The bizarre geometric shape war continues in PewPew 2
PewPew 2 is a dual joystick vector based shooter that feels heavily influenced by Bizarre Creations’ Geometry Wars 2 but it takes things a few steps further. PewPew 2 includes double the ships and modes from the original PewPew along with a 17 mission campaign mode, so the game feels as if its really ‘evolved’ from where it started, at least in terms of sheer options. Each mode is a slightly different variation on the same premise: shoot, dodge, collect. Some levels will simply task you with killing everything on the screen, another requires you to change the color of your ship to shoot enemies of a matching color and one removes your weapons completely so you’ll spend the level collecting and dodging. Upon reaching one of the preset score goals in missions you’ll unlock extra ships, which helps give you something to ‘shoot’ for while you’re playing through these endless missions but if the promise of unlocking extra ships isn’t enough of a draw for you then you can not only compete against your top score but also view the top scores and replays online. It would have been nice to have some social networking integration here though, as there is no way to compete with friends, rather than some of the killer scores on the leaderboards.
The combat is always coming fast and frantic and you’ll constantly need to pay attention to what’s going on everywhere around you, each level does ease you in somewhat but it’s never long before it’s near impossible to keep yourself alive while also worrying about reducing the enemies numbers so you can keep going just a little bit longer. The gameplay is certainly one of the best assets of PewPew 2, the constant struggle to keep going while dealing with increasing numbers becomes addictive as you find yourself doing that little bit better each time. The campaign mode also has it’s draws, with its various difficulty levels and wide variety of levels although some of the objectives can become a little frustrating.
The simplistic graphical style is a lot like the vector based arcade games from the early 80’s and this keeps the game running at a very smooth pace. The vector style has aged very well, but then again no 80’s arcade machine looked quite this good. Particle effects fly across the screen as waves of bullets strike foes and parts of the levels pulse to the great music beating in the background. There are no sound effects in PewPew 2 but the music keeps playing constantly throughout the game and menus and it suits the action well (full OST available at http://onurmusic.com/pewpewost)
PewPew 2 can be quite a challenging game but it’s a whole lot of fun regardless of your skill level, even more so if you enjoy its fast paced arcade style.
When you’re ready, head over to the Android Market and download this game by clicking or scanning the QR Code below.
Summary and Downloads:
Game: PewPew 2
Developer: Jean-François Geyelin
Cost: Â $2.99
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