Game: Assault Android Cactus+
Genre: Action Shooter
System: Switch, PS4. PC & Xbox
Developer/ Publisher: Witchbeam| Stride PR
Age Rating: EU: 7+| USA: 10+
Price: €19,99 | £17.99 | $19.99
Release Date: 8th March 2019
Review code kindly provided by Stride PR
Join Cactus, a junior space android officer who has discovered a ship overrun by powerful, mutinous robot enemies.
Move Fast, Shoot Faster
For a game that is simple to pick up and play, Cactus is a deviously tricky experience that challenges you firmly to temper your skill and reflexes in order to survive. You move with the control sticks, use the right shoulder buttons to fire and left to utilise your powerful but limited special attack. Simply mowing down enemies becomes less viable as smart use of your special attack and the other various boosts becomes critical. Chuck on the fact your characters run on a rapidly depleting battery, each level grows more and more frantic.
This almost chaotic play style really grew on me after a while. The game challenged my initially cheap ‘keep away’ tactics and I actually had to think quicker and refine my reflexes before I could get ahead. There are a few characters to choose from initially, you also unlock more as you beat each zones bosses. I settled on Lemon, who has a wide range Scattershot and powerful Rocket special. The variety was a pleasant surprise.
Infinity Drive
As well as the main campaign, there is both the Infinity Drive and Daily Drive modes. The former is a survival mode where you aim to cut through swathes of enemies until you run out of battery. You can recuperate battery by beating strong foes, but as the difficulty ramps up it becomes increasingly challenging. Daily Drive can be attempted up to 4 times if you have that many players and is a brief 10 round high score challenge. Both then compare your score with all other players of the game and give you a ranking.
The whole game will give you a ranking in fact at the end of each stage. If you’re motivated to continuously improve, it’s a great addition to help you keep track.
Sound Sights & Superb Sound
The game, though colourful, has a bit of a moody tinge to it. I’m not quite sure if it was intentional, it gives it character somewhat though and winds up a little charming. The characters themselves are each unique and trigger their own reactions from the bosses which was a nice touch. The soundtrack is another upbeat, electronic number that bops energetically in the background. As a whole, the game definitely looks and sounds just fine.
Conclusion
I had fun with this game, it is a brief but tightly knit package. It was easy to pick up and play, a welcome challenge that was fun to practice toward and it has solid replay value. That said, I still struggle with whether the game is particularly memorable. Its characters and setting feel un-unique, but at the very least it’s definitely a well made game.
