradual decay on point multipliers that accumulate as you destroy enemies. This provides the player an incentive to sweep the levels at quicker pace while affording the option of retreat if things get hairy, and retreat you will as it does not take long to find yourself surrounded by swarms of enemies if you blaze ahead hastily.

The game has good conveyance and that is something many others lack. You start the game and are playing immediately with little instruction. Controls are easy to grasp yet the game itself is quite challenging. The game is set at a good pace. You’ll die often yet it isn’t difficult to get back to where you left off. One aspect of game play I enjoyed was something that initially took some getting used to, and that is the camera motion. As mentioned, this shooter allows you to navigate the level freely and as you do the camera follows your front-facing top-down view. It took a bit to adjust though eventually I found it to be intuitive and well purposed for strafing. FYI this game is all about the strafing.

Blue Rider screens

Blue Rider as a whole is simple, for better or for worse. There are two weapons, primary (guns) and secondary (bombs). Each has two varieties that can be switched and upgraded as power-ups are claimed. There are no vehicle options. Personally, I enjoy a bit more meat in this department though the simplicity is also part of this game’s charm. Many game developers attempt to jam as much complexity into their games as possible and the player experience suffers. Simple as it is, that does not mean this game is easy. I died many times and often during my initial playthrough. I also found myself quick to give it another go when I did which I think says something to the fun-factor of this game.

The visual style of Blue rider is cartoonish, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to look at. All of the levels, enemies, and in-game objects are 3D and that brings a lot of depth to the levels, though when the screen fills with enemies throwing everything they have at you the cost to render all of those game objects does take a toll on your system. Make sure you have a decent graphics card, 2GB at least. You’ll probably spend more time watching out for projectiles, but it certainly is nice to have such rich level environments in the background of all the chaos.

The sound design is also wonderful. I’m happy the developers took the time to choose good sounds with pleasant timbres. From the affirmative alert of a power up to the subtle yet steady hail of your lasers, each game event has a very well-thought-out sound behind it. Emergent developers should be taking notes here because it is something that gets neglected often. It is impressive that you can be immersed in so much action and not be distracted by sounds. That definitely takes a certain level of consideration, which I’m glad the developers put in. While I was not as impressed with the music, I still found it to be well-composed and appropriate for the game.

Blue Rider screens

With all good there must be some bad, and that is the performance. I’m not trying to come down too hard on the devs in this area because it is 2016 after all and we should all expect new games to be more demanding on our systems than older games. That being said, my own system does exceed the recommended specs provided by the developers and I was experiencing a fair amount of lag during some of the more intense boss fights, even on lower settings. Not surprised though, because this game throws a lot at you. Still, there’s nothing more annoying than death by lag. Really brings down the fun factor. The game also did crash on few occasions, which isn’t the worst but certainly isn’t the best either. I’ll have to dock points in this category for the time being.

What it lacks in depth it makes up for in good solid game design. Too often I play games that force the player to suffer through story-driven tutorials and other unnecessary details. Blue Rider throws you right into the game and that is something I like. It’s honest and gives you exactly what it promises. Performance issues aside, it is a pretty fun game. I like games that make me gasp, clench, and swear a little bit. Blue Rider had me doing all three.

If you’re looking for a game that will suck you in for months through lengthy and immersive storylines and quests, this probably isn’t what you’re looking for. If you enjoy arcade style shooters and want instant action with a good element of challenge, you should definitely give this one shot. Pun intended.

Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site.