Smashing T.V.
Remember Smash TV? Nah, probably not. Well, it was a very popular arcade game in the early 90’s and was one of the first twin stick shooters. It was brutally difficult and guzzled coins like they were going out of fashion. And given its legendary status it is no surprise that it has spawned countless copycats. Galaxy Champions T.V. is the latest to pay homage to a classic and after releasing on the PC last year, it is heading to the Switch.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Price: $6.99
Price I’d pay: $6.99
The premise of the game is simple; players shoot their way through four planetary arenas, each with 10 rooms filled with a variety of cannon fodder to clear out. To help players along the way some of the enemies drop weapons such as a shotgun, machine gun, grenade launcher, laser and flamethrower. These upgraded weapons have limited ammo but will help clear out the grunts. Trying to stop players from exiting each arena are the end of level bosses, who can seriously dish out the pain with an assortment of attack patterns that must be overcome if players want to proceed.
It is very unlikely that players will be able to get to the first boss on the first try, and that is where the game adds some depth. Every kill earns XP; get enough and players will unlock skill points which can be spent upgrading the weapons, learning new skills or increasing health. These points and upgrades are persistent through each run, meaning that the more one plays the more powerful they become, and it won’t be too long before they’re are toe-to-toe with the big bad bosses. If things do get a little too hot to handle, just grab a mate and join forces for some 2-player fun.
With all good twin-stick shooters, controls and movement are a big factor in their enjoyment. If either are too sluggish or too slick then the gameplay can become aggravating. Fortunately, the gameplay is spot-on. Movement is fast, but not to a point where things become too crazy, and the shooting is controlled with the right stick, meaning I didn’t have to have my finger held down on a button all the time. It allows for fast and accurate shooting which will be critical in later stages.
In fact, the only negative I have with this game is that after a while it became repetitive. There are only so many upgrades to work towards, and although each planet has their own theme, they don’t really differ that much. The enemies do get harder as players progress, but again there isn’t that much variety.
Galaxy Champions T.V. may not be original or fresh, but it does get most things right and adds enough to make the game more compelling and does a fantastic job of updating a classic game. I had hours of fun with this game and the fact that it costs just $6.99 means that you’ll get plenty of bang for your buck.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
