Game Info
GAME NAME: Nano Assault Neo X
DEVELOPER(S): Shin’en
PUBLISHER(S): Shin’en
PLATFORM(S): PS4
GENRE(S): Shooter
RELEASE DATE(S): November 11th, 2014
I’ve played every Nano Assault game that Shin’en has made and all of them looked amazing and were a lot of fun. There are so many twin stick shooters out on the market today that finding a good one might be tough unless you have already found a series that you enjoy and stick with it. I personally have played nearly everyone you could think of and I still find myself enjoying Nano Assault games more than the next. The PS4 has finally received Nano Assault Neo X, which has the same story concept of the nanostray virus spreading and it is your job to eradicate the strains.
There is no introduction before being thrown into the fray of things and that doesn’t hinder the experience of blasting objects to bits. You control your ship with the left analog and shoot with the right one by pressing it in the direction you are aiming for. You can obtain secondary weapons and use those by pressing “R1” to destroy enemies with it. There are four worlds with 4 stages within each one and the last stage in each world is a boss fight that will always deem challenging to defeat.
In each stage you can collect credits that are used to purchase more lives, better weapons and even satellites that can hover around your ship and help shoot down enemies. There is also letters that appear to spell “BONUS” that will take you to a bonus stage upon finishing the level to collect more credits. A percentage counter will keep going up after each enemy killed and once it reaches 90% a countdown starts and you have to make it to the extraction point before the level is destroyed.
The touchpad on the Dualshock 4 actually does something in this game, which most games only use it for opening menus or maps. When you press the touchpad it will bring up a screen in mid-game to move your satellites to where you want them around your ship and you can also use the right analog to turn their firing direction. This tactic will become extremely useful when getting to the later worlds and needing firepower behind you.
There are a few modes available in Nano Assault with Single Player being used as the main mode to unlock the other levels. The other modes are Arcade Mode, which is used to replay levels out of order if desired and the other is a Two-Player Mode that is only for local play. There are online leaderboards for those who wish to be on the top with scores, but some people live for that and it could be a challenge within itself to be represented on it.
The music has a techno vibe and fits with the scientific feel to each stage. The effects are filled with a bunch of explosions and multiple laser shooting sounds that increase with the number of satellites you attach to your ship. Visually this game is gorgeous with each stage having their own colorful theme and it all runs at a fluid 60 frames per second.
The Recommendation
I always love a good twin stick shooter and Nano Assault is a series that always seemed better than the next to me. If you enjoy the constant race for a high score and reaching the leaderboards then I feel you will enjoy every minute of this game.
