Ahead of the curve

I’m usually not a huge fan of ‘bullet hell’ games just because at this point in my life I don’t want to struggle in a game. They are usually ‘one hit’ and I’m dead affairs and I don’t need that frustration, so when I first started up Curved Space and realized what it was I was initially worried. However, after spending some time with the game, not only was I foolish to worry but I had a great deal of fun in this high-octane, twin stick shooter.

Curved Space as I said is an “intense arcade-style twin-stick shooter” that starts off with the usual formula of the genre but quickly shakes up the meta with its extremely unique level design. You see, “curved space” isn’t just the name of the game it’s the concept baked into its DNA. Each level is always a unique, twisting, bendy shape that as I flew up and over the walls to the underside I would catch a glimpse of a breathtaking vista of space. If you suffer from any sort of motion sickness, this game might not be for you. Because the levels are all curved, it means players will move in all directions. They will flip to the underside of what’s currently the ground, they will climb walls and bounce off guardrails. The experience can be extremely disorienting, especially when they throw in the fact that I have to be dodging bullets. As I said though the vistas and views of the various areas of space players are in are quite beautiful. Purple hues against the black of space all dotted with stars and even planets, its all a sight to behold.

MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: XSX (reviewed), XSS, XB1, PS4, PS5
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

But of course, getting in the way of all this beauty is the spiders. Bright colored, space arachnoids who are hunted as fuel after we wonderful humans used up our earthly resources. The spiders come in various sizes from baby to gigantic, and with each comes a different tactic to eradicate them. The game has epic boss fights as well that players will confront towards the end of each level. It’s usually just a super-sized version of one of the enemy types that they just obliterated. Luckily, Curved Space has a really compelling and sometimes weird array of weapons to help players do just that. They will find the usual blasters, shotguns, and rockets. But among all of those, the ‘Scorpion” which is literally a laser-y blue version of a scorpion’s tail that one can poke their enemy’s with. Also, there is the “Sandblaster” which rapidly fires little blue, green particles that look like…well a sandblaster.

It was a lot of fun trying all the various weapons to defeat the various spiders. The game allows players to hold two weapons at once, with only the heavy hitting guns needing ammo. One is like mini rockets, or sniper shots which do a great deal of damage but require that players watch their ammo. When killing bosses at the end of each level they will drop various upgrades that can be pick up. These will give more health, or more ammo for weapons. Killing normal spiders and other enemies will drop health as well as ammo refills, which players will need for those big guns. There is even a “leash” ability that allows players to leash an enemy in front and then release it to leash another. I had a chain of 10 spiders all wriggling around on my leash waiting for the sweet release of death.

With more than a few modes available there will be lots to keep fans occupied for some time. I was surprised to find that the game had a rather good campaign mode. Typically, with these games you are jockeying for leaderboard position; which is in in this but the campaign mode gives a branching story that lets players “choose their own adventure” and will really amp up the replay value of the game. Other modes include a ‘Daily Run’ which changes from day to day and allows players to play a random level on hard for bragging rights.

Arena, Survival and Endless modes round out the experience, so as you can see, there is something for everyone…even if you want a quick game. All in all, I came away impressed with this game, will it make me a convert to ‘bullet hell’ types? No, but it will be a nice change of pace between some of my other games. If you are just looking for some frantic, twin stick action that will test your reflexes as well as your resolve then look no further than the beautiful landscapes and twisty levels of Curved Space.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.