Nuclear Throne

 
Developer: Vlambeer
Steam Release: Dec 2015
Hours Played: 4.3
Similar To: Blazing Beaks / Dungeon Souls / Neon Chrome / Synthetik / Vintage Year
Rating: 3/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
Nuclear Throne is a chunky and thunky, shlurpy and shloppy top-down shooter done in the pixel-art style. With runs lasting at just the right time-frame and the challenge pitched at just the right level, this one will latch onto you and likely not let go until you accept defeat after the umpteenth run. Jumping into the shoes of one of 12 unlockable characters, you start your rogue-like adventure in the starting area of the desert. Charging through fairly confined spaces you'll bump into enemies at every turn such as giant maggots, huge purple scorpions and gun-totting mummies. As you proceed to mow them down it'll be the chunk and thunk of your weapon and the squelch and the splat of your enemies that'll warm your heart. Dive into the swirly portal at the end of each level (collect all goodies first) and it's onward and upwards! 

BALANCE & PACE
One bullet knocks one hit point off you and with quite a limited amount to start with, and with bullets raining down upon you relentlessly, it can be quite tough to get anywhere near half way through. But the real hook is twofold: (1) Each stage is randomly generated meaning you never know what layout or weapon drops will come your way. Sometimes you'll kick arse as your favourite weapon plus tons of ammo gets heaped upon you while on other occasions you might run out of bullets and be forced to wield the next-to-useless melee weapon like the screwdriver, wrench or shovel. (2) Twelve characters, albeit unlockable, with their own attributes and special skill are available to be used during a run. Therefore, with each having their own page of statistics, there is plenty of value and fun to be had.          

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
A pixel-art style is virtually synonymous with the term "retro look" and Nuclear Throne's minimal menu displays don't help shake off that tag. Before a game, you're simply shown the characters huddled round a campfire, scroll through their portraits lined along the bottom, peruse their short profile and dive in. Their individual stats are also displayed in plain old-fashioned white fonts with no fancy gimmicks but it's really the sound that's the star in NT. From the incomprehensible gargle as you start the game and navigate the menus, to the rocking guitar chords it's all about the crunch and the squelch and the punch. Sound-effects such as the boom of the machine gun and the pop of the grenade launcher all contribute to this rip-roaring cacophony and it all helps make the game enjoyable.      

PROGRESS SYSTEM
With no clues about your goals and no map of any kind, you're completely in the dark as to how the game unfolds. Well worry yeh not, for I am able to tell you that the game is divided into seven areas. These are: (1) Desert (2) Sewer (3) Scrapyard (4) Crystal Caves (5) Frozen City (6) Labs (7) The Palace. Odd numbered areas have three sub-levels while the even numbered areas have just one. As you travel between levels you'll be able to use collected green rads to pick an assortment of perks to give you that much needed helping hand. Useful stats for each character like their best run and most kills are recorded for posterity, so there's friendly rivalry within the ranks, and stats for all runs added together are included. It's a rogue-like with perma-death and no permanent upgrades so learn - die - improve and repeat.      

CONCLUSION

With quite a shaky and sensitive screen that moves swiftly in sync to the player's movement and a pixel-art style which can be an acquired taste, Nuclear Throne can be a slow-burner. However a good top-down shooter makes the player feel like a boss and with the help of a chunky weapon switching system and an all-round bad-ass vibe, I now thoroughly look forward to a trudge through its apocalyptic world. Seeing the gift-boxes gleam, sinking lead into a mini-boss until it explodes or blowing up a tank of toxic waste while watching the sewer rats squirm never gets old. Additionally, I know it's the type of game that demands the player be alert and in tune with some of the enemies' behavioural patterns, for getting caught short by a stream of bullets can really rip a large chunk of hit-points from your health.