Curved Space

Developed By: Only By Midnight Ltd.

Published By: Maximum Games

Price: £14.99 / $19.99

Action, Shooter

Shoot ’em ups have been a staple of games for such a long time. Some of the most classic of games are shoot ’em ups, and it’s a genre that’s stuck to the gaming industry ever since. As time goes on, things may get stale, even if the core loop of shoot ’em ups is satisfying. So, different avenues are taken to make that experience unique again. Curved Space is a game that attempts a unique angle to 3D shoot ’em ups. 

Take From The Enemy

Curved Space takes place in the far future, where humans begin to harvest energy from space. This energy, however, attracts these arachnid-like creatures known as “Spiders.” These Spiders are also full of energy, so instead of just fighting them back, the humans begin to harvest the Spiders. 

You play as one of these harvesters who is going about her regular day harvesting energy. Things go awry when she suddenly becomes split between three versions of herself between three universes. This actually incorporates itself into the gameplay. At some point, you get to choose which version of the harvester you are, and then you choose which universes to help from level to level. Having there be differences between each version of the harvester allows for a good amount of replayability. 

Overall, the story is fine. The differing paths you can take are a fun way to keep you playing, and how it works into the story is actually interesting. There were interesting turns that kept me intrigued, though those were more near the end. I just couldn’t find myself getting very excited as things transpired, especially when the voice acting on the main actress was less than average. You’ll get some good moments from her, but other times it’s somewhat neutral. 

Rounding the Curve

Each level usually runs the same. You fight waves of spiders, do a secondary objective, then fight a boss. Secondary objectives rarely differ, as it will almost always be siphoning energy from Spiders. There’s a small event where you can kill a special spider to get a super overdrive mode, but that’s not very important. 

The levels are all zero-g environments where you are always on top, no matter if you flip over to the other side of it or not. Most projectiles you shoot also curves with the environment, so you can use that to your advantage. This is cool, though a bit disorientating, and otherwise I wish it mattered in gameplay more. Mostly, it’s just an obstacle in trying to find the next objective. 

Playing Curved Space is simple, and I’d definitely recommend using a controller. Keyboard and mouse are fine, but it doesn’t feel as good as it does on the controller. Movement is smooth, and moving from one side to the other feels just fine. The only thing I don’t like is the dash. Not only is it a small distance, it just doesn’t feel great. 

A Harvester’s Tools

In your ship, you have two weapons you can carry at a time. You start off with a rapid-firing blaster that works as a good backup. Most of these weapons, as well as health pickups, are dropped by Spiders. These weapons can range from rockets to laser whips, some of which have limited ammo capacity. 

To accompany these weapons are your abilities, ones that you earn through your playthrough. Usually after each level, you’ll receive a permanent upgrade. Some will be simple buffs, while others are actually abilities you have to use, like Overdrive, which can power your weapons in different ways. As you play, these abilities will change the way you play, the way you fight some of these Spiders.

One specific ability you’ll be using a lot is the latch ability, which allows you to latch onto Spiders with an energy wire and connect them to Siphons. The more Spiders you latch onto each other, the more energy is siphoned. Not only that, but you can latch onto spiders and dash into them to do a sort of melee attack that does a good amount of damage. My only problem is that the latch can be a bit unruly, making it frustrating to use, especially for the siphoning objective. 

Waves Of Spiders

It will be this combination of weapons and abilities that you’ll be using to take down the waves of Spiders you’ll be killing and harvesting. To keep things from getting stale, there are multiple kinds of Spiders you have to deal with. The variety of Spiders is nice, as you’ll see more be added as time goes on, but it is a bit hard to tell which is which. This happens especially in the heat of battle.

The boss designs, however, are actually all pretty good. Whenever I see the health bar, I begin to look around, only to stare wide-eyed as this crazy-looking amalgamation approaches over the horizon. As for their gameplay, sometimes it’s fun, other times it can be a bit tedious, like when you’re waiting for a certain part to touch the ground to deal damage to.

Riding The Synthwave

Of course, all of this sounds good, but it wouldn’t be complete without a good soundtrack to help you keep momentum in battle. The OST is full of many synthwave tracks that submerge you into this celestial environment, complete with rocking guitars to emphasize the stronger moments. 

In addition to all this, there are other modes to play with after you finish the campaign. There’s endless, arena, survival, and daily run. Each of them come with their own way to keep you busy, so Curved Space shouldn’t get dull just after the credits roll. Also you can compete with other players through the leaderboard to see who can get the most points to call themselves number one. 

I wouldn’t say I had any problems with Curved Space besides a few minor gripes. It seems pretty well-polished, as there weren’t any glitches to encounter. Even when moving around these strange environments, flipping over to another side and all, there were no issues. 

Reaching The Horizon

Overall, Curved Space is a game I’m sure many shoot ‘em up fans will heavily enjoy. It has a unique idea that makes for an interesting experience. The combat is satisfying, the movement is smooth, and the soundtrack is sure to keep you pumped up for what comes next. While there are some tiny issues I have, they only detracted from my experience a little bit.

I can’t say I am enamored by Curved Space, but it’s a rather well done shoot ’em up based on the experience I’ve had with them. Plus, with all those extra modes, you will surely have plenty to do in case the campaign begins to get stale. If you’re a big fan of the genre, I’d say you should definitely give this a try. 

 

Verdict

Recommended

 

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Reviewed by Freelance7. Game provided by Maximum Games.