A fantastic, nostalgic retro-style horizontal shoot ‘em up | Full Review - Black Paradox

Black Paradox is a retro-styled horizontal scrolling rogue-lite shoot 'em up that brings back the nostalgia of the arcade games from the 80s and 90s.

🟩Pros

+Pumping electronic soundtrack

+Stunning pixel art

+Fun and challenging rogue-lite gameplay

🟥Cons

-Touch controls are a little unresponsive

Developed by Fantastico Studio and published by Digerati, this game features beautiful a pixel art, pumping electronic soundtrack, and fast-paced gameplay that will keep your fingers sweating. It is available on a multiple of platforms, but this Full Review is focusing on the Mobile version only.

The soundtrack is the best thing about this game

One of the first things that stands out in Black Paradox is the amazing soundtrack that captures the essence of the 80s with its 8-bit sounding electro-techno music.

In addition, the retro pixel art is amazing and visually appealing with even a matching CRT filter included, even from the intricately animated explosion sprites to the cyberpunk looking Hellraisers bosses. The cosmic space backgrounds are detailed and immersive, with various elements that give off a lot of atmosphere, or lack thereof since it's in… outer space.

Gameplay Analysis

In Black Paradox, you play as the titular bounty hunter named Black Paradox, who must eliminate the seven leaders of the criminal organization Hellraisers. You control a Delorean-turned-spaceship equipped with powerful weapons, flying through levels filled with enemies and obstacles.

The enemies come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they shoot different types of bullets, creating a bullet-hell experience that requires you to dodge and weave through the onslaught of projectiles.

The game is difficult and requires the use of both hands to play. The left hand is used to move the ship and activate a special ability, while the right hand is used to shoot and change weapons. Across levels, you can find and equip up to two weapons at a time, including boomerangs, shotguns, and rocket launchers.

The special ability activated by double tapping the left hand side of the screen calls for a backup with a random weapon that will help you especially when overwhelmed or in boss fights.

At the end of each level, you are presented with two upgrade options that allow you to improve your ship's stats or add modifiers that can change the game's behavior. These upgrades are essential to surviving the later levels and boss battles, and they can dramatically alter the way you play the game. Persistent upgrades come in the form of spaceship/car modifications that are purchasable using credits accumulated in runs.

The game is short, even with the high degree of difficulty. It is beatable in a day or two, especially once you’ve accumulated lots of cash to spend on persistent upgrade and are familiar with the enemy pattern and behavior.

Feature parity with the PC / console versions

One of the mobile version’s few drawbacks is the lack of a multiplayer mode. The PC and console versions of the game offer a 2-player co-op mode, but this feature is not available in the mobile version.

Additionally, the controls are not exactly responsive for the touchscreen, especially for right-handed players. The controls feel a bit unresponsive and there is a bit of input lag. No amount of sensitivity adjustment was able to fix it on my end. All of this combined results in an imprecise control scheme that will lead you to unnecessary damage, significantly increasing the difficulty. You are also prone to accidentally activate the special button because of the simplistic double-tap activation.

Conclusion:

Black Paradox is a fantastic retro-style horizontal shoot ‘em up that brings back the nostalgia of the arcade games of the past. The game features a pumping electronic soundtrack, stunning pixel art, and fast-paced rogue-lite gameplay. Despite some issues with the controls, this game is still a solid entry into rogue-lite shoot 'em ups.