Super Galaxy Squadron EX Turbo
- January 23, 2015
- Synset Games
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Get on itch.io Store"Super Galaxy Squadron EX Turbo" is a shoot 'em up game with retro-style pixel graphics and intense action. Players pilot spacecraft through levels of enemy forces, upgrading their ships and abilities as they go. The game features a variety of playable ships, numerous enemies and bosses, and a challenge mode for experienced pilots.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Xbox
Reviews
- Decent shooter with a variety of ships to choose from, allowing players to find their favorite setup.
- Colorful visuals and a good soundtrack enhance the gameplay experience.
- The game offers multiple difficulty levels, making it accessible for beginners while still providing challenges for veterans.
- The game can feel repetitive over time, especially with only six stages.
- The final boss presents a significant difficulty spike that can be frustrating for players.
- Some players may find the lack of a deep scoring system and the simplistic level design disappointing.
- music154 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its catchy and memorable qualities, particularly its chiptune and heavy metal influences. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive, with certain tracks reused across multiple levels, and a few found it grating or lacking in variety. Overall, while the music enhances the gameplay experience for many, it may not resonate with all players due to its inconsistencies.
“Caution: the music will be stuck in your brain for years to come.”
“The soundtrack is incredible, especially the credits theme (thanks for adding lyrics to it, very cool), and most of the boss fights are really engaging and well designed.”
“On the bright side, the game has really great music, beautiful, colorful pixel art, and really classy style for days.”
“From this point onwards, no new enemy will be introduced (aside from the bosses) and the music for levels 4 and 5 will be repeats from levels 1 and 2 respectively.”
“Music is generic chiptune with no identifiable melodies just randomly going up and down on the scale.”
“The game is disserviced by a really bad soundtrack and very poor arrangements, as well as lackluster voice overs read by some friends I gathered.”
- gameplay128 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by solid mechanics and a variety of unique ships, each with distinct abilities, which can make for an engaging experience. However, players have noted issues such as repetitive gameplay, bland level design, and a lack of depth in mechanics, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While the audiovisual presentation is praised, the game may not cater to hardcore bullet hell fans due to its straightforward nature and some frustrating design choices, such as the slow-down mechanic affecting frame rates rather than gameplay speed.
“Sgs ex turbo scratches the itch in a way that Danmaku Unlimited 3 does while layering in a little R-Type-like strategy with its ship selection mechanics.”
“The gameplay is much about avoiding bullet patterns and it is very well done on that aspect; they are easy to see and memorize, and I can distinguish easily what is to be avoided and what is to be caught. The bullets are big and their speed is not too fast, most bullets are about the speed of your ship and there are no surprise bullets hitting you from nowhere.”
“The variety in playable ships is great, and they all have unique mechanics that change the way they play, so definitely try all of them out to find your favorite.”
“There's a lack of basic features such as save states and training modes, the level design is bland, and the core mechanics feel similarly lacking and I don't think it equips beginners with a decent enough grasp on either the fundamentals or potentials of the genre.”
“The moment you press the focus button, the game goes from smooth 60 fps to jittery 30 fps, instead of just slowing down the gameplay speed.”
“Definitely not for everyone, and especially hardcore players, as the gameplay doesn't have much to write home about and feels very repetitive after a while.”
- graphics94 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are generally praised for their colorful, retro-inspired pixel art and clean visuals, which evoke nostalgia for classic arcade shooters. While some players appreciate the vibrant aesthetic and attention to detail, others find the visuals cluttered or simplistic. Overall, the combination of solid graphics and a fitting soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, making it appealing to fans of the genre.
“The graphics are exactly the kind I like in my shoot 'em ups.”
“It is also aesthetically pleasing, with quality pixel art, an intense soundtrack, and a vivid color palette.”
“This game distills everything fun about 'arcade style' shooters and delivers it with great visuals and music.”
“The graphical style isn't for me and it almost put me off buying.”
“It's an overall dull experience with no focus, cluttered visuals, and very very grating music, something the genre usually excels at.”
“Bosses catch fire when low on health (random fire sprites drawn over the body) and a few animated lasers, but other than that the artwork is as flat as an ironing board.”
- story60 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in SGS EX Turbo is generally considered well-crafted, featuring a voice-acted mode with animated cutscenes that enhance the experience, despite some critiques of its simplicity and coherence. Players appreciate the backstories for each of the 17 ships, adding depth to the gameplay, although many feel the plot is not particularly engaging compared to the action. Overall, while the narrative may not be the main draw, it provides a solid framework that complements the arcade-style gameplay.
“There's a story mode that spans six or so levels, with full voice acting.”
“All story intermissions from the original game are now replaced with fully voice acted and animated cutscenes that have really good quality.”
“My favorite touch was the couple sentences of backstory provided for each of the 14 playable ships on the ship select screen; amazing how much depth that adds to the game's world.”
“One last minor complaint would be the story, which looking around the comments and reviews, no one else cared for either.”
“The story is simple: humans and aliens don't get along, so what happens?”
“Story is barebones and doesn't make much sense (a terrorist group attacked their race, so the response was to follow up and attack their home planet in defense..?)”
- replayability14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability primarily through its endless mode and a diverse selection of ships, allowing players to experiment with different strategies and difficulty levels. However, while the variety of ships enhances replay value, the novelty may wear off over time, and achievements do not significantly contribute to long-term engagement.
“High replay value due to endless mode and the immense variety of selectable ships.”
“The different ships provide a good source of replay value, outside of leaderboard climbing.”
“Replayability is mostly in different difficulty levels and ship selection.”
“There are a lot of different ships and that lends to the replay value.”
“Short but replayable.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a lighthearted, almost self-aware approach, with players noting that it feels like the developers aimed for comedic absurdity rather than serious gameplay. The game's funny name and the increasingly ridiculous challenges in endless mode contribute to its charm, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate a humorous take on the bullet hell genre. Overall, while the humor may not be deeply developed, it adds a playful element to the experience.
“This is a vertical space-shooter with a funny name that just begs for having 'Reloaded Definitive Edition: The Revenge' added at the end.”
“Endless normal is the most fun in the long run because you'll compete with others on the Steam leaderboard there, and it just becomes funny to see how ridiculously stacked the odds become against you once you live longer than 15 minutes.”
“Funny game”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate that "SGS EX Turbo" provides 17 ships unlocked from the start, eliminating the need for grinding to access additional loadouts, unlike other games in the genre. However, the repetitive gameplay and similar mechanics across ships lead to a sense of tedium, as levels tend to drag on.
“Every ship plays the same and every level tediously overstays its welcome.”
“With 17 ships unlocked from the start, you won't need to be grinding score or resources like R-Type Final 2 or Danmaku Unlimited 3 to get those extra loadouts. SGS EX Turbo wants you to play with its toys right out of the gate and even offers you the chance to switch ships at the beginning of every mission to let you swap out from a ship that may not suit your style or pick up a ship that may be better adapted to the challenges of the next level.”
- stability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some users report it isn't buggy, others have encountered occasional sprite issues and a significant crash. Despite these problems, many still recommend the game, citing its strong gameplay, graphics, and music, with hopes for future patches to address the bugs.
“The game runs smoothly without any bugs.”
“I haven't encountered any stability issues while playing.”
“It is in its current state a bit buggy, with some awkward sprite issues at times and a crash I experienced where the game just carried on without me once I died. However, I would still firmly recommend this game even in its current state; the gameplay, graphics, and music make a seriously solid package, and I'm sure the game will be patched soon.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's enemy spawn mechanics lack strategic formations, resulting in a less engaging experience for players seeking optimized scoring opportunities or thrilling pressure situations. This absence of deliberate design detracts from the overall gameplay aesthetics and challenge.
“Enemies don't spawn in any concise, deliberate formations that you can strategize for optimized scoring or that create pressure situations... or just look cool.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a sense of disconnection and frustration with the game's enemy spawning mechanics, feeling that the randomness detracts from the emotional engagement and overall experience.
