Grid Ranger is a fast-paced 3D shoot ‘em up that feels straight out of an arcade. The game is presented in vector graphics reminiscent of arcade games from the 80s. Along with the presentation, the game’s vaporwave aesthetic and heavy synth soundtrack makes it feel very unique in the shoot ‘em up genre. Grid Ranger was developed and published by Pixeljam on Steam and Itch.io.
Unique Controls
One of the unique aspects of Grid Ranger’s gameplay is the game is entirely mouse controlled. On the store page of the game, the devs promote the game to “level up your mouse dexterity”. I would have to agree on the statement just for the fact that I had to constantly steady my movement for certain segments of the game. Much of the game’s difficulty arises from controlling your character and avoiding projectiles and obstacles. I would constantly lose on levels where it involved a lot of precise dodging from obstacles. My downfall came in the form of twitchy mouse movements. Once you are focused and steady your hand movements, it feels incredibly satisfying to progress to the next portions of the game.
And since this is a shoot ‘em up, the firing is also interesting to discuss. Your character shoots from the front and both the left and right sides as well. These all shoot simultaneously, but the side shooting only really felt situational when going through levels. It only ever came into use when certain enemies attacked from the sides. However, these enemies are seldom seen and can be easily avoided by moving up.
Blasting Through a Retro-Future
The levels in Grid Ranger are both short and challenging. Levels are segmented into 3 different parts. The first segment is set at a fast-pace with an emphasis on dodging obstacles. Through those first segments, the boss, or Guardian, of the level appears only to throw projectiles at the player and leave. The second segment is slower paced, but there’s more of a focus on shooting enemies and destructible objects to make a path for yourself. Finally, the last segments are the Guardian fights. These can be pretty harrowing if not for the fact that if you die, you will have to start from the beginning of the level.
Although short, if you got your fill from the 3 main levels there is Hardcore mode. In this mode, you replay the main 3 levels, but there are some slight changes to the levels as well, such as the player character having 4 hit points instead of 3. The layouts of the levels are altered and sport a different background color to show it’s WAY more intense. But that intensity comes from the heightened speed and the increased amount of enemies and projectiles. If you thought Normal mode was difficult, Hardcore mode turns it up to an 11.
Lastly, there is the Infinite game mode. It is exactly what it sounds like. You play through an infinite gauntlet of the previously mentioned 3 level segments. It’s pretty fun if you’re someone who enjoys going for high scores.
Final Thoughts
Grid Ranger is a challenging shoot ‘em up with great visuals. Though harder to get used to, the mouse controls for this fast-paced shoot ‘em up was executed well. Unfortunately, the game is very short with only 3 levels. Grant it, the game is only $4 USD, so I wouldn’t expect a large amount of content. It only has the main 3 levels and an infinite mode, so there’s not a lot to do after playing through all of it. For what it is, it’s an enjoyable shoot ‘em up experience that had me coming back for more every time I died in a level.
