Review: Super Destronaut DX (Switch)

by Michael Brandse

Its space invaders!

Super Destronaut DX is an easy to explain game. Its space invaders! For those very few of you unfamiliar with that game, in space invaders there are invaders, and there is you. You shoot the invaders, that's all!

Now, it’s not entirely fair to call Super Destronaut DX a copy, because it does a lot of work updating the classic formula and adding some additional speed to it to give it a more modern arcade kind of feel. For instance, invaders come in different types, with their own particular way of shooting at the player. The player can have power-ups, temporarily giving the player powerful special weapon types. The biggest change however, is that sometimes, when invaders get destroyed, they turn into this grey version of themselves that falls down. This version cannot be damaged, making it a sort of shield for the remaining invaders. The same type of grey invaders can also come in from the background and if the player touches either one of those invaders, the player dies. It’s nothing too massive a change, but enough to add a tactical layer for some additional challenge. Basic game-play remains unchanged however, and it is still as addictive as it was so many years ago.

Graphics are also fine. It’s nothing you have never seen before, but the graphics and the visual effects get the job done. They are pleasing enough to look at and everything looks colorful. All particular invader types come with their own color, making it so you can quickly distinguish the various types.

 

The only thing I felt lacking was the content. I would have liked to see them do a bit more with the power ups, perhaps introduce bosses. While the game is challenging enough, you will quickly get used to the various invader types and wish there were more of them. Challenge mode serves as a nice alternative to the classic mode, but the more difficult challenges rely a bit too much on luck to be, well, challenging.

All in all, Super Destronauts DX is a solid game. It could do with a bit more content, but the core gameplay is addictive and fun. It’s a game where you will often think “one more time” only to find that you have already been playing for a full hour. 

Final score: 7.5