Cryptark made its debut on PlayStation 4, naturally bringing with it the balancing improvements made by the developers over the months, the new weapons, the new enemies, the new Pioneer Suit and extra modes that enrich the experience. Compared to the preliminary version was also added a simple narrative introduction on the mission in which we are about to embark: one of the most impressive stellar corporations has set its sights on a huge wreck and recalled its best predators because they reach it, grabbing all the resources possible. A real treasure hunt, however, made complex by the presence of a myriad of security systems, as well as by an obligatory path that will take us to visit five different abandoned stations before being able to face the legendary Cryptark.
PUT THE SUIT ON WHEN YOU GO OUT
The Cryptark formula has therefore remained unchanged, with a gameplay characterized by an absolutely non-trivial level of challenge, although there is the feeling that the authors have “softened” a bit ‘experience in certain situations.
The base is that of a tough and ruthless twin stick shooter, in which we control an exoskeleton equipped with customizable weapons, energy shields and extra devices to be equipped during the briefing that precedes each shipment.
During the campaign, which can also be tackled in a cooperative with a friend, but only locally, we will have to select one of the seven available Pioneer Suit (to unlock them you will need to collect a certain number of artifacts), each equipped with unique skills, and face a sequence composed of a total of six “stops”, the last of which is represented precisely by Cryptark, a space wreck of disproportionate size.
Each of the missions can be modulated in terms of difficulty, in the sense that we are given the opportunity to choose between four different ships abandoned, each with a degree of challenge and a different reward. The “permanent death” factor in the game is made relatively permissive:
if we are killed but we still have credits, we can start again from the last step of the campaign, otherwise it will be game over and we will have to start all over again. The key to success is therefore to save money on equipment during initial missions and start investing only when really necessary, so as to guarantee at least a second chance in case of defeat.
SPACE, LAST BLASPHEMY
As said, Cryptark remains a very difficult game, an experience that conceptually recalls that of Galak-Z: The Dimensional , given the presence of scenarios generated by a procedural system that make each game different ,
while enjoying a control system much more permissive, devoid of inertial forces to be counterbalanced. This does not mean that the extraordinary
quantity and variety of enemies present within each space wreck will give us a lot of trouble, sometimes ringing and opening fire mercilessly, strong not only in number but also endowed with pattern d different attack, speed and energetic shields.
The work done by Alientrap on the front of hostile units is undoubtedly the flagship of this title, instilling in the player a real sense of tension because it is
not possible to know who we will face and when, if not checking the surveys on the map. Small detail: when we get to the Cryptark, the radar will be disturbed by a jammer and we will therefore proceed to groping, unveiling the huge wreck and its pitfalls piece by piece: a really complicated undertaking. Our goal will be in all
cases to destroy the core of the ship in which we are, but to do so we will first disable the shield system, the alarms and the mechanism that allows the various elements to restore automatically, each manned by a considerable amount of enemies, turrets and assorted threats. If then along the way we want to collect bonuses and clean up the map, so much in terms of credits, but the risks will be high.
