Tesla vs. Lovecraft Review - Many weapons and perks

braini (61)in #gaming • 6 years ago (edited)

10tons games do not always have to be as original to generate interest among gamers. According to the developer, a well-developed game without too many new bells and whistles is just as much fun as a title that makes major innovations. They have already proven with earlier titles that this is indeed the case, including JYDGE . With their newest game they happily continue on the same foot. Tesla vs Lovecraft is a twin-stick shooter without fuss and it is also offered for a reasonable price in the PlayStation Store. Does 10tons again score with a 'simple' game?

Nice and simple

As the developer has already promised, the principle of Tesla vs Lovecraft is very simple. There are different levels available and in each of them you have to kill everything that moves. As you might expect from a twin stick shooter, you control your character with the left analog stick and aim with the right. You also have the option to teleport in a short distance and you can, if you can find the relevant parts in a level, use a mech for a short time. The control is therefore simple and happy, it also reacts as it should. Tesla is very agile and listens perfectly to your commands. The action itself also runs smoothly, but will very sporadically show small hitches. However, this is so minimal that it absolutely does not stand in the way of gaming pleasure.

Make your choice

What makes the gaming fun increase is the way you level. In each level there is a meter that fills every victim you make. Is this maximum filled? Then you can upgrade your character. You then get a choice of two perks and you are obliged to choose one. For example, you can run faster or bullets focus more damage. If you have reached a level, you simply start again. Previous perks are therefore not included. Gradually you will unlock new perks, which will come in handy or will not have the impact you want. So at each level you have to wait for which perks you have the choice if you level. You can not always provide your character with the possibilities you want, so you will sometimes have to adjust.

Extra motivation

There are also crystals to earn, which you can exchange for buffs, including the longer use of a mech. You earn these crystals by defeating large numbers of each type of monster. It takes a while before you can buy your first buff, but the advantage is that these are permanent and therefore not, like the perks, after one level gone away again. This gives extra motivation to attack enemies. Also, the variety of perks and weapons is quite large, so you can kill your enemies in different ways. Now there are unfortunately not too many different monsters present in the game, so in terms of variation it is a bit scanty. You often get to see the same creatures and you quickly know what to expect from them in terms of attacks. If this was the only downside, it would not have been very bad.

Catch Me If You Can

The biggest problem with Tesla vs. Lovecraft is that the enemies that are there, all behave the same. For everyone, they follow you, but never are faster than you. You can easily use this, because simply by walking around in a circle you can get as good as any level. Occasionally you will have to make use of the possibility to teleport, but mainly you will always travel the same route and you will not be touched. This could have been prevented by good level design, but that is not the case either. The environments allow us to use the aforementioned tactics. You can play Tesla vs Lovecraft in one go and that will take around one and a half hours. That is not long, of course, even for a 15 euro game.

It will be better

Now, after playing the game, parallel worlds are present that serve the same levels, but it is a little more challenging and an opportunity to earn extra crystals is added. Here the game is a bit more fun, because here you have to occasionally deviate from your path, simply because of the larger numbers of enemies. However, here too, running in rounds is largely the best way to reach each level. In any case, you play missions that you have already done before and that will be a bit repetitive, even though the game will play nicely. Nevertheless, it is a strange experience that a game gets better after you finish it. Now you also have the option to play Tesla vs Lovecraft in co-op with up to four players. This creates some extra variation and especially in the last alternative world you need an extra hand. It is unfortunate that this can only be done locally and not online.

Not special

What is also unfortunate is that no more has been done with the setting. The combination of Nikola Tesla with HP Lovecraft had almost infinite potential, but very little has been done with it. As you have already read, the variation in samples is very limited, but they do not look strange to Lovecraft. Also the worlds in which you experience your adventures are not very special. With Lovecraft you expect bizarre environments, but you will not encounter them in this game. Also the story that the game has been given is meaningless and could just as well have been omitted. Nobody had missed this and the minute cut scenes. In that respect, Tesla is better represented by the large number of firing irons that often have to do with electricity.

Conclusion

Tesla vs Lovecraft at first sight everything for a good twin-stick shooters. The controls are fine, the action is fast and hundreds of enemies are sent to your side per level. In addition, the leveling of your character is dealt with in a fun way. Unfortunately, you soon notice that the variety of enemies is rather small and that these are relatively easy to avoid, thanks to the level design. You can play the game in one go and that does not take long. Now there are still more difficult levels, which also offer a bit more challenge and therefore are more fun, but here too the aforementioned tactic often works best. And that simply does not benefit the game. That's a great pity, because Tesla vs Lovecraft is playing deliciously.

The Plus and Minus Points

✔ The main character is fine to control
✔ Action goes smoothly
✔ Nice way of leveling your character
✔ Many weapons and perks
✖ Variation of enemies limited
✖ Attack patterns easily exploit enemies
✖ No online co-op
✖ Short playing time

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!