ARK and ADE
- March 2, 2023
- Castello Inc
Get on Steam"ARK and ADE is a VR FPS shooter that brings the 80’s arcade era to life with its neon-fused setting and iconic bosses. Experience action-packed levels, destructible environments, and immersive features like bullet time and dual-wielding weapons. Choose between free locomotion or teleport movement, and test your skills in three game modes with difficulty settings for all levels. Compatible with select VR accessories for enhanced gameplay."
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Quest
Reviews
- ARK & ADE features a stylish TRON-like visual aesthetic that is both modern and nostalgic, enhancing the immersive VR experience.
- The game offers satisfying arcade-style shooting mechanics with a fair difficulty balance, a variety of enemy types, and engaging boss fights that keep gameplay fresh.
- There is a rich variety of game modes, including an endless mode and survival mode, providing plenty of replay value and content for players.
- The game is relatively short, with a campaign that can be completed in about 2-3 hours, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- Some players have reported performance issues, particularly during boss battles, and a lack of graphics settings for optimization.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive due to limited movement options and the similarity of bosses across levels, which may detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay44 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by fast-paced, arcade-style shooting mechanics that evoke nostalgia for classic games from the 80s and 90s, enhanced by vibrant visuals and immersive VR elements. Players appreciate the variety in boss encounters and modes, which keep the experience fresh and engaging, although some feel it leans towards a generic wave shooter with limited movement options. Overall, the game offers a polished and addictive gameplay loop, with solid mechanics and a scoring system that encourages replayability.
“The arcade-style shooting mechanics are very satisfying in this game, giving nods to various arcade games from the 80s and 90s.”
“Each mode adds its own unique twist, ensuring the gameplay remains fresh and exciting.”
“Amazing visuals and gameplay create a really immersive experience.”
“The replay mechanics don't really appeal to me.”
“Which level or part of gameplay did you feel being just bare bones?”
“Retro arcade VR shooter with minimalistic visuals and frantic gameplay.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game features a striking tron-like visual style with a neon-drenched aesthetic that blends modern and nostalgic elements, creating a vibrant and immersive experience, especially in VR. Its minimalistic graphics and retro 80s synth visuals enhance the fast-paced arcade gameplay, although the lack of customizable graphics settings has been noted as a drawback. Overall, the unique and stylish visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout in the arcade shooter genre.
“The game impressed me right from the start with its tron-like visual style, delivering a neon-drenched aesthetic that is both modern and nostalgic.”
“The vibrant colors and simplistic graphics perfectly complement the fast-paced arcade gameplay and look very pleasing in VR.”
“Amazing visuals and gameplay create a really immersive experience.”
“The kicker is then that they didn't add any graphics settings in the game, so you have no options for fixing it for yourself by downgrading a few things.”
“Retro arcade VR shooter with minimalistic visuals and frantic gameplay.”
“The two-tone graphics aesthetic is balanced well enough to not be an eyesore, which is great.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the synth wave soundtrack and its integration with the game's design, others feel that it falls short and could benefit from a more dynamic or engaging selection, similar to the music in "Hotline Miami." Overall, the soundtrack is described as pleasant but not exceptional, with a consensus that improvements could enhance the overall experience.
“I am a sucker for the style, but really the levels, the musical score, and the gameplay loop are just so well designed.”
“A lot of love has gone into this; the bosses are great, the level design is great, and the synthwave soundtrack is rocking!”
“The soundtrack is pleasant.”
“The game could also use a better soundtrack; the default music is fine, but something like what is in Hotline Miami would fit the game very well.”
“The game could also use a better soundtrack; the default music is fine, but something like what is in Hotline Miami would fit the game very well.”
“The game could also use a better soundtrack; the default music is fine, but something like what is in Hotline Miami would fit the game very well.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report fantastic performance on mid-range systems and a polished feel for an early access title, others experience significant issues, particularly during boss battles, leading to frustration and inability to play for extended periods. Overall, the game's optimization appears inconsistent, with some users unable to progress due to performance problems.
“Fantastic performance on a mid-range gaming laptop!”
“I've only finished the first level and a bit of the second, but even though it's a just-released early access game, it already feels very polished and the performance is very good.”
“It's poorly optimized for such a pixelated game.”
“I'm not even gonna be able to fully review it, as I couldn't even make it past 6 minutes with the poor optimization and no fix for it.”
“There are some performance issues when doing boss battles.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to numerous achievements, challenging arena modes, and hidden secrets in each map, encouraging players to explore and master different difficulties. Overall, players appreciate the engaging content that keeps them coming back for more.
“7/10 - great aesthetic; challenging gameplay; decent replayability with achievements and different difficulties; very active devs.”
“There is a ton of replay value, trying to accomplish all the achievements (some which I swear may be darn near impossible) and the arena modes are the icing on the cake.”
“It has some secrets as well in every map which increases replayability.”
“7/10 - great aesthetic; challenging gameplay; decent replayability - achievements and different difficulties; very active devs.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is brief and lacks depth, which may disappoint players expecting a lengthy campaign, as indicated in the trailer. Additionally, technical issues, such as difficulties quitting the game on Steam VR, detract from the overall experience.
“If you come in here expecting a 20-hour campaign with a deep storyline, then you will be disappointed (but you probably already know that from the trailer).”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game successfully captures a thorough 80's atmosphere, with its aesthetics being highly praised by users. The nostalgic design elements contribute significantly to the overall immersive experience.
“The 80's atmosphere is thoroughly captured; the general aesthetics of the game are very successful.”
“The 80's atmosphere is thoroughly captured; the general aesthetics of the game are very successful.”
