Intake combines classic shoot-em-up gameplay with a fast-paced modern presentation to give you an amped up adrenaline fueled shooter that will test your reflexes
Ever wondered what would happen if you put Dr. Mario, Ikaruga and an EDM rave all into a blender? Well wonder no more because Intake, developed by Cipher Prime Studios, is exactly what you’ll get. A high octane action shoot-em-up game where quick reflexes and precision mouse movement are key to stringing along combos and stopping an overdose. With its simplistic but challenging gameplay, loads of unlockables and vibrant visuals, it’s no wonder your objective is to shoot pills because this game is addictive.
The object of Intake is quite simple but difficult to master and really tests your reaction time as pairs of coloured pills will fall from the top of the screen and you have to switch your shooter to the corresponding colour to destroy it, much like Ikaruga’s colour switching mechanic. For example, the pills may be coloured blue and orange, in order to destroy the blue pills you switch to blue and orange you use orange. If a pill gets by you, you can still be saved if you are still on that colour which is a helpful gameplay mechanic.
What keeps you coming back for more are the loads of unlockables available ranging from buying powerups that show up during play (and upgrading them), the full soundtrack, over 20 colour combinations and more, not to mention quite an impressive 77 Steam achievements for such a simplistic game. As well, there is a highscore board to compete against friends as well as various challenge modes to really test your skills and helps keep the game fresh. The addition of colourblind modes for players with deuteranopia, protanopia, and tritanopia are also a nice touch and help make the game accessible to anyone.
Although Intake is a classic arcade shoot-em-up with a simplistic gameplay mechanic, it makes up for it with its fast-paced action, wealth of unlockables and gameplay that can be easy to pick up but hard to master. Currently available on Steam for $4.99, it’s hard not to recommend this for fans of the genre or anyone looking for a fun way to kill some time and maybe improve their hand-eye coordination in the process. And remember, winners don’t do drugs.
8/10
Score: 8 / 10
