086
REVIEW
INFO FORMATPUB KALYPSO MEDIA PS4 ETA OUT NOW DEV LIMBIC ENTERTAINMENTTROPICO 6
Puts the lime in the coconut
W
ith Tropico 6, another instalment of
the city-building heavyweight makes
its way to PS4 to let you experience
the joys of dictatorship. New developer
Limbic Entertainment doesn’t change much
about the classic formula – this is still a
city-builder in which you mostly make nice
with several political factions warring for
dominance on your archipelago, and build
relationships with international powers via
trade routes and other business contracts.
The interface is inherited from Tropico 5.
You select maps and building tools from a
ring menu, which you navigate with the right
analogue stick. Thumbing through submenus,
for example to select a specific type of
plantation or look further into the stats of
a building, is done using the buttons on the
D-pad. Outside of menus, you use the D-pad
for slowing or accelerating time, which you
will do frequently. After a short settling-in
period the controls work well; the only gripe
we have is that text and display sizes aren’t
ideal, forcing you to zoom in a lot before you
can confidently build something.^1
Tropico 6 isn’t just the best-looking
Tropico yet, it also constitutes a franchise
‘best of’, doing away with some elements
that didn’t quite work, such as Tropico 5’s
expansive dynasty system, and reviving
others, like the pirate cove that makes a
comeback from Tropico 2, adding a fun
layer of corporate espionage to later
eras. With each map consisting of three
islands, a large variety of buildings, and 30
story missions,^2 there’s more to do than
ever, which makes it ideal for
beginners to the series. Just
don’t expect innovation over
previous Tropicos or similar
games. Malindy HetfeldFOOTNOTES 1 Especially roads – building like wonky pasta because
you’re relying on sheer luck is a pain. 2 Create a society with a high
crime rate! Have everyone live in shacks! Build islands full of football!INFO FORMATPUB ANNAPURNA INTERACTIVE PS4 ETA OUT NOW DEV SIMOGOSAYONARA WILD
HEARTS
Hello crazy diamonds
G
iven that each stage is a music track,
you’d expect this to be a rhythm
game. And indeed it is... to a certain
extent. At other moments, it’s a shoot-`em-
up, a runner, even a driving game. The top
line is that the visuals and animation are
beautiful, and the music tracks are bangers.
But this game is mostly for those who will
find those two things enough.
You play as a woman with a broken heart
who, Sailor-Moon-style, awakens as The
Fool, and is tasked with defeating ‘Wild
Hearts’.^1 Each stage plays out to a different
pulse-pounding track, and you mostly zip
along collecting hearts and diamonds for
points. Just as you’re beginning to settle
into the style of a stage, it usually ends (only
a few of the levels are of any real length),
often leaving you reaching to connect to its
constantly changing styles and perspectives.
While the stages do follow the beat of
each track to an extent, Sayonara Wild
Hearts doesn’t impart the tactile feeling
of connecting to the music you might have
become used to from other rhythm games.^2
There are so many collectables littering
the track you’re clearly not meant to pick
them all up – you’re mostly just moving
forwards – so you don’t get that sensation
of hitting things to a beat, rare occasions
aside. Despite the frantic nature of the game
suggesting pushing you forward is its main
motivation, some sections do have a death
mechanic that sets you back to a checkpoint.
It’s a fun ride full of spectacle, but messy
to the point where you can
struggle to connect, never
really committing to pursuing
either experience or gameplay.
Oscar Taylor-KentFOOTNOTES 1 It’s also a thinly-veiled metaphor – which may very
well give you ‘the feels’. 2 Mastering each track will take time and
dedication, which is worth it if you love the music.INFO FORMATPUB KONAMI PS4 DEVETA TOYLOGIC, KONAMIOUT NOWCONTRA: ROGUE
CORPS
Pandering to a base instinct
P
ut down your pitchfork and pick up
your pad – this retro-inspired sequel
isn’t the (total) wretch we expected.
Adopting the controls of twin-stick
shooters, Contra: Rogue Corps puts you
up against waves of zombies, mechanical
monsters, and bulbous, vomiting aliens. Just
surviving is your first aim, then you want
to rack up the combo kills, chase the loot,
and do it in style. The oddball characters – a
ninja girl with an alien in her abdomen and a
cyborg panda – grab the headlines, but it’s
the gunplay grind that keeps you hooked.
Story mode can be played alone or in four-
player co-op and mixes a variety of mission
styles, from wave rooms to explorable
dungeons to screen-filling boss fights that
tease the series’ roots.^1 Controls are tight
and there’s a tactical edge to the action – as
weapons overheat hot-swapping between
your two guns becomes essential.
Between missions you can develop new
weapons^2 and upgrades using loot, or
visit the doc, who’ll implant your hero with
new brains, organs, and skeletons. It’s fun
experimenting with the weird weapons, and
combined with the wave-shooter setup and
weirdo enemies it feels like series director
and senior producer Nobuya Nakazato has
been dining out on Earth Defense Force.
Is this enough to overcome the scrappy
visuals and repetition? Not quite. The
addition of a couch-play co-op mode with
its own story is nice, but the procedurally
generated maps lack the finesse of the
main story. Rogue Corps is an
odd release. It’s not Contra
enough for fans but just about
fun enough for the casual
shooter crowd. Ian DeanFOOTNOTES 1 The camera shifts to a side-on view and a ‘gallery
shooting’ mode that apes the boss fights of the original Contra.
2 Weapons vary from lasers to rocket launchers.