Satazius Review

Satazius
Developed By: Astro Port
Localized By: Nyu-Media
Published By: Capcom
Date of Release: December 16, 2011
Price: $5.99

It's no secret how fond I am of the shoot-em-up genre, be it the bullet hell bliss of Gundemonium or the retro stylings of Gradius and R-Type. It is this latter type that today's entry falls under, though there are times that your foe's bullets will flood the screen giving you little hope of escape. However Satazius is a game more akin to the classic Snes-era Gradius titles, with a few twists of it's own!




Satazius is a game that takes a fair bit of trial and error before you get into the flow of it. Like Gradius, you choose your loadout and upgrade plan before you start, and collect capsules along the way to upgrade your weapons. Anyone who has played Gradius should immediately feel at home. The controls are tight and responsive, and the non-linear branching paths through the levels give you a fresh experience each time you play it. Always be on the lookout for places that you can veer off from the main path, as exploration is rewarded.




Satazius is quite easy on the eyes graphically, with gorgeous hand-drawn art making up the game's massive sprites and lush backgrounds. It looks like it could have easily be at home on the SNES or Playstation. The pounding techno soundtrack is also impressive, with heavy beats thumping along to the explosive action. It's definitely clear that the SHMUP genre is making a comeback lately, and games like Satazius are going to take the lead in this retro-revolution. At $5.99, Satazius is a must buy for Steam users who like retro shooters. This Steam port is truly excellent, though it does lack online leaderboards and acheivements, though i imagine those could be easily patched in. I truly can't wait to see what is next from Nyu-Media!