From Space Review

Game: From Space
Genre: Action
System: Nintendo Switch (Also on Steam (Windows) and Stadia)
Developer|Publisher: Triangle Studios | Curve Digital
Age Rating: EU 12+ | US Teen
Price: US $14.99 | UK £10.99 | EU € 14,99
Release Date: November 3rd, 2022

Review code provided with many thanks to Press Engine.

It Came From Outer Space

From Space is a top-action twin-stick shooter where you need to take on an alien invading menace before they destroy Earth. It’s a title that’s easy to pick up and play and delivers some pretty good first impressions with its settings and enjoyable action gameplay. But the more I played the experience the more I started to see a few of the holes in the experience which held it back from being something much greater.

Giant crystals crash-landed onto Earth in 1986 swiftly followed by an invasion of vibrant pink aliens with giant teeth. You are humanity’s last hope with the simple goal of eradicating the alien menace. It’s a pretty simple concept for a story but it works. The game wastes no time putting you into the action. You will meet a fair few NPCs to chat with on your journey but beware their test box bubbles are tiny in handheld mode.

Get Equipped for the Alien Invasion

From Space has the general feeling of a satisfying looter shooter. You begin the game by picking between 6 specialist classes each with its own unique perks and weapon. Something I immediately liked about the classes is that you are able to swap your class at various lockers scattered around the game and all your level experience transfers, preventing the need for tedious grinding if you later learn you should use a different class.

Once a character is chosen you walk through a quick interactive tutorial to get used to the games shooting mechanics and item usage which is easy to follow. Very quickly you are then exploring the post-apocalyptic streets ready to face the aliens. The game is filled with various weapons to pick up and use spread across three ammo types and one special weapon per specialist character. This is unlocked after a few level-ups.

Being old-fashioned I ended up sticking with the assault rifle and shotgun (though it was hard to pick between the single or double barrel) but I did end up using a nifty laser weapon which was different. I did appreciate that even low-key weapons like handguns were not useless. Each weapon has its own stats and can even be levelled up at a workbench. The only trouble with this is once I committed to some set weapons and upgraded them I was less keen to experiment with others.

Solid Controls

Twin-stick shooting controls are solid. Shooting feels satisfying which is handy as you’re going to be taking on a lot of pink aliens. The use of a dash and knife attack will help out in a pinch but will cost a little stamina to use and can’t be relied on. It’s not just about guns, you use various defence items such as bubble shields to protect you when overwhelmed, various grenades and an assortment of traps like laser grids to keep the aliens at bay. It soon becomes kinda overwhelming how many items you end up accumulating.

After completing missions like destroying an egg nest or large horde you’ll be rewarded with a loot box. No, not the bad ones, this doesn’t require your soul or credit card. Instead, you receive a plethora of items, possibly new weapons, items or even perks.

At the start of the game, you have very limited space in your inventory for guns and items so I found myself constantly jumping into the menu to remove stuff I didn’t need. As you level up which comes naturally with game progress and enemy defeats, you unlock more item space and specific perks for your chosen class. It’s a satisfying but also kinda familiar formula for a twin-stick shooter. But if you like your arcade-style shooters it will easily scratch that itch.

Expansive Levels

Each of the game’s levels spans an expansive map to explore. The main mission per level is to take down the enemy harvester which is this large pink pustule. This structure has its own strength meter which can be whittled down by completing side quests which end up making the final battle a bit more manageable.

Side quests mostly devolve into escort missions or head to a specific spot and take down waves of enemies. It’s nothing that’s not been seen before and during longer game sessions it can feel repetitive. I actually found myself having more fun just exploring the vacant buildings and looking for secrets.

You can’t control the camera but when you do head inside the walls become transparent allowing you to see exactly where you are. A feature I did like is usually after a side quest you are able to recruit the survivor you assisted to help you out for the rest of the level. In single player, this is quite useful. The trouble is the AI of your teammates can be pretty stupid. They often get caught in small bits of the environment leaving them open to enemy attacks.

The silliest thing I witnessed is I had two survivors shooting at aliens directly behind a car which ended up exploding and incapacitating both of my pals. Luckily, you’re given a short time to revive your teammates but sometimes I felt I was better off taking the aliens on alone. 

Lack of Local Co-op

A huge niggle for me is the game’s co-op. For starters, it’s online only which seems a huge misstep as I would have loved to play this game with my wife. Just when I think indie developers are starting to get the appeal of local co-op on Switch. The online co-op itself appears to be by invite only which just seems odd. Throughout the game, there are these phone booths dotted about letting you set up an online game. I assumed that meant it was available to random players but then it prompts you to the friend invite screen This seems unusual since the pause screen has the option to invite friends at any moment. 

Even if you choose to play single player the game acts like your online by not allowing you to pause the action in-game. I initially noticed this when I paused the game to go make sure my infant son was sleeping soundly only to return to discover my character was now dead. This just doesn’t make any sense in a single-player setting. The game does have safe zones but if you’re called to a real-life emergency mid-battle this game won’t respect that.

They Bleed Pink

Graphics are presented with cute Chibi-like characters sprites up against pink aliens with rather big gnashers. Performance was pretty good in both handheld and TV even when the action really heated up on the screen. The tone of the experience felt mixed. On one hand, there is this light-hearted feel to the whole experience that doesn’t take itself overly seriously. But the dark presentation of abandoned city streets and only the glimmer of your flashlight guiding the way gives off some tension that feels fitting for a horror title.

The horror element doesn’t last as once the gunfire happens and the constant waves of enemies appear it turns into a thriller. Think Aliens over Alien if you’re into your films. Overall, I liked how this game presents itself. There is a nice variety of aliens you’ll come up against all with familiar sharp teeth and no eye presentation. When you meet a new one, each gets its own introduction which is a nice touch. My favourite by far was the frog-like alien which is surprisingly aggressive and dangerous. 

Conclusion- Scratches the Arcade Itch

If you’re looking for a simple but ultimately fun twin-stick shooter From Space will provide an entertaining experience in single-player and online if your friends are available. The local co-op would have suited this experience for me, but every gamer will be mixed on this.

What lets From Space down in places is its poor AI with teammates, repetitive mission structure and the horrific inability to pause. It doesn’t really add a lot new to the twin-stick formula. But I will admit it’s a familiarity I still enjoyed. The PC version does hint at community feedback which suggests patches to the game are on the way. So, if you decide not to jump on this yet, consider keeping it on the wish list. In its current state From Space is an alien invasion I don’t mind revisiting, provided my son is in a deep sleep. 

Final Verdict: I Like It