Minotaur Arcade Vol.1 | Trippy Arcade Action For The PS4

Llamasoft continues their trend of trippery with this micro-collection of arcade tribute games for the PS4, and PSVR consoles. Going from "Polybius" to what could best be described as a virtual assault on the senses "Minotaur Arcade Vol.1" brings to the gamer two hard to master experiences burdened by blinding colors, flashing lights, and oldschool chiptune sounds. Something I couldn't see being all too pleasant in VR, but definitely doable in the standard console format. Epilepsy, and seizure potential aside. With the budget priced package that is this game you get both "Gridrunner" and "Goat Up", collectively. Both in standard PS4 format as well as PSVR format. The titles alone are probably confusing to anyone reading this, but one is a shmup, and the other a tough as nails platformer.

With "Gridrunner", the shmup, you are tasked with a couple of things outside of the obvious scoring goal. As an auto-shooting ship moved by the left thumbstick you must shoot waves of winding targets on a perspective changing grid as they move downwards towards you. All while dodging in all directions a single shot from a moving ship on the outside left of the grid which moves up and down as well as a line blasting ship that scrolls from left to right at the top outside of the grid. You've got a lot to mind as you blast everything to pixels, and blasting is the key to a highscore and long term survival. That, and dodging. By shooting the themed targets (Think Centipede/Millipede) you will cause them to drop stars that can be shot or collected for bonus points. The winding enemies themselves gift points as well as do the other enemies that fly by solo. Clearing all of the enemies is the ultimate end goal for each given stage. By also shooting special targets in the form of large rockets during your stage playthroughs power-ups will appear, and fall towards the bottom of the screen for you to collect. Collecting these power-ups will temporarily change shot type, clear the screen of enemies like a bomb, and do some other things that will help you survive for the long haul. As far as each stage goes they are named, and individually themed. There's levels that look futuristic like Tron, one that looks like a Centipede/Millipede clone with a train of mushrooms, and even one that looks like it takes political Jabs at certain members of the UK parliament with the Union Jack replacing the serpentine enemies while harboring a title referring to Corbyn and Cameron among others. Supposing you survive, and clear a stage you'll earn an extra life as a reward along with some well deserved praise. You start off with three lives, and each life is lost upon impact.

Along with "Gridrunner" comes the puzzling platformer "Goat Up", and surprisingly the game's title actually reflects what you'll be doing. As a female goat you must jump upwards onto platforms, and mow the themed grass to spawn items that can be collected for points. Jumping, which is a key mechanic, is button sensitive. Meaning that the longer you hold "X" the higher your goat will jump. As you jump from platform to platform on a rotating 3D tower you will encounter enemies that can be dodged or killed as well as Billy goats that can be kissed to birth kids which will act as a sort of health bar as you ascend. One kid equals one hit that you can withstand. A game over comes instantly if you fall off screen or if you get hit without any kids. To make things challenging the developer has obscured some of the playing area with rainbow colored text that babbles on cryptically about various things, and displays bonus scoring as well as the mention of the birth of kids when that occurs. The game is very challenging, and made even harder by the bottom screen constantly chasing your goat upwards. As far as end goals are concerned there are 40 items to collect. Ranging from sammiches to killer automatons these items will appear during your grass grazing at certain heights, and can be collected by walking over them. Along with each new item will come one of those cryptic messages that play into the whole mystery vibe that Llamasoft has adopted since their creation of Polybius.

Accessing, and playing either game in the volume is easy. At the main menu you can press "X" for "Gridrunner", or "CIRCLE" for "Goat Up". To change to PSVR mode you'll simply have to have the device connected, and press "SQUARE" before choosing a game to play. In the PSVR mode you can actually pause the game, and change how close or far away the visual display is. Pausing the game also offers a volume control option. For those looking to see where they rank among global and local competition there are global, and local leaderboards.

The Verdict ...

I liked the PS4 version of this game! It's addictive arcade action with a flair of mystery. There are obvious meanings behind certain messages shown, and even in the design itself you will find all sorts of hidden Easter eggs. Beyond the enigma is the challenge at hand, and it is truly challenging. Both games will test your skills, and your ability to look beyond the distractions to what is going on, on the playing field. While I do wish there were more games included in this volume it is being sold as the first volume in a series, and I can understand the developer holding back. It allows the gamer the opportunity to master the games, and obtain the highest score possible. As for as the overall experience goes I find that this is indeed a game worth buying, but only if you aren't prone to having seizures or have a family history of seizures. It is an extremely flashy game with a lot going on onscreen.