Futuridium EP Deluxe Review

Over a year after its original debut on the iOS devices, Italian developer MixedBag has brought its indie space shoot’em-up game, Futuridium EP, over to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita systems as the Deluxe version. Along with multiple additional levels and features exclusive to this version of the game, EP Deluxe wants to be the definitive Futuridium experience on console. The result; is a visually-striking title that is excessively challenging, quite frustrating at times, and that could’ve been significantly improved with some small tweaks here and there. Nonetheless, get ready for this game to test your gaming skills as it is one of the hardest games you’ll play in 2014, even if it doesn’t look like it with its eye-popping colorful visuals that look like you just took some hardcore hallucinogen.

Futuridium EP Deluxe is very simple in its design; it evokes classic tropes similar to the ones found in the original Star Fox for SNES with its crazy polygonal level design and core on-rails flying mechanic, but it feels more like an arcade game than a dedicated space shooter. The goal across Futuridum EP’s 50 levels is to destroy all of the blue energy cubes that are scattered all around the level to expose its core and then destroy it to proceed to the next area. All while enjoying the catchy techno-dubstep-electro soundtrack that truly matches the game’s tone and feel.

However, this title introduces a very unique game mechanic in which you can reverse your ship’s direction with the press of a button to go back the way you came. You see, you are not confined to a single path in Futuridium EP Deluxe and this makes for some interesting strategies as to how to destroy all of the level’s energy cubes. Just like the entire game, it takes some time to master, but it becomes the game’s most interesting and unique aspect once you wrap your head around it.

Beyond Futuridium’s main goal of completing the levels, each of them has three medals that you can earn by chaining the maximum of cube destroys, completing the area under a certain amount of time, and reaching a certain score. However, these medals are the reason why I was not compelled to go back to Futuridium EP after I successfully managed to complete the game’s five Deluxe Zones, which are the main levels. Just like the game itself, getting all of the medals is an extremely hard task, but it feels humanly impossible. Out of the five hours I spent with Futuridium EP Deluxe, I only got only 14 out 150 medals, that is by trying my best. Just like in any video game, I enjoy a decent challenge, but, when it’s just too difficult to complete, it makes me want to abandon the game and move on to something else.

Futuridium is extremely unforgiving because of questionable design decisions. For instance, there isn’t the option to retry single levels when you are playing the Deluxe Mode because each Zone must be completed within the same run, or without running out of credits, which are lives you can acquire by destroying a certain amount of cubes. This is entirely frustrating because the smallest mistake can cost you your entire run and this aspect truly stands out once you reach the fourth and fifth Zones of the game, which have homing missiles launching at you. However, ultimately, the game is inherently flawed because of the small energy gauge that depletes at a rate that is just way too quick. In addition to that, every time you crash, you re-appear at the beginning of the level, which makes you waste so much of your meter’s energy if you must go all the way back to where you were vanquished. Small details like that could’ve only made the game much more enjoyable overall and easier to pick up and play.

Unfortunately, once you’ve completed the Deluxe Mode, there isn’t much else to do in Futuridium EP Deluxe. You could always replay single levels in a separate mode to get all the medals or go for high scores, but, as stated previously, it feels impossible, and dedicating time and energy in doing so is not worth it at all. The game does provide additional modes like Classic and Demo Run, which you unlock by destroying a certain amount of cubes once again, but, in the end, you are just replaying the same levels as the ones in Deluxe Mode. However, I must give a special shout-out to the Flappyrium mode, which is a blatant knock-off of Flappy Bird that is simple, quite challenging and addicting as well.

A good thing about Futuridim EP Deluxe is that it supports cross-buy, meaning you’ll get both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions of the game when you purchase it. It is highly appreciated because the game truly feels at home on the Vita; the movement feels faster, more precise and is easier to control in general. I found myself doing much better on the handheld version than on the big screen, but, then again, it may be an illusion because of the screen change and practice I had obtained. However, the biggest letdown is that it does not support the cross-save functionality, meaning that both versions have their own separate save files. This is a huge missed opportunity as practicing single levels for medals on-the-go could’ve been an exciting alternative when you cannot play the game on your PS4. Once again, the small details are the reason why Futuridium EP Deluxe fails and succeeds on many aspects.

VERDICT

Despite all the rage and frustration I had while playing Futuridium EP Deluxe, I still managed to find some enjoyment out of the experience. With its visually-attracting art design, incredible music and simple gameplay, this indie title will surely capture the attention of players that seek an out of the ordinary video game. It isn’t perfect as it could’ve been improved greatly with small adjustments and tweaks to make the game less frustratingly difficult, but, for about $10, it’s an exciting digital trip with a steep learning curve that will test the entirety of your video game skills.