Syder Arcade Demo

Although mostly everyone gets excited at the sight of flashy graphics, sometimes the visual aspect is nowhere near as important as the gameplay. In fact, there are genres that have stopped evolving in this regard a few decades ago, because the formula breaks down when you introduce a third dimension into the equation.

Syder Arcade is a retro sidescroller in which your primary purpose is to shoot everything that moves and avoid getting shot yourself, although it’s definitely easier said than done. The game stays true to the roots of the genre and it features sleek 2D graphics, a high difficulty level and all the spaceships you could want, all while not bothering too much with the story.

There are two modes to choose from, depending on what you happen to be in the mood for. As such, you can choose between Campaign and Survival. Multiple campaigns are available, all of which pit you against various types of enemies in a level-by-level manner. On the other hand, your sole purpose in the Survival mode is to stay alive for as long as you can.

Although the difficulty level might prove to be too much for some gamers, that must be a result of the huge enemy waves attacking you from all directions and not because of the gameplay itself. Hence, the controls are simple and your ship moves seamlessly through the levels, as long as you can keep up with the fast-paced nature of the game.

Lastly, the graphics engine is obviously designed to look apart in this day and age, especially since it still features only two dimensions. However, besides the rather smooth and shiny visual style you are greeted with, there are also a few other graphic styles to choose from. Thus, you can make the game look like an old Amiga title, or even emulate the classic Commodore graphics.

All things considered, Syder Arcade is definitely not a game for everyone, especially since most of the new generation won’t have much to compare it to in order to see its value. However, if you are aching for a bit of old school fun and you do not mind ragequitting every once in a while, this is a fine choice to make.