Waves 2: Notorious

About

Dive into cyberspace in "Waves 2: Notorious," a bullet hell twin-stick shooter where you fight against relentless AI enemies in procedurally generated corporate networks. Customize your avatar's load-out, build combos for devastating burst attacks, and climb the leaderboards in arcade arenas. Your reflexes and strategic choices will determine your rise to notoriety.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 135 reviews

music14 positive mentions

story2 negative mentions

Waves 2: Notorious showcases the potential of a great twin-stick shooter, with engaging gameplay and a vibrant aesthetic that appeals to fans of the genre.
The game is now free, allowing players to experience its fun mechanics and solid soundtrack without any financial commitment.
Despite its unfinished state, many players appreciate the legacy of the developer and the enjoyable aspects of the game, making it a nostalgic experience for fans of the original Waves.

The game suffers from being abandoned in early access, leaving it incomplete and filled with bugs, which detracts from the overall experience.
Graphics and gameplay have been criticized as lackluster and unpolished compared to other titles in the genre, leading to disappointment among players.
Many players report issues with the tutorial and game mechanics, making it difficult to understand how to progress or enjoy the game fully.

music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
50%
9%
The music in the game is generally praised for its energetic and engaging soundtracks, with many users calling it "awesome" and "killer." However, some players express disappointment over the limited variety, noting that the tracks can become repetitive and generic over time. Overall, while the music enhances the gameplay experience, there are calls for more diverse tracks and customization options.
- “The music is great!”
- “Great music, great gameplay, full of adrenaline rush.”
- “The music alone makes this game worth double the value!”
- “I wish that Rob had taken the opportunity to go a different route with the music this time; maybe Deadmau5 could have contributed.”
- “The music fits but just starts to sound generic after a while.”
- “There is one music track - turn the music off in the options for now.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
57%
14%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its addictive nature, tight controls, and engaging mechanics, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking innovation. Waves 2 builds on its predecessor with new features and a more frantic pace, offering deeper gameplay and varied loadouts, though some players feel it still suffers from limitations and complexity in its systems. Overall, the game is noted for its enjoyable experience, especially in party settings, despite some concerns about its graphical style and enemy variety.
- “Different enemies that each have sound cues and different visual designs, tight controls, addicting gameplay, and a banger soundtrack.”
- “It's got the gameplay of an actual full title, meaning you've got plenty of room to play with your loadouts and gameplay style.”
- “Great music, great gameplay, full of adrenaline rush.”
- “The tired dead gameplay formula is matched with equally tired, dead 2D retro neon 'art' graphics, resulting in a tired, dead game.”
- “Alot of new features yet gameplay is only slightly affected because a lot of alpha restraints are holding this game back.”
- “There were only a few enemy types, a gun, a bomb, slow-mo, and a few game mechanics.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the vibrant neon aesthetic and stylized visuals that enhance the gameplay experience, while others criticize the minimalist design as lackluster and reminiscent of outdated retro styles. Despite some graphical improvements, there are concerns that the visuals can sometimes hinder gameplay clarity. Overall, the game's graphics are seen as a highlight by some players, but disappointing to others who expected more contemporary designs.
- “The graphical improvements add a lot to the experience.”
- “Really well-done twin-stick shooter with neon graphics and computer aesthetic.”
- “Awesome visuals”
- “The tired dead gameplay formula is matched with equally tired, dead 2D retro neon 'art' graphics, resulting in a tired, dead game.”
- “This game features very lackluster minimalist 'art' for graphics instead of anything remotely contemporary.”
- “Compared to the original, it's disappointing; the shooting feels stiff and the graphics make the game look worse than the original.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Waves² has received positive feedback for its optimization, with users noting that it runs smoothly even on systems meeting minimum requirements. The game features highly optimized graphics and a challenging grid mode, enhancing the overall experience compared to its predecessor.
- “Right now, this game is great as its predecessor 'Waves' with highly optimized graphics, and the grid mode is very challenging.”
- “My system meets its minimum requirements, and the game runs smoothly at epic (I believe it's ultra) settings.”
- “Performance is great, and I can finally enjoy the game.”
- “Waves² scratched a big itch I didn't know I had with the original, which was the lack of optimization and strategy.”
- “Right now, this game is great as its predecessor 'Waves' with highly optimized graphics, but the grid mode is very challenging.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story aspect of Waves 2 is enhanced by the introduction of a new grid mode, which serves as the campaign or story mode, providing a more narrative-driven experience for players.
- “Waves 2 has a new grid mode, which I suppose is the campaign/story mode of this game.”
- “It made it seem more like a story.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's stability is criticized due to its buggy nature, attributed to its incomplete development following the death of one of its creators, and it remains in early access, suggesting ongoing issues.
- “I say 'attempted' because one of the creators died before it was complete, so this game is a bit of a buggy mess and will likely remain in early access forever.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I've encountered numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, and the stability issues are frustrating.”