Neural Shock
- June 19, 2024
- Hardwired Studios
- 8h median play time
Get on SteamNeural Shock is an ARPG/Tower Defense hybrid where you build turrets, traps, and fight waves of enemies in a dark, futuristic world. Level up your characters and weapons, with class-based character building and specialization in weapon, turret, and trap masteries. Experience engaging gameplay that caters to both short and long play sessions.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Engaging tower defense gameplay with a variety of traps, turrets, and character skills, providing depth and strategy.
- Fairly challenging but rewarding difficulty curve that encourages experimentation and adaptation.
- Great value for the price, offering hours of fun and replayability with a solid progression system.
- Graphics are subpar and may not appeal to everyone, potentially detracting from the overall experience.
- Some gameplay mechanics, like enemy attack animations and shot collision, can feel frustrating and imprecise.
- Limited incentive to replay earlier levels as later levels yield more experience, which may affect long-term engagement.
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is predominantly hard rock and heavy metal, which complements the intense atmosphere and gameplay effectively. While some players appreciate the energetic and fitting soundtrack, others note a lack of variation, suggesting it may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the music is praised for enhancing the game's immersive experience, particularly during action sequences.
“I especially like the music and the feeling.”
“And kudos for the intense music.”
“The soundtrack lacks variation and it's mostly just metal riffs, so if you hate that, you're going to have to mute it.”
“The game's style reminds me of Killing Floor, with its heavy soundtrack, constant blasting of gunfire, and endless gory deaths of all manner of creepy monsters.”
“Bonus points also for the soundtrack, which is hard rock/heavy metal type grooving that suits the atmosphere very well.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a series of 27 missions where players must strategically place traps and defend a command center from waves of enemies, adapting their tactics as the missions progress. Players can enhance their skills and traps between missions, allowing for varied gameplay and experimentation with different loadouts. The narrative is driven by the challenge of protecting the command center while managing resources and adapting strategies to overcome increasingly difficult levels.
“In total, at the time of writing this, there are 27 missions, so there seems to be a lot of content.”
“The later levels will also have the player adapting their strategy as the level progresses, as the decisions made early on might not be effective anymore at the end of a mission.”
“If you put your upgrade points right, you can make your basic rifle turrets viable in the later missions alongside the likes of laser turrets, and your upgrade points can be freely reallocated whenever you want to try other loadouts of traps and turrets, or to try other builds for your sniper or engineer.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a cohesive narrative, making it hard to stay engaged with the missions.”
“While there are many missions, the plot doesn't evolve in a meaningful way, leaving players feeling like they're just going through the motions.”
“The character development is minimal, and the dialogue is often bland, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are polarizing, with some players finding them unattractive and reminiscent of vintage styles, while others feel they detract from the overall experience. Despite the visual shortcomings, many users emphasize that the gameplay is engaging and addictive, allowing them to overlook the graphics as they immerse themselves in the challenge.
“The game has very cool vintage-looking graphics that bring back nice memories.”
“I know the visuals are not appealing, but it's one of the most challenging and addictive games in the tower defense genre, with an interesting grind on the characters and tower perks.”
“Seriously, this game is fun when you get past the graphics.”
“If you can look past the admittedly horrible graphics, you will find an excellent tower defense game.”
“First the downsides, the graphics are not to everyone's taste.”
“I know the visuals are very ugly, but it's one of the most challenging and addictive games in the tower defense genre, with an interesting grind on the characters and the tower perks.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a fast-paced real-time system that includes a pausing option, allowing for diverse playing styles that can emphasize either traps or player skills. Players appreciate the interesting mechanics and constraints that enhance the overall experience.
“The gameplay is real-time (with a pausing option as well), which makes the overall flow of the game very exciting and fast-paced.”
“I feel like this mechanic has a lot of room for choosing different playing styles: one can choose to focus on the traps or the player skills, or do a little bit of both.”
“Nice little game with interesting mechanics and constraints.”
“The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged for long periods.”
“The controls are clunky and unresponsive, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“There are too many bugs and glitches that disrupt the gameplay, making it frustrating to play.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its consistency and effectiveness, enhanced by a fitting hard rock and heavy metal soundtrack that complements the overall experience.
“Bonus points also for the soundtrack, which features hard rock and heavy metal grooves that suit the atmosphere very well.”
“Special bonus for the consistent and great atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
“Despite the potential for a rich environment, the atmosphere is flat and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
“The game lacks a cohesive atmosphere, leaving me feeling disconnected from the world and its characters.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game surprisingly high in replayability, attributing it to engaging map challenge modifiers and a leveling system that encourages continued play. Initially skeptical, many users have discovered that it offers more depth and enjoyment than typical tower defense games, making it a worthwhile investment.
“At first I was hesitant about getting this, thinking it would just be a game I could beat and get bored of in an afternoon like something on Kongregate; but after I tried the demo and then bought the full game, it turns out it's more fun and replayable than any tower defense game I can recall playing.”
“The look of the game and the controllable player character are what drew me in, but the replayability from the map challenge modifiers and the leveling system has kept me playing.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the innovative blend of tower defense and RPG elements, highlighting the engaging character development that enhances gameplay. The combination of smooth mechanics and challenging features contributes to a rewarding experience that keeps them invested for hours.
“I absolutely enjoy the game: smooth gameplay, an innovative combination of tower defense with RPG-esque character development, and nice level design with challenging features that keep me playing for hours.”
