Players pilot a Gun Ship and battle aliens, pirates, and other villainous enemies, to gain levels, skills, and most importantly, discover unique and potentially more powerful weapon systems to outfit their Gun Ships. Through the unique cgNEAT content-generation technology, new weapons are constantly created by the game automatically based on player preferences. Every weapon in the game is unique. NOTE: Requires XNA 4 which is included in the download!
The ONLY thing keeping me from rating this a 10/10 is, the absurd steam requirement. Being on Desura and buying a game, starting it from your Desura library and then seeing it open Steam is, sort of humorous but ultimately annoying. This should be sold seperately on both stores (i.e buying on desura doesn't require steam; buying on steam doesn't require desura.) That is my only gripe though, the game is *fantastic* otherwise.
I own this game on Steam and I really love it!
So, what we have is a very challenging shooter that simultaneously pays homage to the great shmups of yesteryear but with a lot of additions. The weapons are procedurally generated but make no mistake as they affect gameplay quite profoundly. Not only is the game huge, but, the procedurally generated weapons and really cool trading system give this shooter a long LONG lifespan. You will never finish this game in a few hours or even days.
The game eases you in but be prepared to be SWARMED. This beautiful game has one purpose: to murder you in the most delightful ways. You will meet powerful ships that don't depend upon smaller allies. You really have to think tactically in the heat of battle.
GAR also incorporates nice ARPG elements. As you level up, you gain access to "mods" for your ship. Also, I should add that the procedural generation is so intelligent that the game actually keeps track of the type of weapons you like and will spawn weapons based on that. Also, you have three weapon slots which is tactically very nice when you need to switch from a powerful single shot weapon to a spread shot to take out the space trash swarm in a hurry.
The galaxy map is based upon levels, so, if you are at level 4, you cannot warp to another sector until you reach level 5. You can set up your own server and yes, you can do CO-OP and/or PVP. Setting up a server is a snap!
Take your time and get used to the controls. You can strafe, turn, and your turret is independently controllable. Also, you can adjust the firing arcs of your weapons. Be careful because it is quite precise and you might make the mistake of setting an arc just a little off and pew-pew, you are space dust.
I really hope there is a sequel to this game. The game mechanic is rock solid and for me at least, there is the potential for so much more in a sequel. This game is well worth the money. So, why are you reading this? Buy the game!! ;)
Nice and fun little game