Hackin’ like Jonny Lee Miller
While the shoot ’em up genre isn’t the king it once was, more and more gems are coming out every passing year. New development studios are taking to Steam and mobile, and even Cave is coming out of the woodwork to become relevant again. It’s a great time for shmup fans if you know where to look.
I hadn’t heard of Tachyon Project when it arrived in 2015, but a recent PS4 release spurred my interest.
Tachyon Project (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Eclipse Games
Publisher: Eclipse Games
Released: July 15, 2015 (PC, Xbox One), Jan 19, 2016 (PS4)
MSRP: $9.99
Tachyon, as the name probably suggests, is housed upon a foundation that involves a cheesy cyberpunk hacking plot. Players are placed into a dystopian future of sorts, hacking police stations and corrupt governments by way of a tiny ship. In a way, it’s kind of like the setup for the Sly Cooper spinoff Bentley’s Hack Pack, but a lot more serious.
And really, there is a bit of charm there, especially if you dig the cyberpunk aesthetic. I commend Eclipse Games for trying something other than the “menu to shooting” approach, and it helps ground the campaign a bit and give the whole affair meaning. Some light commentary during missions also helps make things interesting while you’re blasting away. The soundtrack, like the story, has a muted, chill feeling to it, which I dig. While Happy Hardcore songs during bullet hell dodging is great, I like the low key electronica soundtrack here, as it meshes well with the game’s dark hues and not-too-bright neon visuals.
Gameplay-wise, Tachyon operates on a twin-stick control method, with two sets of power-ups mapped to two buttons. That’s all you really need to know, and once you start progressing on your journey, more options will open up. The shooting bits in general work well, and I like how using your normal cannon has a recoil effect (but not jarringly so) — forcing players to course correct and get to know their ship a bit better. Players can also min-max stats by choosing a new chassis to suit their own style of play. I’m more of the defensive health-conscious player myself.
Levels primarily stay engaging because of interesting enemy types. It’s mostly stuff you’ve seen before, but black holes that suck up bullets, kamikaze ships, and generally aggressive AI will keep you on your toes. It’s also easy to tell everything apart and identify its logic, so you don’t have to constantly guess what a specific enemy type is.
Tachyon Project isn’t a remarkable shooter, but it’s well-designed on several levels. There’s no multiplayer to speak here, but with a decent campaign, lots of customization, and New Game+/Endless modes, you’ll be perfectly fine going at it solo.
[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
