Topic: Tachyon Project (Wii U) Review

[Daan]

This is likely the closest we get to Geometry Wars, and that is saying something.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/42583/tachyon-project-wii-u-review

Twin stick shooters have this addictiveness to them that makes me want to keep playing. With smooth controls and a lot of flair, it has also become genre that I won't get tired of soon. Lately though, there hasn’t been much in the way of game releases in the genre. The last prominent one on Wii U was XType Plus, which came out over a year and a half ago. Tachyon Project is jumping into the gap that Xtype left behind, and it does so with a mixture of results.

Tachyon Project has a cyberpunk plot that is cheesier than you would think. You take control of a sentient hacking program called Ada, and travel between places to crack open various firewalls. Every move is being watched by Halt and Helen, who will give you instructions and huge exposition dumps about what is going on. In theory, this sounds harmless enough, but there are no voices and everything is being told with still imagery. The pictures look nice, but it is far from an interactive experience.

The gameplay is at least fun enough. You move around and fight against the files that try to protect the system. They are colorful and bright enough to detail the qualifications for each one, so I never found myself confused. This is necessary anyway, as you are constantly on a fixed screen and enemies basically pop out of nowhere. Your timing and senses are important to make it all the way through to the end.

While there are various weapons to acquire across your journey, I found the missions too similar in places. It introduces you to new components, lets you learn them and then throws everything together for a big mixture of enemies to tackle. Sometimes you will have to stay alive for a certain amount of time, while other assignments saw you shooting down a fixed amount of enemies. They were over before you knew it, but the feeling of deja vu stuck around for way too long.

At the end of the day though, I couldn't help but play through Tachyon Project. I saw it through to the end, toyed around with the challenges, and called it a job well done. The style in the levels, graphics and sound is also fun and really enjoyable to gander upon. It has the basics of what should make a game fun. This is why the implementation of the short mission waves and story could have been handled with more grace. If you can stick with it though, there is always a reason to turn back. Playing a few rounds never gets old!