There are games sometimes you play where you’re just left scratching your head wondering what the plan was. Whether the issue is a mix of concepts that just don’t go together well, particularly poor performance, or just a lack of anything of note that would pull you back to play more, some titles just don’t come together. With the unusual name of 1964 Operation Velvet Twins, I thought maybe there would be something different and fun in this retro throwback, but unfortunately right out of the gate it had me baffled.

My first issue that I hit almost immediately was tied to an expectation I had just based on an initial glance, that it could be a classic run n gun style shooter. That is very much not the case though, if anything it feels more like a platform brawler than a shooter, where you can pick up some weapons to use briefly. The problem is that making use of many of the weapons turns out to just be a bit awkward, whether that’s the frustrating trajectory of thrown boxes or what feels like the somewhat slow swing of weapons like bats.

The real issue though is just the stiff feel of the controls and action, your very limited resources, and then mixed with what’s typically the pretty haphazard movement of your enemies. That often results in what can be almost comical action as you try to awkwardly punch at them while they sometimes will overlap you as they run around. There is at least a strategy for play that works, and that’s being very slow, deliberate, and trying not to waste anything you’re given that provides an edge, but that also doesn’t make for much of a good time. I suppose there could be an audience looking for a throwback title that has a different pace and style of challenge than you’d typically have seen back in the day, but it feels like it would be a relatively small one.