Z-Warp

If you're a fan of 2D shoot 'em ups, then chances are you have a favorite developer. Some people love Treasure, because of games like Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun, while others prefer Cave, Compile or even Toaplan. Lately, I've fallen in love with a relatively young shoot 'em up developer named Panda Indie Studio, which burst onto the scene with games like Red Death, Void Gore and Null Drifter. Their newest horror-themed action game is Z-Warp, another stylish throwback that puts the "hell" back into the term bullet hell shooter. Is this Panda's best effort yet? Find out now when I review Z-Warp, out now on pretty much every modern console.

It's the year 21XX and humanity has created a ship capable of space-time warping, allowing us to explore even further reaches of the solar system. Unfortunately, it's immediately lost to the unknown depths of space, with little more than a distress signal left to remind us it ever existed. Now it's up to the most-accomplished pilot of the Z-Division fighter jet to locate the experimental ship and bring back the black box for investigation. What they don't know is that they are headed straight to the alien's heart ... as well as its head, arteries and stomach.

This is the type of vertical shoot 'em up that knows that more than anything else, you want to feel powerful. And let me tell you, right from the moment you hold that fire button down and see the epic, alien-killing beam shooting from your ship, you definitely feel powerful. What's cool is how Z-Warp gives you the option to either use that mega beam by holding the button down, or you can tap fire to perform a useful spread shot. There are reasons to use both attacks, especially when it comes to dodging the enemy fire. You'll quickly find that the giant beam with significantly slow down your ship, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on the situation.

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The other thing you need to know is that a lot of the gameplay revolves around a killer bomb that will destroy everything within a small radius. What I love about this bomb is that it's unlimited. Oh sure, there's a cool down window and the longer you wait the bigger the radius is going to be, but you'll never run out of these bombs, and that's a good thing. This is how you'll cut through the relentless enemy fire, giving the player a fair chance against the bullet hell onslaught. I like how the game forces you to use the bombs frequently and strategically. The way you open up paths gives this shooter a fresh and unique take on the formula, and I especially like the way they incorporate that into the boss fights.

Speaking of which, the bosses and enemies are exactly what we've come to expect from Panda. Z-Warp has a body theme, and most of the bad guys reflect an aspect of that. You'll go up against beating hearts, blood vessels, eyeballs, skeletons, brains and so much more. While a lot of this could be considered horror, Z-Warp is a lot less gory and gruesome than what we've seen in some of Panda's previous shooters. That said, they are no less creative.

When it comes to game modes, Z-Warp is fairly barebones. You can play through the game on the easy, medium or hardcore difficulty, or you can check out the endless mode, where the game just keeps getting tougher the longer you survive. While still challenging on easy, I would say that bomb makes this game a lot more accessible for new and casual shoot 'em up fans. Each difficulty does a good job of getting you prepared for the next challenge, and I found learning the levels and mastering the game to be both satisfying and rewarding. Repeating the process and making multiple shoot 'em ups has allowed Panda to really hone their craft and balance the game in ways that most other developers might not think of. You can see them getting better and better with each new release, which makes me excited to see what comes next.

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That said, I do wish the stages were longer and more involved than they are. I've had this complaint with some of Panda's past games, too. It can sometimes feel like they are in a rush to get to the boss fight, where I would prefer to slow down and get more of the level. It's especially annoying in this game, because Panda flirts with puzzle elements in some of the stages. It would have been fun to flesh out these ideas in longer and more drawn-out levels. Even by shoot 'em up standards, this is a short one. On the other hand, it's only $7, so the short length is a little easier to swallow.

Even if I would have preferred longer levels and more modes, Z-Warp is easy to recommend because it looks great and is fun to play. I love the art style and pixel characters on display here, and the atmospheric levels do a great job of setting a mood. This is what Panda is best at, and they did not disappoint. The gorgeous throwback visuals are only second to the fun and always-exciting gameplay. Between the massive beam you shoot and the unlimited bombs you drop, it's impossible to not feel powerful, especially when you're successfully weaving through the hundreds of bullets that clog the screen. This is yet another great game from Panda, one of my all-time favorite shoot 'em up makers.