Zenodyne R Demo

Gamers tend to make a fuss around the fact that video games are not as challenging as they once were, except of course for a few titles every now and again. While that may be true, it’s also worth thinking about the fact that today’s video games are much more complex in many regards. On top of that, they also cost millions of dollars to produce, at least when it comes to triple-A productions. Hence, developers would much rather target everyone at once than a small niche of dedicated players.

Zenodyne R is a retro shoot ‘em up which provides you with the opportunity to relive the golden age of the genre, although it’s also quite possible to make you hate yourself. As such, it’s a vertical scroller with non-stop shooting and all the lasers that could fit on the screen, in which your goal is to survive and kill everyone else in the process. It sounds simple, but it’s anything but that.

To begin with, it’s worth noting that players have multiple characters, and thus ships to choose from. Not only that, but each ship is different and requires a different approach, which in turn allows you to experience new ways to enjoy the game. Replayability is key, especially since there are only a handful of levels to play. Thanks to the multitude of ships, on the other hand, each playthrough should be a blast.

The action is about as fast-paced as it can be so you can still kind of keep up with it, but you’ll need some practice to understand what’s going on if this is your first brush with the genre. Enemy ships come from the top, they unleash a flurry of missiles, lasers and energy pulses, and your job is to get out of the way and shoot back at the same time. It’s a hell of a challenge, but the rewards are worth the effort.

This is especially true for boss fights, because they can go on for minutes, during which you are always one step away from dying. Thankfully, the free mode allows you to respawn in the same spot without losing a beat, except that your score resets to zero every time you do this. It may sound harsh, but that’s where the challenge comes in, because everyone can technically finish the game with zero points.

When it’s all said and done, Zenodyne R is not an original game, but it should be exactly what shoot ‘em up fans are looking for in this day and age. Hence, if you are willing to put your patience to the test, Zenodyne R is one of the best choices out there.