Escape from Terror City
- July 14, 2021
- Renegade Sector Games
Get on Steam"Escape from Terror City" is an arcade-style 3D Run'n'Gun game set in the mining colony of Terroir. After the Argus Empire begins their assault, the city council's distress signal is jammed, and they must escape before the other kingdoms become aware of the situation. Fight off enemies and avoid obstacles to ensure your survival and the city's.
Reviews
- The game features solid movement, enemy, and level design, reminiscent of classic run-and-gun titles like Contra.
- The combination of bullet hell mechanics and 3D movement creates a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
- The art style and visuals evoke a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of retro games, and the level design offers multiple paths and secrets.
- The camera system is poorly designed, often blocking the player's view and making it difficult to judge distances and navigate tight spaces.
- The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including bugs that can lead to game-breaking scenarios and performance drops at higher frame rates.
- Controls are awkward, particularly with gamepad input, making aiming and movement frustrating for players.
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a nostalgic, chunky 3D aesthetic reminiscent of early 90s titles, featuring pixel art textures on low-poly models. While many players appreciate the unique art style and visual composition, they also note issues with polish, clunky camera movements, and aiming mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the visuals are generally seen as a charming and integral part of the game's identity.
“With chunky 3D graphics similar to Mega Man Legends, I love the look of the game and wanted to love the game itself.”
“The art style is right up my alley, with pixel art textures on low-poly models (think early to mid-90s Sega), and the dialogue evokes poor translations of the past but happens to be in perfect, enjoyable English.”
“Escape from Terror City is a very neat and nicely composed game with cool visuals and 3D characters.”
“It has the love and aesthetics behind it but none of the polish.”
“The camera skips around and the aiming is clunky in ways that feels less like a feature of the aesthetic and more of an issue with the game itself.”
“The graphics... well they're clearly cursed, but it's very much an aesthetic.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as fun and reminiscent of classic gaming, with a unique experience that stands out despite some issues. Players appreciate the excellent stage design and bullet hell mechanics, particularly in hard mode, which adds depth to the experience. The aesthetic, likened to a 3D NES game, complements the gameplay, making it engaging and enjoyable overall.
“Overall though, despite all the glaring problems, I would say it was a relatively fun and pretty unique gameplay experience, at least compared to anything I have ever played.”
“For Escape from Terror City, the stage design is excellent in addition to the bosses, due to the more focused bullet hell gameplay.”
“Really fun little game, with some of the most refined bullet hell gameplay this developer has ever put out.”
“The gameplay itself is fine.”
“Gameplay-wise it reminds me most of the on-the-rail sections of Contra (take that with a grain of salt though: I'm basing this off of gameplay footage because I haven't actually played Contra) and the look of the game, which is probably the most striking thing about it, really does feel like an NES game brought to three dimensions, with its angular geometry and low-res textures.”
“Really fun little game, with some of the most refined bullet hell gameplay this dev has ever put out.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as campy and reminiscent of classic arcade shooters, but it is notably brief and linear. While boss fights are highlighted as a strong point, the overall enemy and boss designs are considered somewhat underwhelming.
“The story is very campy and lacks depth, making it feel more like an afterthought than a central element of the game.”
“The narrative is quite short and linear, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“While the boss fights are the highlight of the game, the normal enemy and some boss designs are a little too lackluster.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and captivating disorientation, creating a unique and engaging atmosphere.
“Most of the OST is pretty good.”
“The music is disorienting and off-putting in a way I find absolutely captivating.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is severely lacking, as it becomes unplayable when running above 60 fps, resulting in broken controls and significant performance issues, including stuttering.
“The game basically disintegrates when it runs above 60 fps - controls break and performance randomly turns into a stuttery, unplayable mess.”
“Optimization is non-existent; the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on high-end hardware.”
“Frequent crashes and severe lag make it impossible to enjoy the game, regardless of the settings.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often derived from its numerous bugs, which range from amusing to severely disruptive, adding an unpredictable element to the gameplay experience.
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing that keeps you laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game uses absurd situations to create hilarious moments that catch you off guard.”
“The quirky characters and their witty dialogue add a delightful layer of humor that makes the gameplay even more enjoyable.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable due to the presence of alternate paths and the option to tackle a challenging hard mode after completing normal mode.
“The game offers multiple endings and choices that make each playthrough feel unique.”
“I love how every run can be different based on the decisions you make and the characters you choose.”
“Just beat normal mode, but there's definitely replayability with alternate paths and hard mode.”
“After finishing the game, I found little incentive to replay it since the story doesn't change much.”
“The game offers some replayability, but the lack of meaningful choices makes it feel repetitive.”
