Futuridium EP Deluxe PS4 Review

Star Fox on an Acid Trip

Futuridium EP Deluxe is what happens when you mix Star Fox, with LSD... No joke!

Now I will say the game doesn't offer up the same amount of charm as Star Fox, but what we do have is one addictive, hard as nails, space shooter. Developer MixedBag was looking to captured that old school retro-vibe. This game is HARD! Yet also strangely addictive.

The Control set up is simple, you move your ship using the left stick, you shoot using the X button,  R2 is used to speed up, and the Square button is used to do a 180 turn. The game runs at a stunning 60 fps. Fast reflexes are a must if you plan on making it far. With time you will find the best way to attack each stage. Think of every Stage like a tripped out version of the Death Star trench run from Star Wars. The objective is to blast through all the blue colored bricks, Once that is completed you will have to track down the "Core" ( just another brick) and destroy that in order to beat the stage. As you progress through the stage you will have to keep an eye on your fuel which is ever depleting, destroying the core at the end of each stage will replenish your fuel. Did I mention this game is bloody hard? You will die, over, and over again. Like games of old it will take time and patience to find the best way to beat each stage. Time management, and chaining your combos together go towards your high score. I found this brought me back over and over again, regardless of me wanting to toss my controller at the screen.

Visually the game is very colorful, and reminds me so much of the 16-bit version of Stat Fox, or even 3D stages in Lawnmower man (props to you if you played this). The Music has an excellent electronic sound track that made me want to crank the speed up and blast through everything. More then few times I found I couldn't help getting my groove on while blazing through the stages. 

Now to talk a bit about some of the negatives. I found the lack of a cross-hair to be a minor annoyance, adding one to the game would make long distance shots more manageable to pull off. I also found that some of the camera angles actually didn't work out so well. I love a first-person view but for me, it just didn't work, I recommend playing this in the default view as it's the only one I managed to have any luck with. I would have also liked to have seen some more varied design choices. Some of the Stages just felt like remixed versions of others. Did I mention the game is Hard?

Futuridium EP Deluxe isn't a game for everyone but those who love old school space shooters, and looking for a challenge should take note. MixedBag did an excellent job on the PS4 version of the game. Futuridium EP is also available on PC, Mac, IOS, and, PlayStation Vita. The PlayStation versions of the game are cross-buy. Did I mention the game is hard?

GET IT!