Release Date: 23/08/2010
Played On: Win
Available On: Lin / Mac / Win
Time Played: 5h 24m
Progress: Completed
Developer: DiezelPower
Publisher: DiezelPower
There are times when I think I might be a glutton for punishment, but maybe it's the same for everyone. You see, there are a number of game genres that I will always love to play, despite the fact that I am always terribly skilled. While racing and fighting games are the finest examples of this, my other favourite genre of difficulty games would have to be the twin-stick shooter.
To be honest, I'm not that terrible at every twin-stick, but there are a number in the genre that have kicked my butt repeatedly. So when a game like Nation Red advertises itself as "an ultra fast" arena-shooter, featuring thousands of zombies and "frantic bloody gameplay", I shudder to think how terrible I will be. Perhaps an equal balance to how excited I am to have a go.
As it happens, Nation Red turned out to be exactly the kind of game it sold itself as. Well, that's if you forgive the "ultra fast" claim, which is wishful thinking when there are a number of other arena based shooters with speedier gameplay. However, there's no doubt that if you want hordes of zombies, heaps of weapons, and a bunch of fun power-ups, this game has you covered.
The basic 'campaign' is spread across a bunch of missions that are simple variants on the main gameplay systems. Essentially this is a pure top-down arena-shooter with everything you'd expect from such an experience. There's a lot of shooting and a lot of enemies swarming you at all times, so it ticks a few boxes already.
I like to give many twin-sticks a try, as the genre is one of my all-time favourites, not least because I know what I’m getting into. I expect to be challenged by seemingly overwhelming odds, and I expect to have the opportunity for learned skills and clever strategies to carry me to victory. I love the challenge, but I also adore the simplicity. In this way, twin-sticks can be some of the purest forms of gaming around.
Nation Red might be a bit long in the tooth these days, but it still holds up as an enjoyable shooter, even if it's not strictly a twin-stick. The game claims to have full controller support (according to Steam anyway), but for some reason I was never able to get my gamepad working properly. However, this isn't an uncommon thing with shooters on Steam, as many are made by small teams, and many have gamepad issues.
So it should be a marked sign of success that I enjoyed my time in Nation Red, even though I was resigned to using mousey keys for input. I'm not a fan of running around with WASD and aiming with the mouse, as I'd much prefer the cardinal directions of twin-sticks. Thus, my persistence through Nation Red, even though I was denied my preferred input method, should be taken as a significant compliment.
Of course I had a lot of fun mowing down zombies, but it's the game's other systems that make repeated play interesting. After all, most arena-shooters can get very repetitive if they stick to waves of enemies and nothing else, so thankfully Nation Red has a few more tricks up its sleeve.
As you kill enemies and pick up powerups, you gain experience points and level up. Each time to hit a new level, you're presented with a list of perks from which to choose one that will stay with you for the rest of your run. There are simple perks like increased health or armour, as well as more specialised perks that affect items and power-ups.
In some of the longer levels, there is the possibility of levelling up quite a lot, so eventually the perks begin to stack. Selecting an upgrade early on might be the key to unlocking its higher tier equivalent later. Many perks exist in a chain where each iteration gets stronger and better for the player, which is a nice way of committing you to a style of gameplay. Will you go down the power-up buffs route, or continue increasing your health until you're a tank. It's often impossible to unlock everything, so it helps to have a clear goal in mind.
Additionally, these perks are essential to maintaining a competitive edge as you progress through waves and levels of enemies. Naturally they get stronger and more diverse as time goes on, often resulting in boss enemies that are significantly tougher to eliminate.
At the same time there are weapons and power-ups that spawn within the arena and can be picked up during the level. Weapons are largely your typical range of shotguns, machine guns, etc, each with their own pros and cons. There's nothing surprising about how nay of the weaponry works, as it's all pretty standard. Thankfully though, there is a large variety, so it's easy enough to find one that you like.
Power-ups work a little differently, as they produce active effects that are triggered as soon as you run over them. It could be as simple as a box of mines to lay in your wake, to more useful items like sentry turrets, or decoy holograms. Most of the power-ups are useful and do a lot to help with crowd control, but they work better if you time their use accordingly and take out as many zombies as possible.
A lot of this might sound familiar, but Nation Red deserves a little credit for being a bit older than some of its peers. Games like Nuclear Throne and Enter The Gungeon have used very similar shooter systems, but these days it's pretty par for the course. It's always worth noting when an older game does something that has since become standard, as it must have been a good idea at the time, and it's stuck.
Further to any of this though, is the fact that Nation Red has carved out a look and a niche that many others have chosen to ignore. The graphics are not great, but there's a definite style going on from the start, and a nice cohesion throughout. It's clear this game has an identity, even though it's manifested through a brown and yellow palette of disgusting zombie folk.
Plus, it feels good to play and there are some smart mechanics working under the hood to keep things interesting. Again, it might seem like part of all arena-shooters these days, but these are elements that matter. Such as being able to run faster in the direction your facing, which discourages constantly running away from what you're shooting at.
You can only carry two weapons at a time and most of them have finite ammunition. With weapons spawning randomly in the arena, it can be hard to get that preferred weapon, forcing you to change up your play style and adapt to the situation. The balance between power-ups and random weapons is a nice and simple way to keep the game moving and make the player think on their feet.
Add to this a whole lot of enemies, and you've got yourself a compelling shooter.
Enemies are often the lumbering lumps of zombie that you might expect, but there's a bit of diversity to check you're paying attention. You've seen the range before; there's the big strong tanky zombies, the faster small zombies, the exploding zombies, and the rest. Thankfully there's enough of a mix that I never felt like I was just mowing through the same enemy over and over again.
In fact, nothing about Nation Red managed to bother me at all, other than the lack of gamepad functionality. I suspect that if I were able to use proper twin-stick controls, I might have played this game for many more hours. As it is though, there's only so much mousey keys that I can handle before my wrist gets sore and my fingers give up.
Ultimately though, if you're into top-down arena-shooters, Nation Red is something of a modern classic to add to your collection. It's already been a popular choice for many fans of the genre, and thanks to its age you can probably pick it up cheap these days. Just make sure you're cool with different input methods, or your mileage might not go as far as others.
This is an honest and straight to the point arena-shooter. I don't know if there's a story, but I don't care. All I want are the traditional game modes and lots of enemies to mow down and make a mess with. Thankfully, even though it's dated and has its issues, Nation Red manages to deliver.