Entertainment is supposed to be wholesome and enjoyable for everyone. Yes, there can be laughter at people’s expense, but everyone must get something out of it. Our future selves are depicted as getting a thrill out of killing and maiming one another. Films like; Running Man or The Hunger Games show our lust for blood and murder. Then there is the classic game Smash TV that depicts one man’s attempt to survive a barrage of attacks. The future is a scary and sick place if any of these ideas become reality! Galaxy Champions TV is the latest title to follow this thought process, and you are left vying for your life while entertaining a screaming audience.
Developed by aQuadian Games and published by Silesia Games, this is a top-down, closed arena shooter. It’s a modern take on Smash TV and fans of that title will love the up-to-date aesthetics and fast-paced action. The future is a brutal place and people will do anything to become rich and famous. Surviving the arena is difficult, but if you live, you will be wealthy and adored by your many fans.
Galaxy Champions TV is a wonderfully simple concept.
What makes Galaxy Champions TV so great is the simplicity of its core concept. You enter each arena with a machine gun or any weapon you have scavenged. Waves of enemies are released from any of the four doors and you must mow them down to win. This is the game, nothing complex, no in-depth lore, just kill or be killed. It’s easy to understand and bloody marvellous to play.
Bullets fly left, right, and centre and you quickly become overrun by the hordes of enemies you face. Their projectiles zip around the stage, and you must be fast on your feet to survive. You’ll be blessed with new weapons and power-ups to help you. A stopwatch, health boosts, and more can be collected. You must destroy the hovering robots and collect the weapons they drop. These androids are essential to your victory, as the extra firepower will turn the battle in your favour.
Not only are you granted new weapons, but you also have upgrades available at the end of each stage. You may choose from the limited options; upgraded weapons, ricochet bullets, faster movement, increased speed or health, and so on. Your basic warrior quickly becomes a super-powerful menace. However, you soon realise that your jump in strength is minimal as your enemies are also getting stronger. The balance in gameplay is great and at no point does it feel like a walk in the park.
Monstrous enemies and enormous bosses.
You are expected to survive four worlds, each containing a unique arena and six hectic stages. Once you clear each one, you will face a boss battle. As you slowly work through the levels, you’ll work out tactics that ensure you survive. The arenas are small, open planned, and laced with bombs that will blow up whenever you touch them. They are obvious to see so the danger you’ll trip them is minimal. It was a shame the developers didn’t make more of these hazardous objects and it would have been nice to avoid spikes or falling debris. If there were more traps it would have added extra layers of danger and another tactical element to the crazy gameplay.
With a lack of environmental dangers, you must focus your energy on defeating your angry foes. As the game progresses, you’ll see a growing roster of warriors. Basic grunts, samurai, exploding turtles, hulking beasts, and so forth. It soon becomes a nightmare and you run around in circles like a headless chicken. Once you’ve destroyed each opponent, you are rewarded with a boss battle. Four must be killed to be crowned champion, and each has unique powers and abilities that you must study and avoid. Their methods of attack lack complexity, but it takes times to learn the best way to defeat them. Death is guaranteed, but you’ll come back stronger.
Galaxy Champions TV has a polished old-school look.
Viewed from a top-down perspective this fixed screen arena shooter is easy on the eye. With its polished old-school aesthetic and soft pixelated look, it offers enough for old and new gamers alike. Each arena has a unique colour and style, but they all appear similar. This matters not as the action is hectic and you’ll have little time to admire the landscape. The later levels become a quagmire of bullets and bodies and I was impressed there were no issues.
Though the graphics were given a modern touch, the audio is stuck in the 80s. This is not a bad thing as the upbeat aggressive synth-wave funk works perfectly. The high-energy soundtrack blended with the OTT sound effects was fantastic. I particularly loved the screams from the audience as you moved through the arenas. The audio isn’t complex in its approach but it matches the theme and genre to a tee.
An easy twin-stick shooter to be played alone or with a friend.
If you follow my reviews you’ll know I’m not the best at twin-stick shooters. Fortunately, Galaxy Champions TV is simple to control. You can dash, move, or shoot, and that is all. aQuadian Games were so confident of its simplicity that no tutorial is offered. The lack of button choices makes this great to play, and I enjoyed jumping straight into the action.
Running around an arena killing people is a timeless endeavour. To ensure you don’t get bored though, there are several difficulty options, couch co-op, and a champion mode. The couch co-op is brilliant fun if not a little stressful. Mowing down enemies with a friend or significant other becomes heated quickly. You get in each other’s way and tactics go out the window, so there is likely to be bloodshed at home and on the screen. The champion mode is as brutal as can be and is reserved for hardcore gamers. One life, one chance, and completing it is bloody hard work. A tough achievement list requires patience, skill, and a lot of luck!
Galaxy Champions TV is gory, fast-paced, and mindless fun.
I loved Smash TV, so I was always going to enjoy this. With plenty of blood, overpowered weapons, upgrades, and power-ups, the gameplay always feels fresh. A well-balanced approach keeps the difficulty in check ensuring you can’t steamroll your way to victory. If you love gratuitous violence, twin-stick shooters, or arcade games, buy this here! It was brilliant and I recommend you try it. Bloodlust and violence are all the rage, and money and fame are what you desire. Jump into the arena, defeat your opponents, and become the champion!
