The era of remastered games is well and truly underway. However, many of these great titles don’t need to be revisited. The wonderful graphics and excellent stories still look as good today as they ever did. Yet, the older games could do with a modern polish. So when I was offered Black Widow: Recharged, I was intrigued. I have recently enjoyed looking at Centipede: Recharged, so I was hoping this would also capture that old-school charm.
Developed by Adamvision Studios and SneakyBox and published by Atari, this is a classic twin-stick shooter. Relying on moreish action and fast-paced gameplay, this is an arcade staple. Its unforgiving mechanics and difficult challenge mode will punish the best and most hardy of veteran gamers.
Black Widow: Recharged is annoyingly good.
When I played Centipede: Recharged I was dubious that the same team of developers would recreate the brilliance of the original, I was wrong. When I loaded into Black Widow: Recharged, I was less sceptical, and wow, they didn’t disappoint me. The madness of the gameplay is infuriatingly good thanks to the thirty challenges, couch co-op, and endless arcade mode.
Every ounce of your being desperately wants to top the leaderboard and get the high score. Yet, every flying critter you face has different plans. These exploding and fast-moving nightmares stop you in your tracks and kill you instantly. The pain of missing out on the top spot is enough to make you scream or cry, yet you brush yourself down and go again.
No story, but who cares!
If you love your story-driven games and deep emotional scripts, you’re not getting that here. Black Widow: Recharged has only one concern, the destruction of every bug. Whether it’s mosquitoes, hornets, flies, or more, you’ll keep shooting until you can’t shoot any more.
The titular black widow is the beast you control. This aggressive arachnid is strong as hell but lacks health. His flaws require you to plan your approach, as going out all guns blazing is a sure-fire recipe for disaster. You must utilise the many power-ups that the glowing bugs drop when they are shot. You’ll collect rapid-fire, acid shots, the ability to slow time, and so forth. There is also the chance to fire a deadly web that kills everything in its path.
The volume of weapons at your disposal, combined with the variety of foes you face, makes each encounter fascinating. With enemies flying in from any direction and obstacles repeatedly blocking your path, victory is hard-fought, but oh so rewarding.
Black Widow: Recharged has a brilliant modern look.
Though all the mechanics and core ideas are the same, the finished product looks amazing. Its contrasting tones are striking and the use of explosives and vivid colours make each element stand out. The fixed screen perspective captures all the hectic action within its small viewing window and this was excellent. With everything squeezed into one tiny space, it was brilliantly claustrophobic and confusing to look at. Subsequently, this increased the challenge and added to the frustration. Moreover, the small screen captured the arcade vibe, keeping it faithful to the original.
The desire to stick to the original format continued in the high-energy and shrill synth audio. The loud aggressive music combined with ear-splitting sound effects creates an uncomfortable but brilliant gaming experience.
Point and shoot.
I haven’t always seen eye to eye with twin-stick shooters. However, Black Widow: Recharged is simple to play. Its lack of complexity allows you to focus on the overwhelming waves of enemies instead of the button layout. Subsequently, this allows veteran and new gamers to enjoy the fun while levelling the difficulty curve.
The ease at which you can play this is great, but what makes it moreish is the thirty challenges you must overcome. Furthermore, you’ll adore the incentive to top the leaderboard and the ability to play with friends. Fortunately, every playthrough is unique and you choose how you wish to take down your foes.
Black Widow: Recharged brings arcade gaming to modern consoles.
I loved Centipede: Recharged and Black Widow: Recharged is just as good! Its hectic gameplay, striking graphics, and addictive content will keep you playing for hours. Its simple yet challenging approach brings arcade fun to modern consoles, and I loved it. It’s hard and frustrating, but I recommend you to buy it here! Pick up the power-ups, dodge your foes, and aim for the high score.
