Tuesday, March 13, 2018

10tons Shmup "Tesla vs Lovecraft" Is An Improbable Battle Of Genius And Madness

Like the epic battles between King Kong, and Godzilla 10tons studios takes two iconic characters from the world of man, and pits them against one another in a decisive battle made somewhat plausible yet not. In this battle of science versus fiction we find famed scientist Nikola Tesla battling horror author H.P.Lovecraft. A man whom had warned Tesla in a live demonstration that he did not know the powers he was meddling with. Those powers being free electricity for all. A tale we all know too well. After being imprisoned for the theatrical disturbance Lovecraft unleashes hell on Earth Eldritch horror style causing Tesla to counteract the threat with weaponized inventions of his own. Through mechs, augmented artillery, and perks of the shmup kind Tesla faces off against fiendish foe after fiendish foe in portal spawned waves powered by Cthulhu statues. Ultimately going between planes of existence including that of Arkham, the Aether, and Eldritch Tesla dares the adverse difficulty as he faces the monstrosities of old.

Graphically impressive, and easily played "Tesla vs Lovecraft" twists through it's presentation the staple shmup mechanics of the top-down sort in a complimentary way. In the game's humble beginnings you'll find starting story elements with decently rendered static 3D images of characters, and text from said individuals before being thrown into the fray between the rival minds. Basically, as Tesla you must utilize your inventive nature that comes in the form of Tesla themed weapons, a weaponized mech, and gear that can be upgraded as you progress through one of three difficulties or planes. These planes, as previously mentioned include "Arkham", "Aether", and "Eldritch". All of which harbor a point to point map with locales ranging from a cemetery to an island, and even original Lovecraftian realms. The point in each given point of interest is to kill off a set amount of Eldritch creatures that spawn from green portals, and meet other progressively difficult objectives such as destroying Cthulhu statues at said portals along with the occasional boss.

The game itself gradually eases you into the handful of mechanics which included a selective perk system that comes into play each time you fill up a meter through kills as well as a power-up system that affords Tesla the weapons and health/shields with which to dispatch and survive against his otherworldly foes that he faces in the form of pursuing mobs. The perks which you can choose from after being prompted to press "TRIANGLE" allow you to speed up Tesla, make his weapons more effective, allow more power-up drops, slow down time, and even dodge enemies more easily among other things. The weapon assortment is unlocked through single player progress, and appear as power-ups that can be picked up and used immediately afterwards in a single per use manner. Things like shotguns, Tommy guns, a pistol, and Tesla themed variations of these are made available as you complete stages. Along with the weapons which operate with Tesla in basic twin stick fashion ("R2" being the trigger) are special power-up based attacks tied to "L2". These limited special weapons allow for powerful projectile and melee attacks that can clear out multiple enemies at once.

Attacking the crowds with them is not the only option though. Once you collect all three parts of Tesla's mech early on in your playthrough you will also gain the ability to pick the several parts up as power-ups later on, and summon the mech briefly via "X". This allows for easy enemy mob clearing as the mech has two rapid fire machine guns mounted on it. Machine guns that can be amplified by the fire ammo power-up. For those of you worried about mobility outside of the speed perks you also have a Tesla teleport move through "R1" which will allow you to teleport through mobs of creatures as well as through blockades, and pitfalls. A teleport, which at base level, requires a recharge after use. Mobility, as it were, is very important in that staying on the move while shooting is the key to completion, and survival. One thing to note aside from all of this is that Tesla can die in the heat of battle. Around him is a health ring indicator that depletes upon enemy contact/attack, and changes color from green to red, accordingly. Refilling health can be done through power-up pickups, and can be enhanced through the perk system.

Modes of play, and features aren't limited solely to the single player, or local co-op campaign in "Tesla vs Lovecraft (yes there is a local co-op for up to 4 players). There's also a score based "Survival" mode which comes with it's own global leaderboard. In "Survival the same rules as the core game apply, but the game will last as long as you can stay alive. Outside of the campaign, and survival mode you'll also find a daily challenge that will reward you with aether crystals which can be used to upgrade your bonus perk tree. An additional skill tree that compliments the game's base power-up and perk features through buffs, and added effects. You can also earn aether crystals through a normal campaign playthrough. The daily rewards change every 24 hours with the requirements including goals such as killing off a certain amount of enemies among other things. For those of you who like extra lore with your plot the game does feature a 'Monsterpedia" which houses animated 3D models of the Eldritch creatures along with some light factual backgrounds typed in text format alongside said beasties. It's a little something extra that gamers might enjoy.

The Verdict ...

10tons surprised me. They truly did. After playing Crimsonland, and reviewing it years ago I honestly didn't expect something so impressive from them. It's really good they stepped up their development game though. I loved this game, and in my playthrough found nothing wrong with it. It's polished, playable, and quite fun. It even has replay value in the form of a "Survival" mode. The fact that it changes the basic shmup mechanics up, and still manages to make it something innovative is an impressive feat in it's own right. In the way of minor things I liked the included quotes from Tesla early on, and how they tied in the two historic icons in a somewhat believable manner. It all reminds me how I wish, as many so often do, that Tesla would have succeeded with that free energy plan ... Definitely pick up this game if you like shoot 'em ups, Tesla, or Lovecraft!

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