Velocity 2X Review

Velocity 2X is the first game in a long time that made me feel like complete drug addict. With its adrenaline inducing fast-paced gameplay, FuturLab’s sequel to Velocity Ultra made me feel like I was on some sort of supersonic substance as my eyes admired the intense action that was displayed on screen. Velocity 2X is everything you would want out of video game: it’s challenging, accessible and simplistic, has tons of replay value, and is just so damn fun. It’s astonishing to see an independent developer deliver such a masterfully crafted experience that ranks amongst the best games of the year and even, the best indie games of all time.

Just like Velocity Ultra, Velocity 2X perfectly nails the top-down space navigation sections by combining incredibly fast manoeuvres and ingenious level design. With its amazing art direction and techno-like soundtrack, you’ll immediately be immersed into this sci-fi world as you take control of Lt. Kai Tana, who tries to make her way back to Earth while fighting against the Vokh race. Going through the spaceship auto-scrollers will require skill, fast reaction time and precision as blowing enemies to pieces, teleporting from area to area, and saving survivor pods will be the main focus of these sections.

As you progress further along Kai’s journey back to her homeworld, the space levels will become significantly more complex with many areas to backtrack to and having to dispose of the many environmental hazards. They work a bit like giant puzzles, meaning you’ll have to take a step back and analyse the level’s layout to plan your next move. Though this reduces the sense of urgency and speed the franchise has always been known for, it can easily be overlooked thanks to the incredible design of each level. Boss battles also occur, however you are always fighting the same enemy, except he has a different set of attacks at his disposal during each encounter. Though, ultimately, they are still cleverly designed, it’s pretty ridiculous to take on the same bad guy over and over again.

This time around, Velocity 2X’s levels aren’t only limited to spaceship scenarios. It switches things up by allowing the player to play as Kai out of her ship in a 2D side-scrolling space. These sections will quickly remind you of games like Castlevania and Super Metroid as they involve precise platforming and a lot of destruction. Yet, because of Kai’s super-fast abilities, they make those on-foot sections feel like they are part of an entirely new game. What’s really surprising to see is that this switch of perspective doesn’t break the game’s pace at all as you’re going at the same, if not,  at a higher speed than when you are onboard your spaceship.  Mixing those two elements increases the variety in each level and adds a lot of challenge to them as well, especially if you are going for the PERFECT ranking on each stage.

Getting the top scores in Velocity 2X is really where most your time will be spent. Though the core game isn’t excessively challenging because of its extremely forgiving checkpoints, getting all of the PERFECT ranks on all 50 levels is a significantly harder task than just completing them. When the game means perfect, it means PERFECT, which means you’ll have to complete the level under a certain amount of time without dying, collect all of its collectibles, rescue all survivors and earn an overall score equal or higher than the required one. All of this; in a single run. It really puts your skills to the test as it will take a lot of practice to completely nail every level. This may sound like throwaway replay value since you are basically replaying stages that have already been beaten, yet it remains fun and addicting because of the excellent gameplay, which is Velocity 2X’s true centerpiece. Sure, the game is mostly about precise timing and execution, but it’s really about how well you know your way around the controls since you’ll be switching from button to button in order to use other abilities constantly.

The only weak element in Velocity 2X is with its story. Before each level, there is always a short dialogue sequence between Kai and Ralan, her partner, that acts as an introduction to what will happen inside of the stage. However, all of these sequences lack any voice acting, which means you’ll have to read your way through them. The story feels shoved-in within these 20-30 seconds cutscenes that don’t add anything to the overall experience because they never affect the gameplay aspect whatsoever. However, if you were expecting an incredible narrative out of an arcade-type game, you were probably expecting too much out of Velocity 2X. Luckily, if story is important to you, the game does provide a robust information Codex with backstories and details about the characters, planets and different races that can be consulted via the game’s menu. However, you’ll most likely want to jump into the next level as fast as you can to keep your momentum steady and enjoy the craziness that is about to ensue within it.

VERDICT

Velocity 2X is arguably the best indie game on PlayStation 4 right now. And that says a lot with the amazing lineup of titles coming from independent developers that is currently available on the system. Even if arcade-styled games aren’t your thing, the amazing fast-paced gameplay, incredible art style, music that matches the tone of the experience, and perfect balance of its space and on-foot sequences will hook you instantly. There is so much depth within Velocity 2X that you’ll gladly enjoy the initial 3-4 hours it will take you to complete it the first time around, or the 20+ hours if you are looking to perfect every single level. Plus, if you are a PlayStation Plus member, the game is given to you for free until the end of the month, so there is no reason to not try it for yourself and see what it’s all about. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some PERFECT medals to earn.