Ion Assault
- November 17, 2010
- Coreplay
- 7h median play time
Get on SteamIon Assault is a fast-paced arcade-style space shooter. Players maneuver through intense enemy waves, using a unique ion particle system to split and redirect bursts of energy. The game offers various modes, including a campaign with boss battles, survival, and online multiplayer. Success depends on speed, strategy, and precise control of the ion assault.
PC
Windows
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- Visually appealing with impressive particle effects that enhance the gameplay experience.
- Unique gameplay mechanic requiring players to gather ions before shooting, adding a layer of strategy.
- Fun boss fights and a fast-paced arcade style that can be addictive for players who enjoy shoot 'em ups.
- Irritating controls that can lead to frustration, especially with the need to hold down buttons constantly.
- Short campaign with repetitive gameplay that lacks depth and variety.
- Technical issues, including poor gamepad support and optimization problems, detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay46 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and underwhelming, despite some unique mechanics like particle collection and scoring systems. While the visuals are praised, the controls and overall experience are often described as irritating, with technical issues further detracting from enjoyment. Some players appreciate the fluidity and challenge of the gameplay, but the consensus leans towards a lack of engaging content and fun factor.
“The gameplay feels much more fluid than what you'd imagine from the videos; the game is fair; doesn't feel punishing or annoying even if I die.”
“Neat asteroids clone updated for the 21st century with intense close combat & relentless 'bullet hell' gameplay.”
“Gorgeous looking little shooter with plenty of action and deep gameplay, thumbs up!”
“Moving to the gameplay itself, 'irritating' and 'underwhelming' probably describe it best for me.”
“Unfortunately, neither of these do much in particular to offset the annoying gameplay and aggravating controls.”
“The gameplay experience overall was boring and repetitive.”
- music17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 53 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it repetitive and annoying due to its looping nature, which adds to the overall monotony of the gameplay. Conversely, others praise the ambient and techno soundtrack as exceptional, enhancing the gaming experience. Overall, while some appreciate the soundtracks, many feel that the music could be improved.
“Complementing that, Ion Assault supports the Steam overlay and widescreen modes, has an excellent ambient/techno soundtrack, and has native gamepad support.”
“Turn up your volume and prepare to be mind blown by the exceptional soundtracks found in this game.”
“I do not remember anything about the music except finding it repetitive and annoying while playing.”
“To make things worse, the music is terrible.”
“Each sector (consisting of 6 levels each) has its own music, which consists of the same 30 seconds looped over and over again.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as pretty, featuring lovely particle effects that enhance the visual experience, though they can be demanding on system resources. However, some players note that the vibrancy of certain elements can hinder gameplay, suggesting a need for better differentiation between dangerous objects and the busy background. Overall, while the visuals are appealing, they are accompanied by mediocre gameplay.
“Pretty asteroids-type shooter with lovely particle effects and graphics.”
“- lovely particle graphics”
“For this game to really be playable, you'd have to either reduce the vibrancy of the ions, which would probably kill the aesthetic, or come up with some creative way to make dangerous things stand out from the background of moving particles.”
“I would definitely recommend it but make sure your computer meets the minimum specs because the graphics take up a lot of memory it seems.”
“Pretty graphics, mediocre gameplay.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being short and uninteresting, lacking depth and variety, which detracts from the overall experience. While the campaign can be completed quickly, some players find replayability in mastering gameplay mechanics, though the narrative itself fails to engage. Overall, the story aspect is seen as a weak point, overshadowed by technical issues and gameplay gimmicks.
“It won't take you long to get through the story mode (honestly, it's pretty short), but it's still fun to replay, trying different techniques and mastering the control of your particle weapon to get the bigger chain combos.”
“There is also a risk/reward system that informs the quest for high scores.”
“The particles are the only thing going for this game, but between a short and uninteresting campaign with no story and little variety, the core gameplay being hampered by the gimmick, and technical issues on Windows 11, I can't recommend it.”
“It won't take you long to get through the story mode (honestly, it's pretty short), but it's still fun to replay trying different techniques and master the control of your particle weapon to get the bigger chain combos.”
“The campaign is short and uninteresting, lacking a compelling story and variety.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized, with users reporting stuttering issues on various hardware configurations, including a 13th gen CPU and an i7 7600 with a GTX 1070. Many players feel that the game's performance does not match their expectations, suggesting that it may not be well-optimized for current systems.
“This could be because I'm using a 13th gen CPU and the game isn't optimized for it, but I haven't had issues in any other games. The trailer basically gives you the same amount of enjoyment you will receive from actually playing the game.”
“I don't understand why, but Ion Assault was stuttering on my i7 7600 with a GTX 1070.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game experiences significant stability issues, with players reporting frequent freezes, totaling over ten occurrences in just a couple of hours of gameplay. Despite the engaging boss fights, these technical problems detract from the overall experience.
“The boss fights were the highlight, but I had more than 10 freezes in my 1.7 hours of playtime.”
“The boss fights were the highlight, but I had more than 10 freezes in my 1.7 hours of playtime.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's strong replayability, driven by the desire to achieve better combos and scores, alongside its visually detailed graphics and impressive particle effects.
“Visually very detailed, great particle effects and animations, and good replayability as you keep pushing for better combos and scores.”
