Mutant Storm Empire

By: Xander

On: October 31st, 2007

The internet sighs in blissful nostalgia today as Mutant Storm Empire hits Xbox Live Arcade! Only $10 / £6.80 / 800pts, it’s pretty much the same pricing of PomPom Games’ other two main shooter releases, the original Mutant Storm and Space Tripper on the PC, and Mutant Storm Reloaded which is also on the XBLA.

So far, it’s been a damn blast to play, and the best way to describe it is a Space Tripper/Mutant Storm Smoothie. There are 4 worlds and 4 levels in each, but each level contains a different variety of battle situation. The first level, for instance, is a progression through rooms, whereas another later on is an arena-based affair like the previous Mutant Storms. And another will encompass you in a square field as it moves horizontally across the playing field. Regardless of setting, it controls simply, with the left stick for movement and the right stick for shooting. The triggers can also be used to fire a super-charged version of the regular shot, but ammo is limited and only replenishes at the end of each level so use it wisely!

The style of the game is fantastic, and encompasses a lot of themes from PomPom’s past and other shoot ‘em ups. The second world in particular has a much more organic feel to it than the rest of the levels, and the swarms of fish-attackers especially are pretty damn swish. Nods to Space Tripper are also prevalent, including a spider boss and shielded spawn-cores. It’s basically good old-fashioned PomPom fun. It’s simple, affordable and plays wonderfully.

It’s also a lot closer to Space Tripper in terms of length, so don’t expect to pour Touhou levels of time into this one, but with 5 difficulties to plough through (Black Belt currently handing my ass to me on a silver platter), there’s certainly your money’s worth in there. If you’ve got a 360, there’s no reason not to check it out, at least for the three-level trial!

Further reading: Derek interviewed the PomPom duo a couple of years back, and it still makes for an entertaining read, in case you need a break from smashing your joypad against a difficulty spike.

(Image courtesy of Destructoid because robots are awesome…)