Welcome Time Wasters!
This week my adventures across the internet brought me to a puzzle game called Chain Reaction Shooter.
Chain Reaction Shooter plays in the same style as a Puzzle Bobble game. Puzzle Bobble is a term I use to refer to any game similar to the old match game released by Taito way too many years ago. Players shoot bubbles in an attempt to match up a certain number and make them disappear.
Chain Reaction Shooter differs slightly in that players are shooting at an object floating in the middle of the screen that reacts to movement. This means that when it’s shot, it will spin around. This can make it easier or harder depending on what kind of shot the player ends up with. This system can also be used to give the player an advantage if they plan their shots out fairly well.
Outside of this basic gameplay, there isn’t a whole lot to Chain Reaction Shooter. The game keeps track of your high scores so that you can challenge yourself to do better, but an online leader board would have been a better option here. It gets harder as time goes on, but never reaches anything past a casual difficulty.
The whole idea behind Chain Reaction Shooter, and other games of this type, is one of those that I consistently enjoy. I was actually happy to run into one of these this week as I’ve been putting down some serious hours on my list of games to beat for my 2015 New Year’s resolution (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here. For those that are wondering, I’ve knocked five games off my list and two of those were removed this week.) If offered me a nice chance to just sit back, relax and enjoy something simple.
The graphics in Chain Reaction Shooter are alright, but there are some missed opportunities. The neon colors chosen for the circles that have to be cleared out work well with the darker background. However, the lack of almost any type of activity on the screen can make it really boring. Some simple animations for when a group of circles is cleared out could have went a long way.
The audio is sitting in a boat with a few more holes when compared to the graphics. There are only a couple of sound effects in the game and while they are nice, a little extra variety could have really helped out. Also, the game is completely devoid of music. Some simple ambient sounds or soft, melodic tunes could have done wonders for this game. Free generic music is better than no music.
Overall, I enjoyed sitting back and relaxing with Chain Reaction Shooter. It’s a simple puzzle game that puts a twist on a style that’s been around for about 20 years. The game has potential, but it’s never fully realized. The lack of activity on the screen can make it dull and no music doesn’t help this. I wouldn’t say that it’s a bad game, just that it’s mediocre.
Chain Reaction Shooter earns 2.5 GiN Gems out of 5!