RPM - Road Punk Mayhem | PS5 Review

The year is 20XX, and there's a no hair scare in this dystopian desert world run by the evil Balds Organization. To stand up against this corrupt corpo three pilots rise to the occasion. There's the dark skinned babe Forma, the greasy haired brute known as Cacio, and the punkiest of the lot a mohawked individual named Gorgonzola. With their vehicles, limited gas stock, and unique character specific weapons they must carefully combo their way through baddies and bosses in this cel-shaded vertical bullet hell shmup set to the tune of blazing electric chords!!!

Eastasiasoft's onboard shmup developer Panda Indie Studio once again does what they do best by not deviating far from their former formulas while offering a new theme, and lightly new mechanics. Center to this bullet hell experience, that is "RPM - Road Punk Mayhem", is a familiar ring system that operates pretty much as it has within the developer's other shmup releases. By holding down the fire button it expands, and upon expanding you can slow down time, and warp to a place within the expanded circle. Allowing for the avoiding of obstacles and bullet hell.

Outside of the warp mechanic you also have two shot types per character. The standard shot, which is different for each character, will come out as you tap the fire button repeatedly. Holding down the button will, by contrast, shoot a concentrated more powerful beam that also slows down your vehicle's movement. A means to deal bigger damage while narrowly navigating between the bullets. When it comes to character shot type Forma has an arrow shaped direct path bullet while Cacio has a spread shot, and Gorgonzola homing missiles. 

For bombs holding down the warp button until the circle surrounding your vehicle glows red will lead to a big bullet/obstacle clearing blast with a giant red skull front and center. There is no limit to this, but the outer circle must be expanded for use. 

As far as credits are concerned these too vary according to pilot. Forma gets four gas canisters or hits while Cacio gets five, and Gorgonzola three. Getting hit will take away one of these canisters as well as reset the score multiplier, and spill some of your gathered golden skulls. The latter of which are one of the ways to earn points in-game. 

The score multiplier itself increases by one per enemy destroyed, and goes all the way up to a x16 multiplier when maxed. At the boss whatever multiplier you arrive with is locked. In the way of secrets you will find flocks of chickens running about at certain sections of a stage that when ran over will reveal a treasure chest. This gifts bonus points to the ongoing score. You'll also find the occasional ammo power-ups that increase damage, and gas canister refills that refill those lost hits. That and clocks that allow for a ring reset in situations where you wouldn't have time to expand the ring multiple times in a row.

The Presentation ...

Visually the game is a cel-shaded indie not unlike the design of Borderlands features, but to a lesser degree. It is also colorful like Borderlands, and features comically rendered characters that are showcased via a comic book style art panel. Even bosses get the caricature cameo before a boss battle. This all plays out to the tune of a rocking soundtrack with an electric guitar kind of vibe. It is a fast paced soundtrack fitting of the fast paced gameplay that auto-scrolls upwards in a tight vertical display blocked in by sketchy outlines. Either that or horizontal layouts in two different facing TATE modes.

The Verdict ...

Panda Indie Studio rarely ever changes their formula in a distinctly different manner. They simply evolve their design, and implement core mechanics in different ways. That is very much the case with RPM. While the thematic elements are definitely different, and the game visually unique, it still harbors a familiar feel that any fan of the studio can get accustom to quickly. Along with the guide filled with a simple five step textual tutorial you'll learn things fairly easily, and if not I hope my detailed description of the mechanics steers you in the right direction. 

As far as a verdict goes I like RPM, but find it on the more challenging side of the bullet hell spectrum. It is a brutally difficult shmup and not some casual entry level undertaking. You will die, and die a lot until you nail down the mechanics. If you can perfect a playthrough though there is a global leaderboard waiting eagerly for your highest score. I hope you give the game a shot as it is one of the more fun budget priced shmups for the PS4/PS5 consoles!