Train that ‘fingerspitzengefühl’ and become the best… uhm… blockfigure with a shotgun in this bizarre arcade game!
QUICKTEQUILA’s Lovely Planet Arcade is the stand-alone expansion pack to the entertaining Lovely Planet with, you probably guessed it from the title, only one game mode: arcade. Don’t expect an intricate story or even clever and innovative gameplay, this is a one-trick pony that you will play until you have beaten all the high scores and have collected all of the stars, until you notice there is something else going on…
Even though at first glance, this seems like a horrendous waste of time, this is the perfect example of a game that you need to play for a while before you can form an opinion on it. My first session ended rather quickly with me actually thinking: ‘ugh, why do I have to review this? It’s just running around and dodging bullets and shooting badly animated immobile enemies.’ And for a while, the way I felt about the game stayed the same until I just wanted to blow off some steam.
During that second session, I took an entirely different approach: I just wanted to have fun, regardless of being swept away by plot-twists or interesting characters. Instead, I controlled a block figure with a semi-automatic shotgun whose only aim is to kill the baddies that try to shoot him, and to avoid obstacles with sharp edges. The soundtrack felt ‘happy-go-lucky’, and the visuals were, well, fuelled by LSD I presume. I absolutely loved it!
The game is divided in 4 worlds, consisting of plenty of different levels. The goal of each level is to successfully complete it as fast as possible. This is no easy task, as your reflexes need to be quick enough to dodge bullets and fire in the correct direction at the same time. You also need to find the correct path to the exit, and you need to avoid shooting ‘friendlies’, which do not carry weapons and just stand there. There is absolutely no room for error in this game, as one small mistake results in a ‘game over’ screen.
As you (re)play levels to get the three stars which can be earned, you will start to notice that in some levels, there are clues that lead to solving the ‘mystery’ of the arcade (well, they are actually pick-ups and if you can collect all of them, you get an achievement and a bonus, but let’s call it a mystery shall we?). The developers have even added modifiers to the game that alter the way you can play each level, as well as a ‘mirror’ mode and a ‘fast’ mode.
The casual gamer might enjoy Lovely Planet Arcade more than the hardcore gamer, but this does not mean that this is an easy game. For gamers who like a challenge, and want to play a game with a unique visual style, QUICKTEQUILA has delivered a fun pastime that offers plenty of reasons why you want to replay the entire game, preferably not in one sitting though…
| The good | The Bad |
| – Simple | – One trick pony |
| – Fun | |
| – Addictive | |
| – LSD |
Final Score: 3/5
