Release Date: 05/12/2015
Played On: Win
Available On: Linux / Mac / NS / PS4 / PSV / Win
Time Played: 1h 55m
Progress: A Number Of Runs / Retired
Developer: Vlambeer
Publisher: Vlambeer
Sometimes I wonder if a good game is actually not that good, but I have some irrational interest in one tiny element that makes it worth playing. Other times I wonder if I dislike a game that's actually brilliant, but there's one key part that ruins it completely. All of me knows that both of these things are true, so let's try not to think too hard about it.
Prior to reading this post, you may or may not be aware that the twin-stick shooter genre is one of my favourite genres in video games. While there are many classics out there that I've yet to experience, I actively try to find and play as many twin-sticks as I can handle at any given time. In fact, one of the only games that I play religiously each day, is a twin-stick shooter.
At the same time though, I'm not exactly the most highly skilled player in the twin-stick world. Most of the time I actually suck and struggle to fight against the challenge and progress, but I'm always having fun so it doesn't matter. I could say the same about racing games, or fighting games, which are also more of my favourite gaming genres, but I actually suck when it comes to raw skill.
Therefore, my love for twin-sticks has nothing to do with how good I am at them, or how powerful I feel. I can easily give you a long list of twin-sticks that I've never been able to finish, despite spending many hours throwing myself at the wall.
I feel the need to explain all of this, because there's one thing that will kill a twin-stick for me before anything else, and that's bad control implementation. I can handle bad graphics, I can handle a bat-shit crazy storyline, I can handle punishing difficulty that smacks me about at every turn, but the one thing I need in every twin-stick, is tight and responsive controls.
By now you might have seen the data block at the top of the post and wondered why I only spent a couple of hours with Nuclear Throne, even though I love twin-sticks so much. After all this is one highly regarded game with loads of kudos and acclaim thanks to it being one of the most popular rogue-lite shmups since Binding Of Isaac. I'll even agree with everyone else and point out that Nuclear Throne is an excellent game and everything about it is outstanding, other than the terribly annoying controls.
First the good though, as there's a lot of it to be thankful for. Most of all, the thing that sold me on Nuclear Throne in the first place was the art. It doesn't take much analysis to discover that this is a very good looking game, with some interesting and fun character designs to go along with it. The playable characters are all super creative mutant imaginations, and the enemies and bosses are equally as well put together.
Thematically the name fits the game, as you're working your way through various levels that have been hit by nuclear radiation. Levelling up grants you a new mutation that basically acts as a power-up, and there are some truly creative mutations to choose from. Not to mention the plethora of weapons you're can find and pick up along the way, each with specific ammunition and modifications that fit the theme well.
Boss fights are challenging and fun, although once you've fought the same boss a few times they quickly become a cakewalk. Not that it matters though, as I never got tired of seeing a boss burst onto the stage and start making my life miserable. Again it's all thanks to the brilliant art and visual design that remains impeccable throughout the entire experience.
Of course, much like other rogue-lites, you unlock other playable characters as you progress through the game and reach certain milestones. The characters each have a special ability that changes how you play the game, as well as some excellent character designs. Unlike The Binding Of Isaac, which basically has different hair on the same body for each playable character, Nuclear Throne really changes it up. There's a dude that's made of crystal, a fish who can roll, a mutated plant, and more. There's no doubt that this game is dripping with style and personality through every pixel, which is a joy to interact with.
Or it would be, if the interacting part weren't a clunky mess.
In the world of twin-stick shooters, there are players who love to play with gamepads and analogue sticks, and there are players who like to stick with mousey keys. Even though I'm in the gamepad/sticks camp, playing with a mouse and keyboard is just as legitimate as anything else. Whatever controls you use, there's ultimately no restriction on the skill ceiling or ability to get a high score.
Most games will keep this in mind as there's a real split between players and it's hard to get anyone to change their preference. Fair enough too, as this is a genre that's mechanics driven instead of theme, so it's important to maintain a bit of consistency. At least, that's been my experience across the many different twin-sticks I've had fun playing in the past.
Right from the main menu, it's clear that Nuclear Throne is going to throw up some mechanical problems. Unlike many of its contemporaries, this is one of those games that doesn't automatically recognise gamepad and keyboard inputs simultaneously. I know it's only a little thing, but it's always jarring and concerning when you have to put down the gamepad and use your mouse to tell the game that you want to use your gamepad.
Especially within a genre where using a gamepad on PC isn't all that rare. It would be like loading up a racing game and finding out that you're locked to using the keyboard. Maybe twenty years ago that would have been okay, but not in this day and age.
So I'm already feeling apprehensive about the game when I'm finding the option to select my gamepad. Then I have to fiddle around a bit to determine whether I continue navigating the menu with the d-pad or the analogue stick, because one works and the other kind of doesn't. If it sounds like a pedantic thing to complain about, I completely agree. Except it's these little pedantic things that make all the difference when I'm interacting with a game, because it adds tiny little hurdles to overcome instead of getting me straight into the fun.
Anyway, eventually you can get the gamepad working, then it's off to some post nuclear mutated shooter action. Movement feels good, along with dashing and using the specials, but the aiming feels a little off from the start. Everything else is going well, as the game looks good and there's lots of visual and audio feedback. Explosions sound great, guns fire with a loud "crack", while enemies yell and growl at everything you do along the way.
Except, there's a big ugly crosshair on the screen that seems to move away from your character as you aim in a direction. Letting go of the right stick makes it come back again, but not really. Sometimes when you're aiming, it reaches the edge of the screen, other times it kind of hovers out in the middle of nowhere. It's weird and it doesn't make a lot of sense. Although the biggest point of contention is that it often feels like what I'm seeing on screen has nothing to do with what my thumb is doing on the stick.
Now I know that this is often the case in many games, as there are little tricks and tweaks that the developers implement to fool us into thinking that we're doing what we think we're doing. The thing is that those tricks are included so that you end up feeling like you did everything you expected to and how you wanted to do it. Without those little details, all you have is a disconnect between what your brain is trying to accomplish and what you believe your inputs are doing to accomplish it.
This is why playing Nuclear Throne felt clunky and slow to me. Every input felt like it had to be passed through treacle before appearing on screen. It felt like there was lag between what the stick on my gamepad was doing, and what the game did in response on the screen.
Although, when I switched over to the mousey keys, the game suddenly felt quick and snappy. Turns out that the crosshair moves one to one with the mouse, and aiming gets more precise and accurate. When I went back to the gamepad, it again felt slow and imperceptible. It was like I was really tired and struggling to pay attention, like I was missing every second or third frame somehow.
Not to be disheartened, I tried to figure out why this might be happening. It's not really something I've experience in many other twin-sticks, although it does come up from time to time. There are some games that clearly favour one control scheme over the other, but most manage to get both sides playable. I wouldn't have thought about it so much if this weren't so widely lauded as a modern classic of the genre, but I think I have a theory.
When you're playing Nuclear Throne, the only feedback you have about your aim is the on screen crosshair. Some weapons have laser sights and they all point in the direction you're aiming, but before you fire there really isn't all that much to go on. What's more, this is a game where you're not constantly firing your weapon, as you have limited ammo and maybe you don't want to be firing off rockets like they're going out of fashion.
Hence, the only visual feedback for your aim inputs, is that ugly crosshair that seems to move with a mind of its own at times. This tends to be a relic of designing for mouse aiming first, as a floating crosshair is one of the best ways to indicate mouse aiming. After all you're not just pointing in a single direction, you're able to pinpoint a precise location on the screen instead of a simple direction.
With an analogue stick, all you have is the direction you're pointing, so there's often something like a small line extending from your character to indicate direction. Either that or you have the ability to constantly fire your weapon and see what direction you're aiming at. It's a subtle difference, but it makes a lot of difference when you're playing a shmup on a gamepad, as you need a bit more feedback than if you're using a mouse.
Thus, when Nuclear Throne uses the same floating crosshair for a gamepad or a mouse, it gets a little confusing and doesn't translate well across both control types. Again, it might sound a bit petty, but it ended up being the reason why I stopped playing Nuclear Throne and went on to other things. It's enough to make the difference between a game being snappy and fast, or slow and clunky.
I'm convinced that if you're used to using mouse and keyboard for twin-stick shooters, this will be one not to miss. As I mentioned above, everything about the game is exceptionally put together, so long as you're not tied to using a gamepad. It's telling that even selecting the gamepad as a controller is fiddly in the menu, but I'm a little disappointed that a game as revered as this one managed to drop the ball so hard.
Clearly I'm not with the majority on this one, but this blog is about my own experience and I have to be honest. I really wanted to love this game and put hundreds of hours into its weird mutated world, but I struggled to even make it through two hours. I don't know if I'm disappointed because I didn't like the game, or because I loved most of it and can see the potential for fun. I guess it doesn't matter when it's basically a chore to play thanks to what feels like completely slap-dash gamepad implementation.
Just goes to show that style does not equal substance. Turns out that lately I've been learning just how important decent game mechanics can be. I suppose it shows that great games are strong in just about every element, as a single weakness is enough to break a game's enjoyment entirely.