Pythetron

A wonderful blend of old and new, oldschool and modern and it takes the shape of Pythetron, a 2.5D shoot’em up that comes with loads of features, great visuals and appealing gameplay. It’s really something for the generation that enjoyed classic arcade games but it’s also created to be relevant for the new wave of gamers.

Side scrolling shooters such as this one have always been fun and to a certain extent have defined the arcade scene. Pythetron is here to add a few more reasons to love this genre.

The first thing you notice about Pythetron is that it seems a bit empty when it comes to the amount of enemies you have to face. Unlike in some hardcore shoot’em up games, this one offers a fairly low number of evildoers but there’s a very good reason for that, Pythetron uses the environment in a different way.

Levels in Pythetron can be approached in two ways. You can either take your time to meticulously blast to bits every hostile craft or creation or you can use the speed boost feature and race to the end of the level. The latter is what makes Pythetron interesting because if you choose to take that approach, dodging enemy fire, using teleporters and staying clear of traps and debris will test your reflex to the max.

It’s this freedom to play the game at your pace that makes Pythetron a balanced game that can be enjoyed by both diehards and casual gamers without having neither of them feel like something's missing.

Pythetron looks great and there’s no denying that. Animations are smooth, gameplay runs flawlessly and you can’t but enjoy the wonderfully designed worlds. They offer the same grandor that could be found in the classics while featuring a lot of creativity and original vision from the author. Yes, singular, is being pieced together by a one-man team.

Another thing that Pythetron offers and gamers have always loved is the possibility to customize the ship. Collecting coins in each level you can purchase upgrades for weapons, shields and a good deal of accessories. Since weapons that look cool get extra appreciation, this game allows you to buy projectile types making it possible to create some pretty awesome combinations.

From start to finish, Pythetron is simply great. Of course, it’s not perfect but it comes pretty close. Gameplay is solid and enjoyable, mechanics are well polished and implemented, almost everything that went into this seems to be exactly what a shoot’em up needed.

Download the game demo, try it out and if you get a positive vibe, stop by the Pythetron Kickstarter page to show your support.