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Game Concept 91%
Gameplay 93%
Graphics 97%
Lasting Appeal 92%
Sound 90%
Overall 93%
 
ThrustBurst (Ptoing) (PC (Windows))

Reviewed By James Monkman In RGCD #5

ThrustBurst | Second Opinion (G. Humphrey) | Second Opinion (C. Allcock)

ThrustBurst

Picking a featured game for our comeback issue after such a long break was never going to be easy. With several superb releases to choose from, I was really struggling to select a worthy game to highlight - and then out of the blue I received a message from acclaimed pixel-pusher Ptoing announcing the launch of ThrustBurst; the debut PC title from new independent development group Umlautgames.

Now I'm probably going to be flamed by the rest of the RGCD team for saying this, but despite the competition, ThrustBurst is undoubtedly the best game I've played so far this year. I'm well aware that the cave-flier/Scramble concept is far from original, but nonetheless ThrustBurst really shines and it's obvious from the stunning attention to detail and rich atmosphere that it has been lovingly crafted by a team of established indie-scene veterans.

From the outset, ThrustBurst epitomises all things retro. Helm and Ptoing's artistic influence in the design is particularly evident; the limited pastel palette and stylish visuals are reminiscent of their recent high-resolution C64 productions and the game features a mix of perfectly pixelled animated sprites working in harmony with a minimal angular backdrop. Likewise, the SID soundtrack and lo-fi effects by Ghormak and Darkstalkey add to the vintage atmosphere - and happily the top-notch presentation is matched by the quality of Fuzzpilz's code – Thurstburst is a well-constructed, fast little game that runs smoothly and packs enough features into the minimal file size to keep you occupied for many hours of game time.

Oh, and please note that when I say many hours, I'm actually referring to the time it will take for the average player to master the game; describing ThrustBurst as challenging is huge understatement – it's insanely difficult. There are no lives, no hitpoints, no continues and no checkpoints – you have one ship and 50KM of alien infested and highly volatile terrain to cover. Luckily though, the difficulty is offset by the fact that ThrustBurst is officially more addictive than crack – once you've played it a couple of times you will not be able to put it down – and when you do you'll soon be back for another round of punishment.

If you've played a cave-flier before then you'll know pretty much what to expect from ThrustBurst, although Umlautgames have made things a touch more complex by adding a few nu-school game mechanics and a generous helping of Konami's Scramble to the tried-and-tested formula. The player's goal is to navigate their gravity-influenced craft through a randomly generated two-dimensional tunnel, avoiding the walls and environmental hazards (such as the formidable geysers), destroy the aggressive alien defences and eventually reach and detonate the asteroid's core. This leads to another problem; to complete your mission you'll need to reach the core with a fully charged generator. Unfortunately, using your weapon and shield systems drains your pitiful energy reserves at an astonishing rate - and the only way to recharge is by 'grazing' the tunnel walls, making it necessary to laugh in the face of danger and grind along the sides of the cave with a safety margin of a few pixels for comfort. Add this to the mix of positively OTT and trigger-happy enemy attack waves, one-hit-instant-death game-play and some frustratingly tight channels to traverse and you'll get a basic idea of exactly how tough ThrustBurst is.

However, regardless of its steep difficulty, ThrustBurst is maddeningly addictive and hugely enjoyable to play. The randomly generated terrain means that no two sessions will ever be the same, and the neat little extra touches (like the awesome launch sequence, impressive particle and lighting effects, danger assessment LED's, combo kill bonuses, player profiles, stats and medal awards) really make the game stand out from its peers. There's even a fully customisable practice mode (using old-school arcade-style vector graphics) and a hidden easter-egg mini-game that I've yet to discover. In all, ThrustBurst has set a new standard for cave-fliers, and it will be interesting to see if Umlautgames can match the quality of this spectacular and highly polished debut release in their future productions.

Second Opinion (G. Humphrey)

Annoyingly, I'm finding it difficult to even slightly disagree with James here. ThrustBurst is, quite simply, brilliant. The concept is a simple one but it's executed brilliantly and with no small amount of polish - aesthetically it's very appealing indeed, and it's not short on atmosphere either; personally I found it extremely tense attempting (and as far as my ability is concerned, that's the appropriate word) to just graze the cavern walls enough to boost my energy without smashing my ship to kingdom come. And the random element keeps things interesting too - you have to be constantly on your toes to combat what is coming next. And should you fail (and you will) you'll get angry, frustrated and you'll probably chuck the computer out of the window. But you'll always come crawling back for another go. And another. And okay, maybe just one more...

Deep down, you always know it's your own fault when you die - the game design is just about spot on and that's what will keep you coming back. It's huge, difficult and will take an age to get through, but it's never unfair, and the tantalising prospect of getting just that little bit further and adding that little bit more to your best score will mean you can never stay away for long. It's genius, basically, and mere words cannot do it justice, so grab hold of it and prepare to wave goodbye to your life for the next three decades.

Second Opinion (C. Allcock)

Well now! Seeing as James left an open invitation for flamage, the evil side of me would love to make use of the opportunity by throwing the literary equivalent of a few molotov cocktails around... and yet, I can't fault all that much of what he's said. Umlautgames have created a modern masterpiece. The presentation and gameplay work together really nicely to create a cave flier that will be talked about for a long while. Undoubtably ThrustBurst's catchphrase should be "Crashing into cave walls has never been so much fun!" - but put simply, it's just too hard for my taste.

I mean, a game can have the most eye-dazzlingly awesome graphics, ear-popping audio and drug-like addictiveness - but if it's effectively impossible for some people to beat, what's the point? Frankly the difficulty level here is plain off-the-scale bonkers. I can see a lot of folks being put off because of that, which is a shame since ThrustBurst offers a lot of enjoyment to those who are persistent enough to keep playing through the inevitable frustration of clipping too much of the cave floor for the 73rd time.

Yes, I know retro games were often quite hard and there's a trend in recent times to create even more absurd challenges (I'm looking at you, Hell Temple of La Mulana) - but this takes the biscuit. All this game needs are some ways to make itself more forgiving, like unlockable starting points further into the cave or a selectable number of lives, then I'd be much happier in agreeing with James' score.

Reading back through this I realise I sound pretty negative, which isn't very fair to ThrustBurst's quality. Its overall nails-ness is honestly the only grudge I have against it; everything else is excellent. Give it a try and see if it grabs you, because if it does, you're in for a rollercoaster ride!

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