Task Force Kampas (PS4)

I have decided to do this review differently, and include my Youtube video review. I took to Twitch to stream some hands-on impressions, and go over the features and mechanics which I then exported to Youtube, and have in turn included here. As it turns out I found a shmup with potential lost to artificial difficulty. Through a narrow playing field, oppressive bullet hell/enemy population, and recovery options that reduce the long lived potential of a playthrough things are made much harder than they should be. It left me unable to make it past the first boss on Easy difficulty despite choosing different pilots with different perks that each offered a different advantage in regards to shot type and health. Visually the game is very appealing, and the soundtrack quite impressive. Sadly I found out that it was a game experience not worth buying into. Hopefully the developer can heed my advice, and improve upon this game or the next.

Review Summary:

PROS:

1) Good art design

2) Excellent soundtrack

3) Trophies are fairly easy to get including the platinum

CONS:

1) Recovery mechanics are bad

2) Bullet hell situations make for easy deaths even on Easy difficulty

3) There is no slowdown mechanic

4) There are no screen clearing bombs

5) Power-up mechanics seem to hold little influence on gameplay progression

6) Pilot perks hold little advantage/disadvantage

Verdict: Skip it