Black Sand Drift Demo

Regardless of what your opinion on the matter might be, shoot ‘em ups are still part of the video game industry even today, in spite of the fact that no major studio produced one in a very long time. On the other hand, indie developers can impress as well, especially now that so many powerful tools are available at their disposal when it comes to graphics and frameworks.

Black Sand Drift is a fast-paced shoot ‘em up that challenges you to survive a selection of tough levels and kill as many enemies as possible while you’re at it. Since the action takes place in space, it’s all about aliens, robots and powerful spaceships, which means that everything moves incredibly quickly on the screen, including yourself. Fast reflexes as a must, not to mention a lot of patience.

The story revolves around a cluster of planets in the Kotiro galaxy, which is terrorized by a race of mechanical bots called Spiral. After a few hundred years of terror and fear, the citizens decide to take matters into their own hands and retaliate. Granted, it’s not the most original story out there, but there’s a major emphasis on dialog and plot, not to mention the fact that you meet a variety of characters along the way.

Since you are always outnumbered by all sorts of powerful spaceships and robots, it’s important that you are always making use of some kind of power-up to stand a chance. The game provides you with a variety of boosts that can be picked up, all of which make your ship stronger and more efficient. On the other hand, they are only temporary, so it’s important that you keep picking them up as often as you can.

As for the graphics, the game sports a retro look that includes pixelated backgrounds and colorful environments, which should sit well with every fan of the genre. There are some animation glitches that may annoy you, but everything is pretty nice in this regard. The same goes for the soundtrack, which is alert and enjoyable, even if it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

When it’s all said and done, Black Sand Drift is more than capable of keeping you busy for a few hours, especially if you enjoy a challenge. On the other hand, the target audience is pretty small, so it probably won’t climb the heights of success.