‘FireFly Vegas’ Review – Twin Stick Arcade Light Show
FireFly Vegas is an abstract arcade-style shooter from fledgling developer Rockmint Studio. While at its heart a visually impressive light show, the game is also an entertaining and fun experience and ultimately a joy to play. However, while the overall package is good, the game does have its share of faults and limitations, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do and provides a genuinely rewarding overall experience.
To begin with, the visuals and sound design are very good and in truth are the highlight of this title. However, the visuals are also somewhat of a distraction due to what might be considered an overabundance of particle effects, which often creates confusion when trying to keep track of all of the actual on-screen enemies. Fortunately, this problem doesn’t make the game impossible to play or even to do well at, though it does mean the game requires the player to take careful note of everything that is happening around them.
The game features two different game modes, each with their own separate scoreboard, as well an alternate control scheme for both modes. These game modes are mostly fairly similar, though one, “Time Attack,” involves a set time limit, while the other, “Survival,” does not. The goal in both game types is to reach as high a score as possible by shooting enemies and collecting the points they drop. You’re given three lives with which to do this, and any enemy that comes in contact with your ship results in losing one of those three lives.
The controls for the game are a simple affair of moving with the left analog stick and firing in different directions with the right analog stick. Your main weapon can be upgraded by collecting powerups dropped by defeated enemies. All of these upgrades are much more useful than your basic shot, though players may find themselves preferring one type of powerup to another.
Outside of your main weapon, your ship is equipped with a limited number of bombs that can be detonated in a pinch using the right trigger, thus clearing out all enemies currently on the screen. You have only a set number of these bombs to begin with, though you can gain additional bombs through a powerup. There are also other powerups that provide shield benefits as well.
The game has a well-designed difficulty curve, starting off slow paced enough to let you get the hang of the controls before gradually intensifying the difficulty. That said, when you lose a life you’re back to your default weapon but with still the same amount of enemies that were attacking you before, which can often lead to a quick game over. The experience is also somewhat marred by the occasional cheap deaths due to the particle effects problem and some particularly hard to spot and hard to kill enemies.
On the plus side, even with the cheap-deaths, a game over screen is oftentimes incentive enough to give it another go in an attempt to improve your previous score. So, in the end, the game is certainly a very addictive little title and the visuals and sound always a joy to experience again. A little more variety or depth to the game modes might have stretched the enjoyment of this game a bit further, though it is still an enjoyable and fun experience and a solid enough entry for Rockmint’s first outing.
FireFly Vegas is available now on for 240 MS points and can be purchased from the Xbox Live Markeplace. For further information about the game visit Rockmint’s Official Site.
Review summary Pros:
Excellent visuals and sound design; challenging and addictive gameplay
Cons:
Limited game modes; occasional cheap deaths
Rating: 71%
