Housemarque's Nex Machina stands out as a vibrant, adrenaline-fueled love letter to the golden age of arcade shooters in a gaming landscape filled with high-definition graphics and sprawling open worlds. Released for the PlayStation 4 in June 2017, Nex Machina combines the best elements of classic twin-stick shooters with modern design sensibilities, resulting in a game that is as challenging as it is visually stunning.
At its core, Nex Machina is a twin-stick shooter where players navigate increasingly challenging levels, obliterating waves of robotic enemies while rescuing stranded humans. The game is a spiritual successor to classics like Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV, offering a frenetic pace and a relentless barrage of enemies that demand precision and quick reflexes.
The controls are intuitive and responsive, allowing for precise movement and shooting, which is crucial in a game where every millisecond counts. Players move with the left stick and aim with the right, while various power-ups and secondary weapons add layers of strategy to the frantic action. The game’s difficulty curve is steep but fair, rewarding players who master its mechanics and learn to anticipate enemy patterns.
One of the standout features of Nex Machina is its use of destructible environments. Almost everything in the game can be blown to smithereens, adding an extra layer of chaos and visual spectacle to the action. This destructibility is not just for show; it plays a crucial role in the gameplay, as players can carve paths through obstacles or uncover hidden secrets by blowing up parts of the environment.
The game offers several difficulty levels, ranging from "Rookie" to "Master," each providing a distinct challenge. While the lower difficulties are more forgiving and allow players to enjoy the spectacle, the higher difficulties demand near-perfect execution and strategic use of power-ups and dash moves to survive the relentless onslaught of enemies.
Nex Machina is a visual and auditory feast that pays homage to the pixelated glory of retro arcade games while leveraging modern technology to create something truly breathtaking. The game's aesthetic is a dazzling blend of neon lights, vibrant colours, and pixel art, creating a dynamic, immersive world that pulses energy.
The environments in Nex Machina are diverse and meticulously crafted, ranging from futuristic cities and icy landscapes to dark, alien-infested caverns. Each level is distinct, with its visual themes and challenges. Lighting and particle effects are awe-inspiring, creating a sense of depth and motion that enhances the game's fast-paced action.
The enemy design is another highlight, with a wide variety of robotic foes that each have their attack patterns and behaviours. The sheer number of enemies on screen at any given time is staggering, yet the game maintains a silky smooth frame rate, ensuring that the action never skips a beat.
Complementing the stunning visuals is a pulsating electronic soundtrack composed by Ari Pulkkinen. The music perfectly matches the game's tempo, driving the action forward and heightening the sense of urgency. The sound effects are equally well-executed, with satisfying explosions, laser blasts, and the distinctive chime of rescuing humans, all contributing to the game's immersive atmosphere.
Nex Machina is structured into a series of worlds, each with multiple stages filled with enemies, obstacles, and hidden secrets. The level design is top-notch, with each stage offering a unique combination of enemy types, environmental hazards, and power-ups. The game encourages exploration and experimentation, rewarding players who take the time to uncover hidden humans and secret exits that lead to bonus stages.
The progression through the levels is smooth and well-paced, with each world culminating in a challenging boss battle. These boss fights are a game highlight, significantly testing players’ skills and reflexes. Each boss has multiple phases and attack patterns, requiring players to adapt and strategise on the fly.
The game's replayability is enhanced by its scoring system and leaderboards. Players are encouraged to replay levels to achieve higher scores, unlock additional secrets, and climb the global leaderboards. The scoring system is deep and rewarding, with bonuses for chaining enemy kills, rescuing humans, and completing levels without dying. This system adds depth and competitiveness to the game, appealing to casual players and hardcore enthusiasts.
Nex Machina features a local cooperative mode that allows two players to team up and tackle the game’s levels together. This mode is a blast, adding a new layer of chaos and strategy to the already frenetic gameplay. Coordinating with a partner to cover different areas of the screen, share power-ups, and rescue humans can be incredibly satisfying. However, the game does not include online multiplayer, which may disappoint some players looking to team up with friends remotely.
Beyond the main campaign, Nex Machina offers additional challenges and unlockables that provide further incentives for mastery. The game includes a variety of challenge modes, each with its own set of rules and objectives. These challenges test the player's skills in different ways, such as time-limited stages, score-based objectives, and survival challenges with limited lives.
Completing these challenges rewards players with new skins and visual customisations for their character, adding a sense of progression and personal achievement. These unlockables are purely cosmetic, ensuring the core gameplay remains balanced and skill-based.
Nex Machina is a game that demands skill and precision and provides tools to help players improve and enjoy the experience. The game includes a comprehensive tutorial covering the basic mechanics and controls and tips for mastering the more advanced techniques. The adjustable difficulty levels allow players to ease into the game at their own pace, gradually increasing the challenge as they become more comfortable with the mechanics.
That said, Nex Machina’s high difficulty and relentless pace may still be intimidating for some players, particularly those new to twin-stick shooters or bullet hell games. The game requires high focus and quick reflexes, and failure can be frequent and punishing. However, Nex Machina offers an enriching experience for those who embrace the challenge that few other games can match.
Nex Machina is a masterful blend of retro arcade sensibilities and modern game design, offering a frenetic, visually stunning, and profoundly satisfying shooter experience. Housemarque has crafted a game that pays homage to the classics while pushing the genre forward with innovative mechanics and impeccable execution.
The gameplay is tight and responsive, with a perfect balance of chaos and precision. The audiovisual presentation is a feast for the senses, creating an immersive world that pulses with energy and excitement. The level design is varied and challenging, offering a steady progression of difficulty and numerous secrets to uncover. Including cooperative play and additional challenge modes adds to the game’s replayability and appeal.
While the high difficulty and intense pace may not be for everyone, those who appreciate a good challenge will find Nex Machina an exhilarating and rewarding experience. The lack of online multiplayer is a minor drawback but does not significantly detract from the game's overall quality.
Nex Machina is a testament to the enduring appeal of arcade shooters and a shining example of how modern technology can elevate a classic genre. Whether you are a veteran of twin-stick shooters or a newcomer looking for a fast-paced, visually stunning game, Nex Machina is a must-play title on the PlayStation 4.