Reptilian Rebellion Review

The rebellion is here, however not as you ever expected it. Plagued by thousands of lizard-men it’s up to our pixelated hero’s to save the doomed city. This top-down shooter from Herrero Games originally made for PC aims to make it’s mark on consoles. Looking like something created from Minecraft modders, Reptillion Rebellion is a fast paced shooter that becomes increasingly infectious from first play. Is it’s lifespan worth the purchase though?

The gameplay premise see’s you defending your middle ground from increasing hoards of lizards whilst trying to rack up the most amount of kills. Along with this you have an array of power ups to help combat the jumped up lizards. Whether increasing your power, freezing the enemy or calling in a friend to help out balances the stage well, although is nothing we haven’t seen before. You also have a space shuttle circling above what deploys gas that inverts your controls. Annoyingly always at the most crucial point.

Picking up RR couldn’t be simpler (even without any instructions on how to play apparent) as you use any of the action buttons to shoot and the control stick/D-pad to move. No integration of the Wii U GamePad is visible though wasting an opportunity like so many other developers to take advantage of the system, With that in mind it’s clear this is a direct port from PC. The pixel like graphics boom quite nicely on a Flat screen but felt quite dark on the GamePad itself showing no time has been given to how they should look. It’s an interesting art style which is very much of a past decade now but still can appreciated. Never thought I’d get the chance to kill thousands of Minecraft like Gex.

A strange omission from developers Herroro games is that once you have started a match there is no way to quit. The pause menu literally pauses the game and nothing else, consequently having to exit to the Wii U Menu to escape or waiting for your character to die; Only a minor thing but still worth pointing out. Apart from this overlook, moving onto the music the funky-fast paced sounds throughout compliment the overall premise and work well not to interfere during those long plays when your about to beat your new record.

Starting with Ken, Kim or Ron as your starting character they are all slightly different stats whether its speed, shot power, number of lives or number of bullets to name a few. These variations are little but make a difference depending how you play. For an independent studio it’s nice to see some variation on who you pick as apposed to just your rebellion fighter just looking different, they feel different. Kim is quicker than Tom and Ken but has less bullets. Tom is most powerful yet he has the least lives. Then Ron is the all-rounder with normal traits across all; Jack of all trades master of none essentially. As you progress you have the chance to unlock seven other friends to take part; All with their own stats. I really enjoy the unlockable character element that I feel is less apparent these days. I want to work towards something. Starting with these three felt right and as I progressed and built up my trustee team of rebellions I felt they were more earned.

The simplistic nature is where Reptilian Rebellion charms most, within minutes you are fully immersed within the dynamics. It’s fun too! For a repetitive endless shooter that means a lot as the industry is bustling with similar experiences. Overall there is an enjoyable time to be had here, Meaning anyone can pick it up and get some joy…for the short-term that is. The regretful part is that this is very much a one and done outing. You’ll come; you’ll play, landing a two-hour experience before moving on forever. Still there are a lot worse ways to kill a few hours. Viva la Reptilian!

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Nintendo Wii U code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.