The twin-stick shooter is a very popular genre amongst independent developers. Dual Core is yet another twin-stick shooter, played with an isometric camera this time, that landed on Wii U. The real question is of course if this game is any different from the other twin-stick shooters on the virtual market. Time to find out in this new Indie Corner!
Time to rescue the moon
The game is set in a distant future where the human race learned how to colonize other planets. One of these colonies is based in Europe, a space station on one of Jupiter’ moons. Something terrible went on however and the humans seem gone forever. You wake up as a clueless little robot, without knowing what’s going on, you’ll venture through the space station in order to find solutions. You don’t have to do this alone since the game supports a four-player co-op mode, enabling more of those cute little robots to appear on your screen.
Having a true story mode in a twin-stick shooter isn’t something you see that often so it’s great to see that Dual Core dares to add one. It’s nothing special and the plot is very light but the music makes up for a lot. The score matches the theme perfectly and manages to create a certain futuristic atmosphere. It’s by far one of the better soundtracks in the genre. Of course, you don’t play a game for the soundtrack alone, so what about the gameplay?
Variation in gameplay
At first sight, Dual Core is just another classic twin-stick shooter. Meaning you’ll move your character with your left stick and fire/aim your guns with the right stick. There are some other controllers supported but the best way to play, is by using your two sticks for sure. The game takes you from room to room where you have to gun down every enemy that’s attacking you. Nothing innovating here until you come across with some of the puzzles.
Dual Core features some environmental puzzles, most of them are easy to solve but they offer the needed variation in the gameplay. Most of the puzzles follow the same path, grabbing a certain key and opening up a doorway. It’s nothing mind-blowing but it’s a welcome change to the otherwise fast-paced gameplay.
Besides the puzzles, the game also has a light RPG layer to it. By collecting green crystals in the levels, you can buy new upgrades for your robot. For every 10 crystals you collect, a new upgrade will unlock. These upgrades make it a little easier to survive during the later levels. Besides the crystals, you’ll also find better weapons and gear scattered across the map to help you out. It’s a very light RPG layer but it’s fun to have.
Invite some friends
As said before, the game is playable with up to four players and we really recommend you all to invite over some friends. Dual Core is the perfect couch multiplayer experience. Besides the story mode, you can also go for the Arcade mode where you’ll need to fight off wave after wave of enemies. This mode is very fun if you play it with others. There’s no split-screen so everybody sees everybody on the television, resulting in a lot of chaos but above all, a lot of fun! The other mode, being Versus Match, isn’t as interesting. It’s a fun concept, trying to bring your friends down with the help of some teleportation tools to aid you, but it’s not as fun as defeating the waves of enemies. You won’t buy Dual Core for its Versus mode but the Story and Arcade mode make up for a lot of course!
| The good: | The Bad: |
| + Puzzles and RPG elements | – Versus Mode |
| + Great soundtrack | – Too chaotic at some points |
| + co-op with up to four players |
Dual Core is another great twin-stick shooter on Wii U. Thanks to the local co-op that supports up to four players; you’ll have a lot of fun with it. Want to play on your own? The story mode offers enough fun for the lone wolves thanks to the light RPG-layer and environmental puzzles. If you’re looking for a great twin-stick, Dual Core is definitely worth considering.
Score 4 out of 5:
