RETROROUND-UP >> Every month we look at all the classics and latest releases that are available to buy or download
Deathsmiles
» System: PC » Cost: £14.99 » Buy it from: steampowered.com
While we were impressed with Cave’s recent PC port of Mushihimesama, having to pay additional money for old DLC didn’t sit too well with us. Thankfully, the Steam release of Deathsmiles rectifies this, adding the additional Mega Black Label content that was also included in the Western Xbox 360 release of the game. For those that have never played it, Deathsmiles is a superb bullet hell shoot-’em-up and quite possibly one of the most accessible shooters that Cave has made. The story is complete bobbins and it revolves around a bunch of teenage girls trying to save the world from evil forces, but the gameplay throughout is excellent. As with many Cave games, the scoring system is important. Thankfully, it’s relatively straightforward to get your head around. Shooting certain enemies release ‘counter bullets’. If they are hit by a player’s familiar it increases the ‘item counter’ and subsequently the player’s score. It’s a solid system that can lead to same insanely high scores once it’s fully mastered, but it’s not the only reason Deathsmiles is so much fun to play.
Mortal Kombat XL
The game’s stages are split into chapters and they can be tackled in any order you choose. Additionally, each stage has a difficulty level between one and three (climbing to 999 in Mega Black Label ) ensuring plenty of challenge whenever you play. The bosses are exceedingly odd and extremely challenging to battle, whilst the Gothic design makes it stand apart from many similar shooters. In terms of content Deathsmiles is very good, being obviously based on the excellent Xbox 360 version. It does lose the Xbox-exclusive mode, however, which is a shame, but inevitable. It’s a pity Cave couldn’t have added a PCexclusive gameplay mode, but with the various updates and original arcade ports there more than enough for players to sink their teeth into. Deathsmiles is a great horizontal shooter at a great price. Download it today and discover one of Cave’s most enjoyable shooters.
RetroGamer_Mag scored 8 for
Mortal Kombat XL Follow our scores on
102 | RETRO GAMER
In terms of content Deathsmiles is very good
RetroGamer_Mag scored 9 for
9
» System: PS4 (tested) PC, Xbox One » Buy it for: £34.99 » Buy it from: Online, retail Street Fighter V ’s current lack of content is highlighted by this enhanced update of Mortal Kombat X, which adds nine additional characters and a host of extra costumes that weren’t in the base version of the original game. Whilst it’s not as technically proficient as Street Fighter V it remains a great brawler thanks to a varied cast of characters, the ability to interact with all sorts of background objects and those over-the-top X-Ray and Fatality moves. It’s far more substantial than Capcom’s game too thanks to a wealth of gameplay modes, including a highly entertaining story campaign and the enjoyable Living Towers. A highly entertaining fighter that offers endless amounts of replay value.
8
» [PC] The bosses have a fantastical style and love to spew out large numbers of bullets.
Deathsmiles » [PC] Mega Black Label added Sakura who you fight in the original version of the game.
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Gunscape
» System: Xbox One (tested) PS4, PC » Buy it for: £14.99 » Buy it from: Online, retail If you’ve ever loved blasting through Doom or playing GoldenEye’s multiplayer, you’re going to get a lot of enjoyment out of Gunscape as it allows you to recreate a large number of classic stages from old first-person shooters. While it has the versatility of Minecraft, it’s quite a lot harder to get to grips with, mainly due to the sheer number of options that are available, which can be very intimidating. The interface used for navigating and sharing usercreated levels is also fiddly, making Gunscape feel quite unpolished as a result. It all comes together in multiplayer, which is great fun, but we can’t help but feel that a little bit of additional tweaking would have made this an essential purchase.
Final Fantasy Explorers
» System: 3DS » Buy it for: £29.99 » Buy it from: Nintendo eShop, retail Square Enix’s latest spin-off of its famous RPG series is an attempt to create a competitor to Monster Hunter, a series which practically prints money in Japan. To that end, you’ll be equipping yourself for real-time battles and taking on quests, but you’ll be hunting down classic Final Fantasy foes, as well as enormous Eidolons such as Ifrit and Bahamut. Final Fantasy Explorers is a perfectly competent game with plenty of quests, abilities and equipment to try out, and it’s very pretty to look at. However, it’s also rather slow going and doesn’t offer much that distinguishes it from its more established inspiration, beyond the expected helping of fan service for the faithful.
RetroGamer_Mag scored 6 for
6
Gunscape Follow our scores on
» [PC] It wouldn’t be a Cave shooter if there weren’t intricate bullet patterns to navigate.
RetroGamer_Mag scored 6 for
6
Final Fantasy Explorers Follow our scores on