Physical Layer
- March 15, 2023
- RaStar Studio
Get on SteamAgent, we have an emergency. The enemy has activated the launch codes for a massive EMP weapon. Your orders are to gather the abort codes that are scattered throughout each of the enemy’s bases. This will be a solo infiltration mission. Good luck. Battle it out as a special agent disguised as a high school girl in this top-down shooter. A variety of terrain types and enemies await you in each sta…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a clean and stylish presentation with cute graphics and a well-executed UI.
- Gameplay is engaging and satisfying, with a variety of abilities and weapons that encourage creative tactics.
- The difficulty curve is well-balanced, making it accessible for newcomers while still providing a challenge for experienced players.
- The game lacks a button remapping option, which can hinder player comfort and customization.
- Some mechanics, like the Physical Push, could be improved to select objects based on cursor proximity rather than player proximity.
- The story is minimal and lacks depth, with a plot that feels secondary to the gameplay.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a diverse range of enemies and bosses, complemented by three unique abilities: a slide dash for dodging, a physical push for manipulating the environment, and a reverse polarity mechanic reminiscent of Ikaruga. Players find the mechanics satisfying and engaging, particularly enjoying the thrill of combining special powers with shooting and dodging, although some wish for improvements in object attraction mechanics. Overall, it offers a fun and accessible introduction to the bullet hell genre.
“Satisfying gameplay; you can shoot it, throw it, or use the environment to your advantage.”
“You'll face a wide variety of enemies and bosses, but you have access to three abilities: a slide dash for dodging, a physical push that lets you push boxes around, and most importantly, a reverse polarity mechanic (a la Ikaruga).”
“The gameplay is very thrilling once you get accustomed to utilizing special powers while shooting and dodging.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story is generally viewed as a standard action plot, lacking depth and complexity, primarily serving as a backdrop for gameplay. Players must collect six abort codes throughout the chapters, which adds a mission-driven element to the experience, while unlocking various weapons introduces some variety in gameplay.
“Oh, and the plot is just there, which is par for the course in typical action plots.”
“You must acquire six abort codes across each chapter to complete your mission.”
“Along with those special powers, you can also unlock 12 weapons after several missions, which adds variety to the way you tackle different situations.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game features cute and stylish graphics that are visually appealing, though players may need to adjust the settings to medium quality to achieve a smooth 60 fps on lower-end hardware.
“This game has cute and stylish graphics.”
“I could run this on my laptop at 60 fps, assuming I turn down the quality of the graphics in the settings to medium.”
“I could run this on my laptop at 60 fps assuming I turn down the quality of the graphics in the settings to medium.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers notable replayability through its various difficulty levels, which not only challenge players but also reward them with unlockable costumes for their characters, enhancing the overall experience.
“The difficulty levels add significant replayability to the game.”
“The difficulty settings enhance replayability, as the higher levels allow you to unlock costumes for your character, which is always a nice bonus.”
“The difficulty levels add some replayability to the game.”
“The difficulty settings also add replayability since the higher settings allow you to unlock costumes for your character, which is always nice.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music is described as neat, complementing the game well, and the main character's cute voice adds to the overall charm of the audio experience.
“The music is neat, and the main character has a cute voice to go along with it.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find that grinding is minimal, as it is only necessary for acquiring one specific skin, allowing for a more streamlined experience.
“You'll skip out on grinding for all but one of the skins this way.”
- stability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While users report no glitches, the game struggles with stability, consistently running below 60 FPS at 1080p on capable hardware like the RX 6750 XT and Ryzen 7600, which is unexpected given its relatively simple graphics.
“No glitches, but for a game that is fairly simple in detail, I was surprised at a consistent framerate below 60 at 1080p on a RX 6750 XT and Ryzen 7600.”
“No glitches, but for a game that is fairly simple in detail, I was surprised by a consistent framerate below 60 at 1080p on an RX 6750 XT and Ryzen 7600.”
