Resogun Review – PlayStation Vita Version

   Same Resogun, Smaller Screen

When the PlayStation 4 launched last year, Resogun was considered by many to be the best exclusive the console had to offer on launch day due to smooth gameplay, excellent controls and beautiful visuals. Now Resogun is available on Sony’s struggling handheld, Climax Studios had to make some concessions to make Resogun work on the Vita, but it is still a great way to experience Housemarque’s classic.

The Vita version of Resogun consists of all of its original content when it launched on the PS4. This means that there are five levels and three ships to choose from. Unfortunately, the Ship Editor from the PS4 version did not make the jump to the Vita, which is a shame, but there is certainly more than enough content to warranty paying the low price tag from Resogun. It is also worth noting that the DLC Resogun: Heroes is also not included in the package and is currently not available for purchase either.  It is quite possible that all of the DLC with never be playable on the Vita, which is quite disappointing.

The most noticeable concessions made for the Vita version can be found in the visual department. To make the game run on the handheld, Climax Studios opted to lower the frame rate down from 60 FPS to 30 FPS. While this is noticeable at first as the gameplay feels a little less tight, I quickly adjusted to the new frame rate, and the gameplay felt completely natural in a matter of minutes. The visuals are a little less extravagant on the Vita also; the voxel count is much lower, so the end explosions pack less of a punch. The game also looks slightly more pixelated running at a lower frame rate, but, even with all of these concessions, Climax Studios has done a great job porting Resogun to the Vita and making the game look good. The frame rate never drops and it still loads at lighting speeds.

Resogun’s gameplay is still exceptional. The level design, the enemies and the weapons place Resogun at the top of the Twin-Stick Shooter pile. With a simple control scheme, which can be tailored to your liking, Resogun can very easily be picked up by any beginner, but, at the same time, the game is extremely complex and has enough depth that even the most hardcore gamer will struggle to master it. The level design suits the Vita well as the game can be played in short bursts on the train or on the bus for instance. Unlike most Vita ports, Resogun does not pander to any of the Vita’s gimmicks. If you are a Vita owner, you know that this is a very good thing.

Resogun on the Vita is very similar to the PS4, and that also means that some of the problems also made the jump to the Vita version. While these problems are small, they are still evident. The Overdrive still does not carry over into other levels in the Arcade mode, which is annoying and does not make sense because bombs and lives do. Additionally, the gap between the Overdrive and Boost meters is still present. On the Vita’s small size, it is a bigger issue as it is harder to tell if the meters are actually charged.

While the Vita version of Resogun does not have some of the features available on the PS4 version such as the Ship Editor, it does have a few tricks up its sleeve. Firstly, the Vita has the very welcomed feature of Cross-Save with the PS3 version of the game, which is great as players can bring their save files to the big screen. The Vita also allows for ad-hoc as well as Wi-Fi co-op, with both working extremely well with no issues whatsoever. The most welcomed feature, however, is the new set of Trophies available between the new PS3 and Vita versions. For Trophy hunters like myself, this is an amazing incentive to shoot all of those enemies, save all of those humans, and replay all of those levels to achieve another Platinum trophy.

The fast-paced soundtrack is also available in the Vita version as it has been left untouched. The music of Resogun definitely deserves a lot of credit as it is one of the best soundtracks in recent memory. The soundtrack perfectly complements what is on-screen and increases the overall intensity. The sound effects are also pretty good, injecting the right kinds of “sci-fi” goodness into the game.

VERDICT

Resogun is just as addictive as ever. A testament to that is the fact that I personally have beaten the game over four times before writing this review. If you are a fan of Resogun on the PS4, then the Vita version is definitely worth playing as it is well-made, and is also free for anyone who bought it or downloaded it with PlayStation Plus, so there are no excuses. Even though there are some drawbacks, the Vita is a fine place to play the extraordinary Resogun.