Celestial Impact v1.1 Review review

Well no, you probably haven't. But if you did, Celestial Impact is what would have been the resulting offspring. A game that may be a bit below average in the looks department but makes up for it with its charming depth of play and unpredictability. It may not be much to look at at first, but Celestial Impact is dizzying fun that will constantly surprise you with its flexibility.

Create your own battlefield!

The game features all the multiplayer staples with which most players will be familiar. Deathmatch, Team deathmatch and a CTF variant that substitutes crystals instead of flags. The main difference here is that most of the battlegrounds are asteriods. The 'maps' have differing levels of malleability - designated by the color of the surfaces. Using a piece of equipment suitably named your Dirtgun, you can subtract or add onto the environment around you and shape the terrain to your advantage. As you can imagine, this can result in an endless array of possibilities. On a busy server, the landscape is deformed beyond recognition at the end of the match. Towering spires sprouting up above twisting subterranean tunnels and half-formed walls constructed as makeshift cover.

Pretty fireworks.

It may be a bit disorienting at first, but the strategy behind the terrain-deforming capabilities of the game really bears fruit during the 'Capture the Crystal" gamemodes. Snipers wanting a high vantage point can construct their own platforms above the action. Over-protective types can burrow deep into the dirt and encapsulate their crystal in a dome, making it even harder to get to. Dig trenches and form walls in a matter of seconds to delay, block, and confuse your enemy. Every time you respawn, the terrain is different, ever-changing and threats can come at you from any angle. This is the sort of excitement that Celestial Impact has captured.

The weapons offer a standard selection, including a grenade launcher and driller that are both capable of destroying terrain. This is a good choice, as it further emphasizes the importance of the Dirtgun and all its applications. The graphics are dated, but together with the audio, they successfully create a psychedelic atmosphere that provides a colorful yet eerie backdrop for your space adventures. I'm not even sure they would be able to pull off the same level of environment interaction if they were any more sophisticated. Nevertheless, the game is quite reasonable for system requirements and anyone with a computer that supports OpenGL 2.0 can run it.

Celestial Impact receives a 8 for its efforts. To be fair though, it's a rating the CI team is wholly responsible for since this is a totally independent project. It's not a rating they earned by standing on the shoulders of a recognized engine. It's free, it's fun, and unlike anything you've played before - so what's stopping you? Go check it out now!

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