Assault Android Cactus Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Assault Android Cactus Switch NSP Free Download I hadn’t played Assault Android Cactus until its release on Nintendo Switch, which is a double whammy of “how did you miss this one?!?” Firstly, it’s a dual stick shooter, and every time it has been released on a new platform I had heard nothing but praise for it. Secondly, it’s an Aussie-developed game, and I do like supporting my local game makers wherever possible. I don’t really have an excuse for missing the game, but I’ve played it now, and I’m glad I have, because it doesn’t disappoint on any level.ROMSLAB.COM BEST SWITCH GAMES

Assault Android Cactus Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

More akin to Robotron than some of the more recent efforts to meld the dual stick shooter with more cerebral genres – such as Alienation’s blend of RPG and dual stick shooter – Assault Android Cactus wastes no time whatsoever in pumping the action right up to 11. Within the first couple of levels the screen becomes filled with a manic energy as enemy robots come from every which angle, and the levels themselves constantly shift to keep you on your toes, and keep the action dynamic.

A twin-stick shooter that’s sharper than a cactus spine.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the title of twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus+ wasn’t just randomly generated by a computer. You do in fact control an android police officer named Cactus and assault waves of machines intent on doing you harm. Originally, it released on PC in 2015, but the Switch version features a new Campaign+ mode that remixes the stages of the base Campaign. With plenty of unlockables and a heavy focus on competing for high scores across a variety of online leaderboards, Assault Android Cactus+ makes a great first impression.Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition Switch NSP

Assault Android Cactus Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

In true arcade fashion, the primary gameplay centers on running around compact stages obliterating the onslaught of mechanized minions hellbent on destroying you. Assault Android Cactus+ calls to mind classics like Smash TV and Robotron 2084, but here each stage features new layouts and mechanics that add variety to the basic objective of killing everything that comes at you. As you take down enemies, you acquire energy that improves the capability of your primary weapon, which includes machine guns, seeker shots, spread shots, and shotguns.

Actually finishing levels is quite easy.

You pick your hero for the level (from a decent number, each with their own unique weapons), and simply need to preserve their “energy” – a battery-shaped health bar, from depleting, until you can get to the end. Energy leaks at a consistent rate, and you’ll lose more if you actually get hit by an enemy. On the plus side, there’s more than enough health restores dropped to compensate. So, yes, finishing levels is easy. Finishing levels and getting a good score is quite another thing. Every level has a leaderboard, encouraging you to chase the all-elusive S-rankings, and those top scores require that you take down enemies with such extreme efficiency that you don’t take a single hit. BOXBOY + BOXGIRL! Switch NSP

Assault Android Cactus Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Doing that is almost painfully hard. And yet, because levels are over in just a few short minutes, there’s such a temptation to give that new top score just one more crack. It’s arcade game structure at its very finest. Assault Android Cactus looks like a cheesy morning cartoon, and that’s reinforced by the snippets that pass for a narrative. It’s not like narrative or the visual engine is necessarily important to the dual-stick shooter, of course; one of my favourite examples of the genre is the incredibly modest Dracula – Undead Awakening. All that’s important is being able to render huge swarms of enemies on the screen at once, and then make it satisfying and entertaining to dispatch them.

Gameplay

While the gameplay is basic, being successful involves a steady hand, great resolve and a ton of swears. Make no mistake about it: Assault Android Cactus+ is tough. There’s a heavy helping of bullet hell going on here, with loads of enemies on the screen at once. Enemies come at you in very rapid waves, and you won’t even have to clear the area to get more on the scene. The variation of enemies is good, with smaller pests being dispatched of simply by getting in the way of your bullet fire, and enormous ones taking a bunch of punishment before they’re eventually put away.Bravely Default II Switch NSP

Assault Android Cactus Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

More often than not, levels are set in enclosed areas where the action is compact, without much freedom to move around. However, levels eventually start becoming more complicated through things like conveyor belts and altering battlefields. The difference from traditional space shooters is that this is a time-sensitive affair. Rather than health, the androids have a battery which is constantly depleting. Taking out a set number of enemies will result in a battery boost appearing, but you need to make it across the battlefield to it in order to collect it, which can be agonising and frustrating when you just fail to make it in time.Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling Switch

Add-ons (DLC): Assault Android Cactus Switch NSP