Super Destronaut Landed X Loaded Logo
Super Destronaut Landed X Loaded Icon
Super Destronaut Landed X Loaded

Developer: Ratalaika Games

Action
Budget
Retro
Strategy
  • Price: $4.99
  • Release Date: Apr 5, 2024
  • Number of Players: 1
  • Last on Sale: -
  • Lowest Historic Price: -
  • ESRB Rating: E10+ [Everyone 10+]
Videos
Reviews:
  • Watch this review on YouTube
    A decent bit of platform shooting action, but it doesn’t top some of its predecessors

    One of the types of titles I’ve been thrilled to see return to consoles, mostly because of indie efforts, have been arcade-style games. Given their typical simplicity, with the exception of retro collections or modern versions of franchises like Pac-Man, bigger publishers simply aren’t going to see the value proposition for working on them. However, for small teams releasing the games on a budget they make perfect sense. That has brought quite a variety of new ideas to the Switch, whether hybrids of multiple classic styles or entirely new creations.

    One of the simple-yet-brilliant and challenging games to come along in the early indie days was Super Crate Box. Using an effective mix of some platforms, a constant flow of enemies, and a variety of random weapon drops it did a great job of keeping things interesting while you tried to survive. That sort of vibe is obviously what Super Destronaut appears to be looking to capture, and there’s no doubt that the intensity is present, though its rules are a bit different. 

    Rather than tempting you with new weapons, the challenge here is to consistently pick up ammo to ensure you won’t run dry, and since it’s placed randomly that forces you to keep an eye on where, trying to be sure you’ll have enough bullets to safely get there. You do have a more strategic option to deploy a mine, but since these cost 5 ammo you’ll need to be careful with their use. Periodically, you will get the help of a drone that will clear things out effectively for a short time, offering you a chance to regroup and reload, but otherwise you’ll need to gut it out the best you can for as long as possible. My issue is that aside from some variations in your choice of arena, the game doesn’t deviate far enough from or really improve on the formula it is borrowing from, making it engaging for a bit, but lacking the same overall level of compelling replay value.

    Bringing it all together, this iteration of the Super Destronaut series isn’t without some challenging gameplay. In fact, if I weren’t aware of other titles that have used the same core formula, I would probably be more positive about it. Unfortunately, I am aware of other variations, and whether it is Super Crate Box or even one of 4 arcade-style games in 502’s Arcade, I’d say that this is the weakest of the bunch overall. So if you happen to have played both and are looking for another take in that same vein this may be a good match, as it does distinguish itself in its flow and feel. If, however, you find this concept appealing and haven’t seen it before, I would first check those others out to then decide on which you’d like to start with.


    Justin Nation, Score:
    Good [7.1]
2024

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