Explosionade DX | PS4 Review

Mommy's Best Games is an indie studio of unique pedigree. They bring to the player experiences unlike those most have ever played, or seen. Though the genres might be familiar the mechanics concepts they offer are anything but that. In the case of "Explosionade DX" I was personally surprised with what I found, once again. Not only was it totally unexpected, but surprisingly fun as well. Following a story about a naughty cadet, and his commanding officer we find a sci-fi world filled with horrific abominations known as Horronym, and a military at war with said creatures. Somewhere in the fray Atticus, the cadet and protagonist, decides to further disobey orders during a latrine focused punishment. Hopping into a prototype mech, and heading down the old crap chute (sewers) to give it a test drive. Upon entering the sewers Atticus finds lying in wait floor upon floor of Horronym. In a back and forth conversation that takes place during this ever descending adventure Atticus, and the Sarge bicker over the situation with the man in charge getting increasingly aggravated by the cadet's misbehavior, and recklessness. Thus is the story in a nutshell.

Outside of the somewhat limited plot exists a score rush based speed run experience that utilizes the mech's handful of tools for clearing rooms, looting gold, and breaching hatches into the descending floors of the sewer system. Your goal as Atticus in the mech is to use a machine gun, an energy shield, and grenades to blast efficiently through concrete barriers and baddies. The machine gun can kill enemies, but takes time depending on enemy type. The shield allows for a pinball like bounce from floor to ceiling when held down, and can squash enemies into a bloody pulp or explosion more quickly. Lastly, the limited stock of grenades allows for the destruction of barriers, and the destruction of harder to kill enemy types. Against a timer that rewards you for clearing the floor of enemies in less than 30 seconds you must figure out the quickest way to get from the starting point to the shielded escape hatch, and into the next area. Clearing the area of all enemies along the way. You are rewarded according to health left, time completed, and the clearing status. Bonus points applied for the most timely run. The catch is your mech takes damage, and can only regain those hit points by collecting gold bars that are hidden in each area. Additionally the mech can enter an overpowered state under certain conditions.

The campaign of 'Explosionade DX' features three different difficulties including Chilled, Normal, Superior. Each with an increasingly difficult assortment of enemy types in the otherwise consistent floor layouts of the sewer. The goals for completion all remaining the same. Along with the standard floors comes special Gold rush, and battle floors. Even floors against gargantuan bosses. Killing all of the Horronym with extreme prejudice is of the utmost importance. Surviving for as long as possible equally as so. 

For those interested in the scoring aspect of the game each different enemy type harbors it's own points value which are multiplied when bouncing into them using the mech's shield. There are also end tally points that count the efficiency of your speed run per floor. Keeping all difficulty settings in mind the game transfers those top scores to the appropriate global, and local leaderboards for bragging rights. For the PS4 your PSN ID will be showcased in full beside your score in the rankings under the coinciding difficulty setting that you gained said score on. Since time gifts higher bonuses for quicker clearings the scoring possibilities are amplified. Factor in how you can dispatch the Horronym, and you can have a proper chance at taking that number one spot. For those of you who need practice there is also a Practice mode. A Mode in which some of the game's trophies can be earned regardless of the nature of it. Speaking of trophies there is a menu listing for them giving you the details on how to earn each, and every trophy in the game.

In the main menu you'll also find settings for controls, sound, and graphics as well as a 'How to Play' guide detailing everything there is to know about the game. From the enemy point values to the mechanics, and even the end goal it is all there in easy to digest visual/textual format.

The Presentation ...

Visually Explosionade DX harbors Mommy Best Game's signature painted/animated art style. Something that is unique to their brand. A colorful collection of malformed aliens, a cool looking mech, and portraits/caricatures of the main characters involved among the interesting designs. Along with grotesque Horronym creatures comes gooey gore effects, and the studio's own brand of explosion animations. To me it all seems like it would fit right in with the Heavy Metal (cartoon) universe. The quirky avatars of Atticus, and the Sarge within the dialogue box also seem fit for such a science fiction animation story. Accented by rocking music, and audible sound effects Explosionade DX comes in a nice gritty package of the 80's persuasion. Trippy, bloody, and explosiony (I made that up, lol!) through, and through.

The Verdict ...

For $5.99 you are getting a heck of a deal with this game. There's really nothing to compare it to, and the score challenge at hand is leaderboard placement worthy. Mechanics-wise, and story-wise Explosionade DX comes together in a truly complimentary way showcasing a score rush of sci-fi proportions. It's easy to get into, but hard to master. For the price, and what it offers it gets an enthusiastic recommendation from yours truly! Be sure to give it a buy if you are looking for a proper score focused gaming experience to fill that leaderboard chasing itch.