Release Date: 14/04/2015
Played On: PS4
Available On: Mac / PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 55m
Progress: A Bunch Of Runs
Developer: Vertex Pop
Publisher: Vertex Pop
As an artist, I love abstraction just about as much as the next guy. In fact, as a designer it's one of the most important tools in the box, as the essence of good design is arguably the ability to abstract concepts to their furthest point. Thankfully, this doesn't only apply to visual art, but I'm sure there are threads of abstraction found throughout video games as well.
After all, good design relies on fundamentals that are true in every form of media. I can't think of any medium that doesn't want their user to have the most intuitive and enjoyable experience possible. This is all that good design is aiming to do, as abstraction simultaneously simplifies and communicates with as little resistance possible.
One of my favourite genre of games is twin-stick shooters, partly because there's a certain level of simplicity found in the definition of the genre itself. The concept is simple, as the interface is predetermined to involve using one analogue stick to move, and the other to aim and shoot. Sometimes there are other elements like secondary weapons or power-ups, but the bulk of a twin-stick shooter's gameplay will be moving with one stick, and shooting with the other.
Obviously though, I still find twin-sticks enjoyable and fun to play, as they're usually accompanied by fast-paced and challenging gameplay. However, I love seeing how the genre can be applied in different ways, and just how much detail can be piled on top of such a simple premise.
In fact, one of my favourite twin-stick shooters is the excellent Renegade Ops, which managed to add a coherent story to the genre, as well as a detailed sprawling world to play in. You still move and shoot in the same way, but there are buildings to drive through, weapons to upgrade, and a range of different characters with different loadouts and abilities. Renegade Ops isn't the only twin-stick to include these elements, but it always stands out to me as one that managed to add complexity without taking away from the abstraction that makes the genre so enjoyable.
Then there's the other end of the scale, where games like Geometry Wars sit. These games have been simplified to the point of being nothing more than basic shapes on the screen. Some shapes move differently to other shapes, and you control a shape that shoots the other shapes. While Geometry Wars isn't one of my favourite twin-sticks, it remains a classic in many players' minds because it's so ubiquitous with the genre.
The cool thing is that neither end of the twin-stick spectrum has something better than the other. In fact, it's this kind of variety that only furthers my enthusiasm for the genre, as the basic requirements of moving and shooting can be applied to so many different scenarios and levels of detail.
We Are Doomed is a twin-stick shooter that sits on the simpler/more abstract end of the scale. In a lot of ways, this is nothing more than an updated version of Geometry Wars, as it sticks very close to the classic genre staples. That, and you're nothing more than a shape shooting other shapes before those other shapes hit your shape and it's game over time.
It would be easy to write off We Are Doomed, as even though it presents itself well, it doesn't immediately appear to have anything unique to offer. It certainly hits all the familiar notes, like one hit kills, swarming enemies that behave in different ways, and waves of increasingly difficult foes to face. There are even asteroids that fill the stage between certain levels, which clearly harken back its arcade influences.
To break it down, you control an eyeball looking shape that shoots out a beam that damages enemies. The game is split into curated levels that increase in difficulty each time, and present an ever increasing variety of enemies that will swarm you and try to kill you. When enemies are killed, they will sometimes drop collectibles that charge a more powerful version of your main weapon. When you've collected enough to charge it up, this mega beam can be fired to quickly destroy everything it touches.
There's a decent amount of enemy variety, but they do tend to follow the classic formula found in Geometry Wars. There are enemies that move directly toward you, others that wander around aimlessly, others that stay still and shoot like a turret, and so on. While there aren't really any unique enemy archetypes in We Are Doomed, the ones that exist come from a tried and true formula, so it doesn't hinder the gameplay at all.
In fact, another of my favourite twin-sticks called Waves, is nothing more than an updated version of the Geometry Wars formula. I suppose there could be sub-genre of twin-sticks that occupy the "Geometry Wars Iteration" category, as there are plenty of titles that would fit the bill.
Despite the obvious lack of originality, a game like We Are Doomed still manages to prove its worth via other means. Waves managed to improve on the concept by adding movement physics and a striking aesthetic. Similarly, We Are Doomed's strengths lie primarily in its presentation, as the game looks and sounds leagues ahead of its inspiration.
You know how vector graphics always look clean and precise thanks to mathematical accuracy and sharp lines? We Are Doomed seems to have taken a leaf out of the vector book and kept everything sharp and clean throughout.
Everything you see in the game has some kind of geometric root, which is proudly displayed in bold shapes and colours. Although, rather than being a lazy throw-back, the geometry of We Are Doomed goes a long way to enhance the visual language of the game. Along with its saturated colour palette, the game does an excellent job of communicating what's happening on-screen at all times.
There are moments when the entire screen fills up with a mess of colour and shape, which can be disorienting and confusing. Thanks to a bit of attention to detail, We Are Doomed manages to keep things readable even in the most chaotic situations. In fact, aside from moving and shooting with twin-sticks, having an understandable visual language might be the next most important element in the genre.
I've certainly played other games that focus more on how detailed and "good" everything looks, instead of ensuring the player knows what's going on at all times. Given the choice, I'd opt for clear visuals over complex ones any day of the week, which is why I respect We Are Doomed's dogged adherence to making everything read well.
That's not to say that the game looks bad though. In fact, I quite like the whole vectorised thing, even if it doesn't strike me as the most original or mind-blowing. If there was a solid sure-fire way of making a twin-stick shooter enjoyable and fun to play, using this kind of aesthetic would be up there, and for good reason.
Actually the only thing that didn't gel with me completely in We Are Doomed, was the difficulty curve. It must be one of the hardest things to balance in any game, as the highly skilled players will get bored with easy levels, but others might not get very far if it gets too hard too quick. So I understand that when I say the difficulty ramped a little too fast for my liking, it's an entirely subjective experience that will no doubt differ for everyone.
I guess there are different ways of increasing difficulty as well. For instance you can make your enemies tougher, or just use more of them at the same time. Of course, the answer is that you use a combination of both of these things, which is precisely what We Are Doomed does. Except, I did feel like I was dying more from the sheer quantity of enemies on screen, than the AI skill and strength.
This is probably why I found the difficulty curve a little frustrating, as it seemed like I was being overwhelmed by numbers, instead of being outsmarted. By comparison, Waves manages to introduce a good balance between large numbers of easy enemies, and enough unpredictable and strong enemies to keep you on your toes. It's such an intangible concept to try and explain, but this balance can change your game experience completely.
The only reason I bring it up is to highlight that We Are Doomed favours more of a swarm-like approach to difficulty, instead of increasingly crafty AI behaviour. Neither approach is better or worse, but I know I have a preference, so I imagine others do as well.
Ultimately though, We Are Doomed is a solid little twin-stick that I would recommend trying out if you're a fan of the genre. I found it great for short little bursts of activity, but I'm not sure that I'd continue playing it for larger periods of time.
While it's a fairly simple version of a twin-stick, what's there is solid and enjoyable to play. It looks great and features a nice ambient soundtrack that's good enough to leave on in the background while doing other things.
This would be ideal if you're looking for an better looking version of Geometry Wars, but not interested in too many bells and whistles. There are loads of twin-sticks out there and I've played many that fall short, so it's always nice to find one that works and has its own personality. We Are Doomed is a pretty decent take on the formula, despite sitting firmly in the sub-genre of geometric and flat shooters.