Based on the opening cutscene, Dystoria desperately wants to be The Last Starfighter of videogames, but unlike that awesome 80’s flick, in this game you don’t have to prove yourself worthy of alien abduction by getting high scores on the suspiciously placed arcade machine. Simply touching the joystick destines you to save the galaxy. You are whisked away to your futuristic apartment in space where you have a few terminals to access email and pre-game ship and weapon configurations then it’s off to do battle.
Dystoria levels are these large and complex (Tetris gone wild) geometric shapes, and your ship is magnetically attached to the exterior allowing you the dizzying freedom of multi-axis exploration. Just be ready to reattach if you suddenly fly off into space. Thankfully there is no VR support, or this game would require barf bags. Even as it is, those prone to motion sickness may have issues, so use the camera button to find something comfortable. The game can be played with mouse and keyboard although I highly recommend using a controller, as it is perfect for this style of six-axis gameplay.
As you glide across the exterior surface, you’ll get to fight off various enemy robots and stationary turrets as you attempt to collect Nucleons and three glowing Portal Orbs required to open the exit. Combat is optional and it is possible to collect everything and leave without firing a shot but destroying enemies and collecting their debris is the only way you can earn new ships. There are nine ships in all, each with their own speed and mobility ratings, allowing you to tailor the game to your play style. And all these ships can be equipped with rockets, lasers, cannons, bombs, and missiles. Weapon selection can be just as important as ship selection in the later levels.
The game gets quite clever very early on with items locked behind glass panels that need to be shattered by placing a bomb. Early on, one such glass panel protects a teleport node that whisks you away to a nearby polygonal island with even more collectibles and enemies. The levels get very complex with orbs and Nucleons hidden inside small pockets or on some hidden edge or at the top of a tower. Thankfully there is a map button that pulls the camera way out and lets you see and rotate the playing area freely to see where you and all the goodies are.
Between levels you and read updated messages, check out your progress on collectible ship parts, and visit the loadout screen to refit your ships with new weapons. There is a nice progression system that seems perfectly balanced when it comes to your firepower and the enemies you’ll be facing, but the biggest challenge is often just fully being able to explore and find everything in these geometric constructs. You can replay previous levels to find missing items or simply farm for more salvage or set new completion time records.
The presentation is clearly 80’s with this awesome neon TRON vibe and retro ship and enemy designs. The levels look like they were built from exploded Tetris pieces then put back together in random fashion. The game flows smoothly on even a modest PC, which helps to reduce motion sickness, even when the entire universe is flipping its axis every five seconds. Kudos to the music choices which are also ripped straight from the 80’s and fit with the style and themes of the game.
For what is primarily an arcade game Dystoria is a pretty lengthy game loaded with content and replayability. The simple yet challenging game design, intuitive controls, and totally addicting gameplay will keep you coming back to Dystoria time and time again. Older gamers will enjoy their 80’s flashback and current gen players can enjoy a visceral shooter-collectible hybrid that oozes with style and retro charm.
