Beyond the Storm
- October 3, 2022
- Leandro Gabriel
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Get on itch.io Store"Beyond the Storm" is a SHMUP game that pays homage to the 1995 classic "Tyrian." Explore an open-galaxy with various sectors, planets, and stations, while battling a wide array of enemies and ships. With customizable weaponry, a re-imagined energy system, and a full database of lore, this game offers an intense and engaging experience for fans of the genre
PC
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- The game successfully captures the nostalgic vibe of Tyrian, with updated art and music that pays homage to the original.
- The new power management system adds depth and customization to ship builds, allowing for creative strategies during gameplay.
- Despite some issues, the game shows promise and potential for improvement, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the original Tyrian.
- The game suffers from a lack of polish, with jerky movements, confusing menus, and a presentation that feels amateurish.
- The open world design disrupts the flow of gameplay, leading to grinding and a lack of clear progression, which can be frustrating for players.
- There is a noticeable scarcity of weapon and enemy variety, making the gameplay feel repetitive and limiting the overall experience.
- story9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of clarity and coherence, with missions scattered across the map and poorly presented narrative elements, such as dropped data cubes. Players find the open-world design detrimental to the linear storytelling, leading to excessive grinding for resources and a disjointed experience. Additionally, issues like random fuel drops and potential soft locks further hinder the narrative progression, leaving players frustrated.
“Firstly, the game now needs a clear story, with missions being scattered around the map. You have to have a method to pick the next place to go, and the writing (and presentation of the story via dropped data cubes) doesn't support this.”
“Worst of all, I ended up seemingly soft-locked in what I think was the story campaign as no data cubes would drop when I reached my destination.”
“Firstly, the game now needs a clear story. With missions being scattered around the map, you need a method to pick the next place to go, and the writing (and presentation of the story via dropped data cubes) doesn't support this.”
“Secondly, the need to travel means fuel, and that fuel (along with the data cubes that drive the story) is randomly dropped during missions. You might get 0, or you might get 7, but often you'll get just one.”
“Worst of all, I ended up seemingly soft-locked in what I think was the story campaign, as no data cubes would drop when I reached my destination.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Beyond the Storm" features innovative concepts like power management and a non-linear space map, but suffers from execution issues, such as a lack of meaningful power juggling and a disruptive open-world structure that forces grinding. While the core mechanics function adequately, the fast-paced ship movement can hinder precise control, and the level design varies significantly in length and engagement, leading to an inconsistent experience. Overall, the game shows potential but requires refinement in both gameplay mechanics and artistic presentation to fully realize its vision.
“Not content to merely recreate the old game, Beyond the Storm adds a power management mechanic (with an in-flight slow-motion if you make adjustments on the fly), a grid-based space map which the player can traverse non-linearly (by spending warp fuel cells), and the ability to select from and repeat levels (sectors).”
“There is the core of a good game here and, for a one-man show, the product so far is pretty impressive; but the game would seriously benefit from a professional artist reviewing the new art-set (and being ruthless), dedicated translations (some of the 'database entries' are outright incomprehensible), perhaps a punchier synth mix for the soundtrack and a tighter view on the gameplay.”
“That theme continues into the gameplay - most of the new ideas are conceptually quite good, but fall flat: the new power juggling dynamic is basically pointless, once you fine-tune the front-firing guns to have enough juice (by default the game only allocates half your generator towards them, and resets whenever you upgrade the generator); the open world idea breaks up the linear flow of Tyrian to its detriment, forcing you to grind levels to have enough fuel to move to the next area; that's exacerbated by what seems to be a semi-procedural aspect - while enemies might be the same in replaying the same mission, the levels do (not always but sometimes) vary slightly; the sheer number of required levels (which is probably what is driving that procedural generation?) also means that some are outrageously short (30 seconds at most), while a couple were comically long (like 5 minutes, with the last minute being almost completely silent flying with no enemies).”
“The Tyrian gameplay is here, but it's hidden behind some design decisions that obstruct and obscure the core of the game.”
“Mechanically the ships work fine, but once you move to faster ships, the movement becomes too fast to get fine control (unlike the original, ships don't accelerate up to their fastest lateral speed), which is criticized by some below.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for effectively capturing the nostalgic essence of the original Tyrian, with an incredible soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. However, some reviewers suggest that a more polished and punchier synth mix could further elevate the game's audio quality. Overall, the music is a standout feature that resonates well with fans of the classic.
“The art and music are instantly recognizable as updated takes on the original; there's a similar sense of humor in its writing; and of course, there is the same modular spaceship equipment system that gave Tyrian its depth and replayability.”
“It is the Tyrian of my childhood with the same incredible soundtrack.”
“The game would seriously benefit from a punchier synth mix for the soundtrack.”
“Music really captures the old school Tyrian vibe.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics have received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the updated visuals reminiscent of Tyrian, while others criticize the background for lacking aesthetic appeal and feeling overly processed, detracting from a cohesive style.
“If you've played Tyrian, you'll recognize some of the graphics from the game, touched up for the higher resolution, and I don't mind that.”
“But the background blends in and isn't aesthetically pleasing; sometimes it feels like someone went a bit too hog wild with Photoshop, rather than developing a distinct style.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding mechanics, particularly due to the necessity of repeatedly completing the same mission to gather resources for progression. While the open map design offers some flexibility, the reliance on farming energy cells can lead to tedious gameplay, especially when navigating the world map.
“Since the world map routinely has you moving 9 spaces to the next mission, that means grinding the one available mission at the current location 9 times. If you try to go halfway, you might get lucky and find some fuel as you go, but more likely you'll have to pay to go back to where you were when you run out of fuel.”
“I don't want to be stuck in an empty space square, farming cells to get to my next destination.”
“The new open map style is nice right now, using energy cells to traverse the grid and grinding up more cells once you reach your destination to make your next jump to leave.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted through the quirky personalities of characters and amusing advertisements, as well as the comedic situations that arise from gameplay mechanics, such as the need to creatively manage damaged power cells during combat.
“The datacubes in Tyrian had personality, whether it was the characters or the funny little ads.”
“Another change regarding power: your power cells can be damaged in combat, meaning you may need to reroute power on the fly (hilarious, I know) to compensate for damaged cells.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the updated art, music, and humor maintain the charm of the original game, while the modular spaceship equipment system adds significant depth, enhancing its replayability. Players appreciate the ability to explore different strategies and experiences, making each playthrough feel fresh.
“The art and music are instantly recognizable as updated takes on the original; there's a similar sense of humor in its writing; and of course, there is the same modular spaceship equipment system that gave Tyrian its depth and replayability.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization in Tyrian is characterized by its engaging and humorous approach, featuring personality-infused datacubes and entertaining advertisements that enhance the overall experience rather than detract from it.
