Pester

About

"Pester" is a fast-paced, vertically-scrolling shooter game with intense old-school action and TATE support. The game features remastered sprite work and a thumping soundtrack, with over 100 customizable play options for a highly replayable experience. Originally released for Xbox Live Indies, this game offers a challenging and exciting experience for shooter fans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

43%

Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews

story1 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic retro feel reminiscent of classic arcade shooters, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
It provides a good selection of music and different game modes, which adds variety to the gameplay experience.
For its low price, it can be considered a decent time passer, especially for those who appreciate simple shoot 'em up mechanics.

The game suffers from significant polish issues, including rough controls, poor visuals, and a lack of meaningful gameplay features.
Many players report frustrating bugs, such as crashing when changing resolutions and imprecise hit detection, which detracts from the overall experience.
The gameplay is often described as simplistic and repetitive, lacking the depth and design found in more polished titles within the genre.

music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its nostalgic and arcade-like vibe, particularly the techno-grumble style. However, some users have noted issues with volume settings not saving and a desire for more flexibility in music selection, such as randomization options. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some technical shortcomings.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “Good selection of music and a cool scanline filter which I'm a sucker for.”
- “Retro shmup with basic gameplay and cool music that emits a nostalgic vibe.”
- “Also, the music volume settings for some reason are not saving for me, so every time I start this game again I need to go to options to turn it down.”
- “Music way too loud.”
- “You can only change the music volume between 0-10.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing them as poor, muddy, and blurry, particularly in the new sprite designs. Some players appreciate the option to choose between old school pixel graphics and modern visuals, favoring the clarity of the former. Overall, while there are attempts to improve the graphics in the remake, they still fall short of expectations.
- “The graphics are modern-day and truly impressive.”
- “You can choose between old school and new for music, backgrounds, and graphics.”
- “It's a good remake, as it significantly improves the graphics.”
- “The controls are rough, the visuals are horrible.”
- “I prefer old school, because I can see the pixel graphics versus the new sprites that look muddy, dark, and blurry because they're stretched.”
- “The graphics are somewhat poor but the gameplay is unforgiving.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The gameplay is criticized for its lack of polish and depth, with many reviewers noting it feels generic and offers little replayability. While some appreciate the nostalgic vibe and classic mechanics, the overall execution is deemed insufficient, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “Retro shmup with basic gameplay and cool music that emits a nostalgic vibe.”
- “Classic gameplay, re-vitalized.”
- “The core shoot-em-up mechanics all fall short of their goal, leaving this game in bullet purgatory due to a lack of polish.”
- “The gameplay itself has little value, just a generic vertical shmup with loose hitboxes.”
- “There is not much in this game, not enough content or polish to the gameplay itself; waste of time, I don't recommend this game at all.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story conveys a powerful message about resilience and the unpredictability of life, emphasizing that perseverance in the face of adversity can lead to unexpected and rewarding outcomes.
- “The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is characterized by a playful, irreverent tone, with players likening the chaotic visuals to "bullet diarrhoea," showcasing a blend of absurdity and toilet humor amidst the frenetic action.
- “The screen is so small, bullets are flying everywhere. If you use your super hyper attack, it's really easy to get hit as you see almost nothing except for blinking colors. It should be called 'bullet diarrhea'—pardon the toilet humor.”
- “The game's humor is spot on, with witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions that keep you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously; the absurd situations and funny one-liners make every playthrough a joy.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game has been criticized for its low replayability, with users indicating that there is little incentive to play through it multiple times.
- “The gameplay has really low replayability.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied content makes replaying the game feel tedious.”