PixelJunk Avoid Magma And Rescue Spacemen
PixelJunk Shooter is a misnomer. Although it controls like a dual-joystick shooter, blasting enemies is not where the game’s real challenge or excitement comes from. Players are put in control of a space ship equipped with lasers, rockets, and a claw-game-like arm, with the task of rescuing survivors stranded on a dangerous planet. After rescuing (or accidentally killing) all survivors on the screen the player gains access to the next segment of the level. Stages contain a decent variety of enemies to blast away at, but the most interesting obstacles are dynamic environmental hazards. Elements like magma, water, poisonous gas, ice, rocks, and a liquid with magnetic properties, must either be combined in various fashions or avoided altogether. Devising how to traverse these obstacles is often a challenge in itself, and the player must also use them in specific ways to reach stranded survivors and advance through the level. For example, terrain may be deformed with the player’s weaponry, allowing water to flow into a pool of magma, causing it to cool and turn into rock, which may then be blasted away to give access to a new area. There is also enjoyment to be had in the atmosphere alone. The bold and simplistic art style is perfectly paired with a playful and subdued soundtrack, and the exaggerated physics are a blast – watching my spacecraft emerge from a pool of water with a wave fit for Moby-Dick never got old. On top of it all, the game features Trophy support to satisfy completionists striving to rescue each survivor and uncover every piece of treasure and hidden area on the colorful planet. While it may not be the shooter it claims to be, this game contains the charm, polish, and enjoyment necessary to deserve its PixelJunk moniker.
