Polybius is the latest trance-shooter from the creators of Tempest 2000 and TxK, Llamasoft.
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Don't play this if your eyes are sensitive.
Tempest was one of the games that inspired the Polybius story, so perfect for Jeff Minter and Llamasoft, creators of Tempest 2000 and TxK, to work on an "official" version. It's distinct from those though, being more like a traditional rail shooter than Tempest's fixed Tube Shooter style. Rather than overt evil, this goes for visual overstimulation. A normal video game that makes me feel the way this game does would be negative, but this turns that feeling into an art. Separating the noise from the signal is the challenge of this game, while still having a mechanically solid game underneath. Of course, there were definitely times when I had no idea what made me die and I repeated stages without knowing what was going on multiple times in a row, but I was able to persevere. Soundtrack's great as usual too. Normal VR makes me feel sick so I wouldn't dare try this game's VR mode even if I had a headset.
I only cleared Normal mode. Pure and YOLO mode are definitely not for me. Not even just out of difficulty, I'm also worried my eyes would hurt.
Tempest was one of the games that inspired the Polybius story, so perfect for Jeff Minter and Llamasoft, creators of Tempest 2000 and TxK, to work on an "official" version. It's distinct from those though, being more like a traditional rail shooter than Tempest's fixed Tube Shooter style. Rather than overt evil, this goes for visual overstimulation. A normal video game that makes me feel the way this game does would be negative, but this turns that feeling into an art. Separating the noise from the signal is the challenge of this game, while still having a mechanically solid game underneath. Of course, there were definitely times when I had no idea what made me die and I repeated stages without knowing what was going on multiple times in a row, but I was able to persevere. Soundtrack's great as usual too. Normal VR makes me feel sick so I wouldn't dare try this game's VR mode even if I had a headset.
I only cleared Normal mode. Pure and YOLO mode are definitely not for me. Not even just out of difficulty, I'm also worried my eyes would hurt.
An outstanding expression of Llamasoft's ideas. A game of high-velocity puzzles, signs, geometry, and psychedelia that often turns into vibes-based navigation and tests of nerve. The game's speed, depth, and effects are intense in VR while still being readable flat. A few levels towards the end buckle under their own weight in that their mechanics don't quite mesh with how the game is otherwise played, but the finale makes up for it. Level 50, that very last one, is a glorious send-off.
Playing this will overstimulate your brain in the best way possible. Unfortunately I gave up at the 32nd lvl because it become very irritating to figure out what to pay attention to while lasers fly at your head every second taking off your shields in a flash. I’ve never been one for leaderboards so I was okay to call it quits.
I think it's Jeff Minter's best game. Everything about this game, the visual, and music just flawlessly connect with each other, and his aesthetic really shines here
In my opinion, Jeff Minter's finest work. It hits the sweet spot of his methods of game control and his overwhelming aesthetic, and in a stroke of genius co-opts one of the biggest urban legends in videogame history to create a game that, if it had released in 1980 or whatever, legitimately could have killed someone that wasn't ready to see what games were going to become after pong. This is game is the payoff to years of being a fan of Jeff Minter's games.
A fun go-very-fast game that started doing my head in while trying to needle-thread my way through all the bull-horn gates as you're encouraged to do. Would like to try again because the sense of speed is IMMENSE but I need some patience first. I'm still barely good enough at TxK as it is.
Big shoutout to Trent Reznor for requesting to have a fucking Llamasoft game feature massively in a Nine Inch Nails music video. Glad he's still a big arcade nerd all these years later.
Big shoutout to Trent Reznor for requesting to have a fucking Llamasoft game feature massively in a Nine Inch Nails music video. Glad he's still a big arcade nerd all these years later.