Survive the Waves!
Twin-stick shooters are games that I do enjoy, however they can get very hard, very quickly! However, the simplistic approach and arcade-esque gameplay is what draws players in all the time. The Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for games like this in my opinion, thanks to the ability to game on-the-go. Tachyon Project was a game that has already seen a release on the Wii U but has since gotten a release on Nintendo’s newest platform. From my experience with the game for review, this is definitely one you should pick up.
There’s a number of reasons why you should pick it up to be fair. I’ll start with the story, which in all honesty was quite engaging for something of this nature. Basically, you control a piece of programmed AI which is being used to hack into government systems. The AI is called ‘Ada’, and its programmers (known its parents) have been taken away after being caught out from the government, but with no trace of where they are. It’s up to Ada to hack more systems and find its parents. I enjoyed it because I didn’t take it seriously like all the other story-driven games out there. It’s not going to win any narrative awards any time soon but it still does the job of letting you know what you’re aiming for as a complete goal.
It looks really suited to the Nintendo Switch, and that’s a definite compliment to the folks at Eclipse Games, who have done a great job at porting Tachyon Project to Nintendo’s latest platform. Although most levels are designed the same, each of the enemies that you are face are easily distinguished between each other. The sounds quite good too, with it having a sort of ‘funkyness’ to it. When you’re trying to survive the waves, the music definitely adds to the suspense I felt, as well as the overall fun I had with it.
Of course, the main aspect of Tachyon Project is surviving multiple waves through a number of levels. These waves will get progressively harder each level, so if you’re looking to get on this game and complete it in one straight run, I’m afraid you’re in for quite the shock. Each wave has different enemies, all which seem to have unique traits about them. For example, you’ll have to maneuver Ada to the back of the enemy in order to shoot them or some enemies will come at you in groups; stuff like that which adds to the variety.
I think the Waves that I found hardest were the survive waves. I had a couple of waves where I had to survive 2 minutes. 2 minutes is a short time but when you’re trying not to get killed, it feels like forever in this game! You’re quickly trying to move Ada to the other side of the little map to get away, whilst shooting your way out of situations that you come tied up in. There are no checkpoints either so if you are 2 seconds away from completing the wave and you die, you’ll have to do it again. It’s definitely worth trying to sort a strategy out. My strategy was to stay in the corner and blast everything in sight but that didn’t work for me all the time!
Of course, Tachyon Project wouldn’t be so cruel to just leave you un-equipped to take on the waves. You are given a primary twin-stick gun as standard and two secondary weapons. The secondary weapons can be activated with the L and R shoulder buttons and whilst they can get you out of a tricky situation, you then have to wait for them to be re-loaded via the timer that is visible to you at the bottom of the screen. There are other modes as well as the standard story mode for you to try, such as shrinking maps to modes where you are killed in one hit and trust me, that mode is absolutely brutal!.
A Nintendo Switch Review Code was provided by Eclipse Games
