If you haven’t heard of it, Curved Space is a 2D shooter game released in the Xbox gaming line. It’s one of those games that seem to have been forgotten about, despite the fact that it received above average ratings back when it was released. So, my interest was piqued when I saw it on sale at a local game store, so I picked it up for a couple bucks.
Back in March, I bought a new Xbox One S console. The 1TB model, which is now superseded by a 500GB model, has a lot of good quality games already available (including the backwards-compatible Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, which I’ve been playing) and a full four years’ worth of backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games as well. But that doesn’t mean the games on offer for the Xbox One S are bad: In fact, many of the titles on offer today are brilliant and have been built from the ground up to take advantage of the Xbox One S’s hardware.
The game is fairly good, as it is one of the few Xbox games to be set in space. As a result, the story focuses on some pretty odd things like an alien warrior’s likely inability to speak English, and a group of people who are all from different parts of the world. In addition, all of the aliens have different-colored eyes, instead of just blue. And there’s a part where you can not only play as a lizard-like creature, but one with the ability to pop out of your helmet and become a fully-functioning robot, complete with a laser gun. There are quite a few different types of aliens you’ll face, so there is at least some variety.. Read more about the medium youtube and let us know what you think.
The last Maximum Games games I reviewed didn’t leave a great impression on me. Games like Beast Quest and Street Power Soccer were amazingly licensed games that made me fear that this was the publisher’s modus operandi for the future. Thankfully, their latest release, Curved Space, is nothing of the sort. Instead of a rushed license game, it’s a simple space shooter with a handful of neat gameplay elements that set it apart from millions of other games in the genre.You can mount enemies on scaffolds, as well as other enemies. It’s a good concept, but it seems redundant here.
In Curved Space you control an anti-gravity spaceship whose main objective is to eliminate an invasion of space bugs in each level, completing a few additional missions along the way. Things like activating stations or modules – nothing that can be called revolutionary. What is innovative is the level design of the game. The game’s levels take place on asteroids or planetoids (both of which use anti-gravity mechanics, as in the Super Mario Galaxy game), or on Möbius strip-shaped space stations. This premise makes for some very confusing (in a good way) and creative levels, in which the player must sometimes navigate backwards through an area of the station to find an objective or enemy, which is always indicated by a trajectory arrow in case you get lost.
First, you can carry two different weapons, whether it’s a sniper rifle, shotgun ammo, laser, melee knife and more. You can fill the Overdrive bar, which when activated slows down your movement slightly, but greatly increases the damage you inflict and the speed of your attacks. A good compromise. The more you play, the more upgrades you get for your ship, whether it be passive upgrades (better stats, etc.), the ability to carry more weapons at once, or completely new gameplay features. This last addition sounds good on paper, but in the case of Curved Space, it might be one of its biggest weaknesses.
I liked the fight with this boss, but I don’t know why the developers decided to call him Fred.
Simply put, Curved Space suffers from feature creep. I understand that the game wants to provide as much content and functionality as possible, but there comes a point where you get tired of it. The game keeps coming up with new game elements, most of which are only used because a random objective tells you to. For example, in the game you can hook enemies by throwing an electric whip at them, which can then be linked to other enemies or power sources that collect their energy. Plus, you can use the Dash mechanism not only to dodge enemies, but also to fend off their attacks if you have the right timing.
These are just two of the many mechanics offered to give the player more toys, but they go against the simplicity that should always reign in a space shooter. In the end, I only used the punch mechanic when the game asked me to in order to complete a task. The basic combat mechanics are pretty good, and hunting down enemies in Mobius-like gadgets is a lot of fun. But these extras, along with the sometimes annoying emphasis on the story, only slow the game down.
Curved Space can be played outside the campaign mode. This mode is filled with a lot of terrible dubbing and a focus on the plot that doesn’t interest me at all. On the other hand, the Arena and Survival modes show the game at its best, with tons of enemies to fight and power-ups to collect. I was really impressed with how addictive these arcade game modes were, using the game’s insane level design to give you (and your enemies) opportunities to escape damage with anti-gravity.
Another thing I loved about the game was the soundtrack: a collection of adrenaline-pumping electronic beats that make everything sound much more intense and epic than it should. It’s a bit of a stretch compared to the simplistic presentation of the game (theoretically it’s a game in the S/X series, but it looks like a standalone game for the Switch at best), but I liked the aggressiveness of it. It fits perfectly with every moment the game throws tons of enemies and particle effects at you. Note that the refresh rate does not drop one iota, even if the screen is completely covered with particles.
Curved Space shines at its best when you’re taking on hordes of enemies in Mobius-like levels.
Overall, Curved Space isn’t a bad arcade shooter that manages to stand out, though it suffers from an overkill of annoying features. He didn’t need to put so much emphasis on the story, nor did he need to have so many game elements that are only used when the goal requires it. Still, the core gameplay and arcade modes are so addictive that I can only recommend the game to fans of indie shooters. There is more than enough quality content here to not pay attention to something that is not particularly entertaining.
Thanks to its simplistic graphics, the game barely holds up on next-gen consoles, although the Mobius-style level design is intriguing at times. The game runs well, not missing a single frame even when the screen is littered with enemies and particle effects. | The basic concept of chasing enemies in Mobius or Mario Galaxy type levels is excellent. The battles are just as exciting, and the controls are simple and fast. However, the game suffers from a lack of features, constantly giving you a ton of unnecessary mechanics. |
Curved Space has excruciatingly dull voice acting, but the electronic soundtrack more than makes up for it. | It suffers from a lack of clarity and a forgettable plot, but the concept and execution of Curved Space are pretty solid. It’s in the arcade modes that the game shines the most. |
Final decision: 7.0 |
Curved Space is already available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch.
The test will be conducted on the Xbox Series S.
A copy of Curved Space was provided by the publisher.
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Though its name may not be familiar to many, it’s an incredibly popular series. Curved Space has taken many different shapes and forms over the years, but it’s a staple for Xbox gamers. With that in mind, I’m here to review the latest version of the game: Curved Space, Xbox S/X.. Read more about xbox series s review and let us know what you think.
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