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Available on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade service, this is a radically re-engineered version of the original Mutant Storm.

Genre: Shooter

Publisher: PomPom Games

Developer: PomPom Games

Online Play:

Local Play:

February 8, 2006 –
The love-fest Xbox 360 owners have with their systems isn’t by chance. The healthy quantity of full production retail games created enough of a push start for Microsoft’s system to get it moving. But what’s kept it going since Dead Or Alive 4 in late December? You could easily credit Xbox Live Arcade for keeping gamers interested. One such game is Mutant Storm Reloaded, the less appreciated shooter eclipsed by Bizarre Creations’ Geometry Wars Evolved.

Mutant Storm Reloaded controls with both analog sticks and from a mechanical standpoint, it’s a basic top-down shooter. Move with your left stick and shoot with your right. Players make their way through wave after wave of enemies in hundreds of basic geometrically diverse environments, collecting special weapons and leveling up in belt colors. The single-player game takes place in either Adventure or Tally Mode, Adventure representing a linear progression through hundreds of levels, while Tally mode enables players to combat enemies in a single level at a time. You can also play in two-player mode, but I’ve found that engaging in long hours of organic amoeba blasting really suits my style.

Kill all amoeba!There is more than just shooting, of course. In each level a special weapon is released precariously close to the emerging, shall we say, enemy “bodies.” This weapon could be a spinner, a laser, a homing shot, or various other upgrades, each lasting a certain amount of time. The simple object is to kill everything on screen without dying and in doing so players earn multipliers and percentage increases. When you max out your percentage level to 100% you move up to another belt and earn an achievement. The goal is to beat all the levels, avoid death, pick up all the bonuses you can, and become the ruler of all the brilliantly shining space amoebas. OK, you don’t actually become king, but you know what I mean.

Watch the laser or it will dissolve your fleshy ass.The gameplay mechanics are smooth and the design keeps you interested. The simple movement and easy to blast enemies are a little spell-binding at first. The game is really easy to pick up and play. It’s fun and constantly challenging, and it’s both beautiful and it delivers an alluring soundtrack of slow chill techno. There are some minor shortcomings, however. Reloaded would benefit greatly from each level blending into one another without load times. This would maintain the wonderfully surreal vibe and keep players totally immersed without interruption. Reloaded also ramps up too leisurely; an immense amount of levels come your way before you actually feel like you’ve gotten anywhere.

Still, developer Pom Pom has done an exceptional job at taking a simple concept and making it both beautiful to view and a pleasure to listen to. The graphics are fluid, organic, and distinct. The enemy creatures are wonderfully designed. It’s like you’ve been invited to fight against ever-evolving microscopic space amoeba. They also become part of the game design. Each time a level generates, a whole new set of creatures appear and each set behaves differently. Watching and reacting to their patterns is totally engaging and in the later levels the amount of creatures fills the screen with light and squishy, pond-like enemies.

IGN Ratings for Mutant Storm Reloaded (X360)

Rating Description

out of 10
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7.5
Presentation
While the sound and graphics do envelop your senses, the less than organic load times spit you right back out.

8.0
Graphics
The gorgeous creature design and trippy backgrounds are always a delight.

8.0
Sound
The mellow and etheral background music perfectly suits the gameplay.

7.0
Gameplay
Instantly fun and engaging, yet the slow progression isn’t terribly addictive.

7.0
Lasting Appeal
Good for for a while, but not necessarily a keeper. I’m able to pull myself away from it regularly, which is a sign.

7.5
Good
OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

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