Last year, we reported on Crystal Comet, a new twin-stick shooter coming to Steam 24th April 2024 priced at £9.99. London-based RewdanSprites has developed it and promises a story-driven shooter experience with multiple endings with AI teammates to make the gameplay deeper. Seeing how much we love a good shooter, we’re excited to get stuck into this one and give our opinion in this review.
There’s a demo available from the game’s Steam storefront, so you can give it a go before committing to a purchase. The story is as typical for a space shooter as it gets but has an interesting twist. The galaxy is at peace until a mysterious crystal comet appears and threatens all life. Four plucky pilots take to other ships to try and stop the menace, each with their own reason for wanting to do so.
The story mode has four characters that will always be with you, similar to how Star Fox has wingmen. You choose your ship from one of the four available and AI controls the other three. Each ship in the story mode has different strengths and shot types as well as a special move to get you out of tricky spots. There is also a warp manoeuvre that helps when you are stuck in a corner.
The four main ships are all different but these differences are quite subtle. They all have a main weapon that can be fired in any direction using the twin-stick mechanic or a straight shot that fires upwards like a traditional shmup. As you progress through the levels, bosses drop new weapons that then become pick-ups going forward. Some of the extra weapons are fun and they all have a limited ammo supply.
There are multiple routes to take so seeing the entire story mode will take a few playthroughs and each character has their own ending so there is a fair amount of replayability to be had. We won’t spoil the surprise but the final level has a great twist to the game’s ending and encourages you to make sure to complete the game as all the ships on offer.
As you progress you collect shards of the crystal comet and these can be used to unlock the eight extra ships to be used in the random mode. This endless mode is quite intense with bosses and swarms of ships continually descending on you. You will want to aim for that high score and try all the different ships as they all have unique weapon loadouts and specials.
The presentation in Crystal Comet is very retro, with colourful pixel art and effects that pay homage to the space shooters of old. We saw a glimpse of Galaga in the enemy design and a sword pickup that reminded us of some of the melee mechanics of nineties Psikyo titles. The standout portion of representation is the wonderful melodic metal music that plays throughout most of the stages.
Overall, Crystal Comet controls well, has a unique presentation and has enough replayability to make it last for a while. We would’ve liked to see a bit more variety in the ships to mix things up, but there is just enough to make each playthrough different. Hardcore shooter fans will most likely find it a bit easy to complete but it’s a fun blast anyway. Those new to the genre can use this as a great starting point.
