Tedium and plain design fail to elevate Brain Slap Studio's twin-stick shooter.
Aside from the average gameplay, Hexodius also doesn't show much spark in design. The levels look plain at best, without the kind of warped sensation that we first caught a glimpse of in Bizarre Creations' Geometry Wars games. The worlds are immense, but with very little to really see, which is a bummer. The ship designs are okay, and your robot companion does have a bit of charm to him, but the game merely runs on a plain line, instead of shaking things up. You'll be seeing most of the same stuff in hour three that you will the first hour.
The audio's okay, but also lacks progression. The music just plays in the background with very little charm to it, though, I admit, there is something likable about the robot and villain voices. They aren't really voices at all, but rather rhythmic effects that play during their speech. It beats using actual dialogue, I'll tell you that.
Brain Slap Studios did give "the old college try" with Hexodius, but it's missing that spark that makes other twin-stick shooters so genuine. For its second time around, something more inspired – and inventive – would make a world of difference.
Oh, and bring back those rhythmic voices. Because those are funky.
(Review code provided by Namco Bandai.)
Score: 5 / 10
