Ahh the shoot-em-up genre. Dating back countless years, with shining starts such as R-Type, Contra and Metal Slug, they continue to roll out with their easy pick up and play, but hell to master appeal. So how does Black Paradox suit up in comparison to the classics? We're here to find out.
As you boot up the initial menu, it becomes very clear what kind of ride you're in for. The glorious Synthwave/Retro Electro graphics and sound flood the screen and bring back the very feeling on the 80's. A simplistic menu screen in regards to options (Play Game, Garage and Options), but it isn't lacking in aesthetic and does exactly what it needs to, sets the tone and draws you in.
The game starts you off quite simply. A gorgeous 8-Bit DeLorean with a Gatling gun mounted on the side appears on the left, gliding through the cosmos. The objective is simple, shoot everything shooting at you. It starts off relatively easy, but soon, even before the first level is over, you're having to dodge everything being shot at you. But all isn't lost, you're provided with help in the form of a huge variety of powerups that drop from specific enemies. The variety is insane as well, ranging from 'ordinary' weapons like a shotgun variety or a missile launcher and including things such as Corrosive Acid or a Weapon that straps a Key-tar to your ship and fires musical notes.
As you approach the end of a level, you're greeted by the specific bounty, a boss battle. Each level has its own uniquely designed boss, who have their own fighting styles. But one things for certain, they aren't easy. But after each one, you're given a choice of two upgrades to your ship, a nice little reward to help you survive the oncoming battles.
You may have noticed at this point that a little counter in the top right has been counting up as you've been popping off enemies. That's because you've got the option to go even further with your ship as well as just powerups. You've got the option to head to the garage and equip modification chips to your space-bound car, such as Vamperic shots or a shield. These do very much help you as you continue to grind through the game, but it doesn't ease the difficulty curve by much.
And I guess that's the only main gripe that sits with me for Black Paradox. There doesn't seem to be much substance to it. It kind of detracts a little when you grind through Level 1 over and over to be able to afford the upgrades or learn the patterning enough to pass onto the next level. But it doesn’t seem to stop me wanting to go back to the game and keep plugging away at it.
The Co-op side of it is also a plus. Being able to sit down with a mate or partner and just have two crazy firing space super cars blowing up space rocks and evil ships is great fun, plus all the money adds up to the same upgrade fund as your main account.
Overall Black Paradox is a really fun time for 5-15 mins as a pick up and blast game. It can fill up little quick gaming sessions quite easily, but I feel that when I finally defeat that last boss, I'm not going to come back. Gameplay, Aesthetic and Sound, this game is great, but I feel like it just lacks that long lasting touch. 7.5/10