Dead End City | PS5

90's arcade inspired vertical shoot 'em up "Dead End City" puts the pedal to the metal as it barrels forth at breakneck speed in this post apocalyptic road rage filled fight for survival. A plot not unlike that of Mad Max. Like it's cinematic inspiration, fuel is your lifeline and your vehicle your chariot with which to see you through a gladiatorial spectacle against the bosses of the badlands. Each chariot, and it's designated driver brings with them a unique weapon type that will assist in not only clearing waves of minions, and dealing the deathblow to gang leaders, but also the means with which to outlast your opponent if you are skilled enough.

There are three modes of play to experience in Pixel Licker's "Dead End City", and none of which are too dissimilar from the other. This includes a story and stage driven Arcade mode with individual waves of enemies leading up to a boss battle, as well as a seamlessly scrolling Score Attack mode which is as it's name implies, leaving Highway mode for last which is a run for high value medals on a per stage basis. Highway, in particular, turns the fuel meter into your source for ammo. Depleting your fuel supply as you shoot. You have two minutes with which to gain your highest score making resource management all the more crucial. Bonus points come from defeating rival cars that appear ever so often.

Initially you'll only have access to one driver, one vehicle, and their gatling gun weapon. With it you'll need to avoid running into enemy vehicles, getting hit by hazards, and and getting shot by bullet hell as you blast into scraps anything and everything that challenges your road domination. Taking hits will lessen your fuel supply, and when that fuel is fully emptied it is GAME OVER. 

Thankfully killing some enemies rewards you with fuel refills which when topped off will put the vehicle in a Top Off mode. It is in this mode that the score multiplier increases up to 9x. At 9x multiplier medals will start dropping for a limited time from enemies allowing for higher points to be added to your score total. Additionally you can max out ammo by collecting dropped ammo crates or bullets, and in doing so enable a special shot that can act in tandem with top off mode to create larger medals which are worth more, score-wise. Alternatively, a full ammo supply puts the game in a fuel time mode wherein destroyed enemies drop fuel instead of bullets. In a nutshell that's the mechanics for the game.

The only variation to gameplay outside of what was previously mentioned comes from the individual mode rules in which scoring is somewhat different though mostly similar. The end goal above all else is to achieve the highest score by activating both the fuel and ammo modes, and maxing out the score multiplier frequently so that you can capitalize on medals. This may be easier said than done though as the waves of enemies are relentless, and dodging everything is nearly impossible. Given the nature of the bullet hell, especially. 

Supposing you get the hang of it, and make it far in arcade mode you'll earn credits, and be able to spend those credits back in the game's shop to further unlock the game's modes, playable characters, and even special features like boss health bars or player hitbox toggles. You can even unlock in-game gallery art for specific characters from the game. This is incentive enough to commit to the grind at least until you've 100% the trophy list. After that you can compete for that top score on the game's online leaderboards for bragging rights sake.

Visually, and audibly "Dead End City" is like a legit 90's arcade shmup that was lost to time. A game that was revived for consoles in the here and now with all the bells & whistles for fans of the genre to enjoy. It comes with varying degrees of scanline filters for that more genuine arcade appearance as well as a TATE mode option for changing the screen's orientation. Something that genre enthusiasts will appreciate. 

The Verdict ...

Dead End City is a tough as nails vertical shmup that does away with the traditional space themes and takes the player on a rage filled road trip that pays homage to cinematic legends like Mad Max. Going so far as to implement a fuel system that works in sync with the other scoring mechanics. Offering something unique, but familiar for fans. 

It took me a while to understand it, but once I did (thanks to the tutorial) I was able to outpace Defunct Games, and be the second to take the number one spot on the leaderboards in Arcade (Normal). A feat which will no doubt be bested by a far more skilled Japanese player when the game finally launches on February 28th. For what it's worth I do like the game, and it's scoring gimmicks, but the bullet hell is problematic. The bullet spread being inconsistent. That said though I think it's still worth the money as EastAsiaSoft never overprices their games. Don't miss out if you fancy chasing some highscores!!!