Heavy Weapon Deluxe Demo

Sometimes, video games do not need to feature intricate gameplay mechanics to make people feel better and have a bit of fun. In fact, the simpler the better in certain genres, which is especially true for shoot ‘em ups. As long as the screen is constantly covered in explosions and enemies trying to destroy you, there’s bound to be fun involved.

Heavy Weapon Deluxe tries to mix things up in the shoot ‘em up genre, by allowing you to control a ground vehicle instead of a spaceship, which is usually the preferred method. However, if you are familiar with other games in the genre, then you should easily figure things out here as well, especially since everything is more or less the same, but with fewer stars and alien ships.

Lasers are still part of the deal, on the other hand, as are rockets and big boss battles that put your reflexes to the test. Gameplay-wise, all you have to do is move a tank left and right, while keeping the right mouse button down. The tank follows the mouse movements around the screen, while the weapons shoot where the cursor is. Besides the fact that you must destroy the enemy planes and warships, it is also mandatory that you avoid or annihilate their missiles as well.

From time to time, the enemies you destroy drop power-ups that increase your stats and provide you with new features. Helpful helicopters make an appearance every now and again, which also drop precious bonuses. Each one of these power-ups is vital in the big picture, because you’ll need all the firepower and protection you can get in order to go head-to-head with the huge boss ships waiting for you at the end of the level.

As you might expect, the controls are as simple as they can get given the circumstances, although you still need decent reflexes to avoid the constant onslaught of projectiles coming your way. The visual quality is nothing out of the ordinary, but the graphics are smooth and they certainly do not make it difficult to enjoy the experience. Not much can be said about the sound, but it barely makes a difference in the big picture anyway.

In the end, Heavy Weapon Deluxe is not a hardcore title, a fact that is made clear from the first few minutes of gameplay. On the other hand, everyone can at least have a good time with the game, especially since it’s a very addictive experience.