Polychromatic

 
Developer: Brushfire Games
Steam Release: Oct 2015
Hours Played: 6.8
Similar To: Bullet Candy / Mutant Storm Reloaded / Scoregasm / Waves
Rating: 4/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
Polychromatic is an arena style, twin-stick shooter that's set out in much the same way as Waves in that you're placed in a circular area that doesn't quite fit on a full screen. Unlike other games of this ilk, such as Tachyon Project or Scoregasm, you don't complete individual levels for a high-score but smash your way through levels while encountering wave upon relentless waves of small shapes of different colours that just keep comin' at ya. In this respect it resembles the classic Geometry Wars. With plain textures and in a less spectacular vein, Polychromatic feels like a lighter experience. Your flow of white-dotted bullets still issue forth in a satisfyingly fluid stream but explosions and sound-effects are more understated and subtle. With no upgrades, your high-score is about the skill of the player rather than how strong your ship is. 

BALANCE & PACE
You begin with your small blue ship in the centre of the screen as a few shapes first spawn in indestructible bubble form as a warning as to their location and that they're about to attack. Then, as they get more numerous and aggressive you dodge and weave your way around the arena while satisfyingly mowing them down. Each coloured shape has a different attack or movement pattern which you become more accustomed to as you play. To get a proper grip on things you'll need to pay attention to the motion and momentum of your ship which takes a bit of getting used to. Once you've got this down, maneuvering to escape the barrage becomes all the more rewarding. You get two power-ups: (1) a dash and (2) a bomb that explodes in a radius around your ship - both of which are highly useful in getting out of tight spots. 

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
Apart from a few rocking tunes, Brushfire Games have gone for a simple and plain art-style bordering on minimalism. No matter which of the three modes you play in, the background arena remains grey-blue. Enemies are quite small and come in simple geometric shapes with explosions consisting of small round circles of white and the colour of the destroyed shape expanding and contracting. Sound-effects are also kept to a minimum with delicate inoffensive blips and bleeps signalling things like explosions, firing, the next wave and extra lives etc, but is greatly enhanced by a decent pair of headphones. Personally, I found the game to be much better with the music turned off. The game demands little from your hardware with menus being quick, fast and stable.   

PROGRESS SYSTEM
Polychromatic is a score-attack game through and through. You get three game-types with very clear online leaderboards for each one showing rank, score, wave and number of kills. Endless mode gives you three lives and equips you with three blasts of the two power-ups and throws you in at Wave 1. Extra lives and power-ups are given at certain points. Timed mode sees how far you get in two minutes but adds on seconds as you complete waves, while One-Life mode does just that - gives you one life. While a game is fairly short, you'll definitely feel like you have to work hard for a Top 30 place. Zipping through the menus is very quick making access to your high-scores really efficient. Of course, progress comes with improving your skills and seeing your name rising up through the ranks.
 

CONCLUSION

Polychromatic proves that you don't have to go for the sensational and explosive to make a decent 2D shooter. Keeping it uncomplicated and old-school works fine. There is nothing new-fangled like upgrades to worry about or the need to pour over stats to figure out where to put points. There's not even any lingering thoughts as to how to three-star any levels. It's just about diving in and trying for your best score. Furthermore, you'll know that none of the three modes will have you sitting at the computer for much longer than three or four minutes - so if you want a game to dip in and out of for a quick blast, Polychromatic delivers.