Steredenn Review for Nintendo Switch
Shooters have a long history, one of the longest of all game genres. Fans of this kind of fun, who love to test their dexterity while maneuvering between hundreds of bullets, therefore have not only many items to choose from, but also a rich palette of classics to which they can compare new items. However, I invite you to today’s Steredenn review without such a baggage of experience. Let’s check, from the perspective of a gamer who likes to shoot, but is not a connoisseur, who ate his teeth on R-Type or Ikaruga, whether Steredenn on Switch is enjoyable and impressive enough.
Steredenn’s solid foundation
After a dozen hours spent with Pixelnest Studio’s production, I’m ready to say that the basic requirements for a shooter are met here. From the very first moments, the title greets us with impressive space smashing, which is presented in nice pixel-art graphics and accompanied by juicy sounds of explosions and gunfire. There’s a lot going on on the screen, though veteran gamers certainly won’t lump Steredenn into the top tier of the most challenging games of its kind. The bar seems to hang at an optimal height. Pilots with thousands of hours behind the controls of various combat ships will have just as much fun, as will players with no experience, who just happened to have a taste for this kind of fun.
The authors tried to take care of both target groups, while giving the game a bit of its own character. Although the plot background here is practically non-existent, there are other pretexts to spend another evening just at Steredenn. The story is limited to presenting the facts. We start with the evacuation from our attacked mothership, after which we move ahead (read: to the right) to face the next waves of enemy vehicles, structures and, in addition, meteoroids.
Different ships, different weapons
It’s dynamic and impressive, so the game’s foundation is strong. There are several types of machines at the player’s disposal, waiting to be unlocked as part of the progression. Each of them has its own special attack, slightly different speed and endurance. So it’s easy to choose a machine to suit your style and needs. Once we go into battle, an element of randomness known from dozens of roguelikes awaits, adding to the fun.
Each game can be different. All because of randomly selected bosses, from which special skills or facilities for the player fall out after a victorious duel. On top of that, we also have a wide arsenal of weapons, which often makes two consecutive trips into space look completely different. A large part of this is due to the ingenuity of the developers, who added to the more traditional rockets and lasers also less trite designs. We’ll find alliance bots that have their own intelligence, which we can launch into battle, and numerous crazy projects like the space gun.
With such tools at one’s disposal, it’s a pleasure to pick up the gauntlet and head out into space full of dangers. Steredenn motivates more repetition in a variety of ways. From humorous signatures of the bosses you encounter, which you want to see, to the always effective scoreboard and the possibility of correspondence competition for points with players from all over the world. Anyway, this thread is further developed through the so-called challenges of the day, in which everyone gets just one chance to wring out the best possible result with a designated machine and weapon.
A solid shooter for Switch
Steredenn is a shooter that makes use of tried-and-true roguelike schemes while looking and sounding pretty good. The soundtrack is particularly solid, propelling you into battle and blending perfectly with the intense exchanges of fire on screen. The juicy sounds of demolition only enhance the experience and make eliminating enemies a pleasure. It’s just a pity that the enemies themselves start to get repetitive rather quickly, and also don’t have much to offer in terms of detailed animation and designs themselves.
Years ago, during the reign of the NES and other 8-bit platforms, my love for games based on competition for the highest possible high-score was greatest. Later, I turned to interesting stories and magnetizing worlds, looking for intriguing stories within them. From this perspective, I assess Steredenn today, which, despite the lack of a plot, still managed to keep me at the console for several hours. It also stays on the memory card to provide needed entertainment when the urge for a dynamic shooter strikes me again. In the category of games worth checking out and grabbing from the eShop, it is certainly a title worth your attention.
Is it worth buying? Yes it is – a good shoot’em-up with awesome replayability, decent pixel-art graphics and additional co-op mode to make the experience even more fun.
