- December 22, 2021
- Front Room Arcade
Twin Ruin
Platforms
About
"Twin Ruin is a single-player Action game with good graphics, where you battle polarity-based enemies in a roguelike top-down shooter setting. Choose the correct polarity to defeat your enemies and avoid damage. Play in Adventure mode to explore and level up before meeting bosses, or Survival mode to rack up the highest score in 3 minutes. Power up and scavenge for weapon upgrades to prepare for the final boss."











- The polarity switching mechanic adds a unique and engaging layer to the gameplay, reminiscent of classic titles like Ikaruga.
- The game features solid graphics, good controls, and fast-paced action that keeps players engaged.
- It's a fun and challenging twin-stick shooter that offers a satisfying experience, especially for fans of the genre.
- The game lacks sufficient content, with many players finishing it quickly and desiring more depth or variety.
- There are significant issues with the user interface and controls, including intrusive tutorial popups and a confusing end game screen.
- The difficulty level can be overwhelming for some players, with a steep learning curve and frustrating mechanics that may deter casual gamers.
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral NegativeThe gameplay is centered around a dual color mechanic reminiscent of Ikaruga, where players must switch colors to deal damage and absorb bullets, creating a dynamic and challenging experience. While the core mechanics are well-tuned and engaging, some players find the steep difficulty curve and lack of customizable controls frustrating, alongside intrusive tutorials that hinder the learning process. Overall, the game offers intense twin-stick shooter action with a stylish presentation, but its execution may leave some players feeling overwhelmed.
“This is a great concept for a twin-stick shooter, using a polarity system similar to Ikaruga to add an extra level of complexity to the gameplay.”
“Fairly straightforward in mechanics and enemies, but it will send more than enough at you to keep you busy with what you can do, especially with the color system: you barely hurt things that match your color but their shots can't hurt you at all; however, any enemy touching you does damage regardless of color, so you must switch color aggressively to clear enemies before they get to you and defensively to absorb bullets.”
“Cool twin-stick shooter with a banging synthwave soundtrack, nice graphics, solid movement and controls, and fast-paced, chaotic gameplay.”
“Not being able to custom map the controller is a drag. High challenge out of the gate; some people like that, but I don't especially. I like to be able to get used to the controls and mechanics before I die on the first level more than once. The end game screen is a mess. I just want to quit to the menu, but I have no idea how. I end up mashing buttons until something works, which is very aggravating and demoralizing. It makes me just want to quit and play anything else. Maybe I am an idiot, but even an idiot should be able to find the button prompt to exit the screen. I'm not impressed with the general way the game is put together and presented, but for the price, and since I got it on sale, I can't quite bring myself to downvote it. A middling 'positive' rating seems fair, so buy it on sale because I do not think any new updates are coming...ever.”
“There are intrusive, focus-stealing tutorial popups for very basic keypresses, but no explanation for disabling barriers or several other mechanics, making you wander around blindly from the immediate start.”
“Fairly straightforward in mechanics and enemies, but it will send more than enough at you to keep you busy with what you can do, especially with the color system: you barely hurt things that match your color, but their shots can't hurt you at all; however, any enemy touching you does damage regardless of color, so you must switch color aggressively to clear enemies before they get to you and defensively to absorb bullets.”