Game Info
GAME NAME: Shuttle Rush
DEVELOPER(S): Takusan Works
PUBLISHER(S): Takusan Works
PLATFORM(S): Nintendo Wii U
GENRE(S): Platformer
RELEASE DATE(S): November 6th, 2014
I’ve played and reviewed many ported games from mobile devices and steam for the Wii U. This may be the first that I’ve gotten to review from the Ouya (granted it’s built around the android operating system). The team over at Takusan Works have done a good job of bringing Shuttle Rush over and it feels at home on Nintendo’s home console.
As you boot up Shuttle Rush, the opening cinematics are told through comic book-like storyboards. You eventually wind up playing as Bob, a tax man from the Galaxy’s version of the IRS. Well, I guess these aliens on this particular space station don’t like paying their taxes either because Bob is now in for the fight for his life. Only it’s not killing the aliens it’s running from them or stunning them all the while finding any last bits of oxygen from vending machines before you keel over.
The major gameplay mechanics are solely based around staying alive. The main goal is to exit each level before your oxygen has depleted. While in the levels you can stun, but not kill the enemies on screen. You can earn a total of 3 medals on each level (this gives it a mobile game feeling). The first is for beating it in a set time, the second for not getting hurt and the last for collecting all the coins. You can still spend the coins collected within the levels for oxygen and it will still count towards that medal. The levels will have you zipping back and forth to hit switches in the levels to progress further. A lot of the medals have to be earned after a few playthroughs because it focuses heavily on memorization of the levels.
Shuttle Rush’s levels are broken down into 6 worlds that include 5 normal missions and one boss battle. The boss battle is simple, run faster then the boss as he is closing up doors and trying with all his powers from preventing you from finishing the level. There is also unlockable levels if you can get all the medals on each stage. The game also features the standard off-screen play, but if playing on the TV has a very helpful map that can be the difference between getting a medal or not.
The game’s graphics have a very appealing 16-bit quality to them. It is definitely higher resolution though and the cartoony characters look great in High Definition. The sound track provides some great tunes while you are blazing through each area and help the flow of the game keep up with the fast paced nature of the music.
The Recommendation
I enjoyed Shuttle Rush at times, but at other moments I felt like most of the challenge came from backtracking and using a trial and error method to get through levels. It’s a fun approach on the endless runner genre giving players the opportunity to run freely through the levels, but at times it can become just as equally frustrating. If you are a fan of endless runners or platformers I absolutely think you will find some joy in this title and there is a few hours worth of content here. But, I don’t think this game will transcend to gamers that aren’t fans of the genres.
