Operius DX is a new retro-styled shooter that is out now on Steam with an imminent Switch port coming. We’ve been putting it through its paces and have to say that Operius DX is a fine retro blaster. It uses simple gameplay tropes in ingenious ways to create a compelling arcade experience that veterans and newcomers can enjoy from the outset. Operius DX isn’t trying to rewrite the genre, it isn’t trying to add layers of complexity or features; it just takes everything great about vector-style shmups and puts them into a modern game.
Developer Distant Illusions has described Operius DX as “the ultimate evolution of the popular, retro-inspired, high-speed arcade shooter Operius.” If you aren’t sure what Operius is, don’t fret; it was a tech demo title made in ten days during the Opera GX Game Jam in 2021. Now skip forward to 2025, and the game has been polished up, extra features added, and is now, what the developer hopes, is the definitive version of this homage to classics like Tempest.
The gameplay in Operius DX couldn’t be more straightforward. Get in your ship, hold the fire button, and swing around left or right in a tunnel that continuously moves forward, throwing waves of procedurally generated enemies at you. The objective in each section is to hit five level-ups in a row. Hitting all five targets will automatically end the current section, and you will move on to the next. If you perform particularly well, you may have the chance to grab a power-up item such as an extra shield or support turret for your craft.
It all sounds so simple, and for the most part, it is. As you get through each level-up, your craft will speed up, and your rate of fire, as well as its power, will increase. If you miss one of the targets, however, you are reduced by one level-up and will have to survive again to keep building your levels. It’s ingenious and so streamlined that the gameplay loop can be accessed by gamers of all levels. Veterans will love chasing the high score and seeing how far they can get without dying, newcomers will appreciate the no-nonsense approach that just requires you to keep getting better.
As with any good arcade game, the game starts fairly easy to navigate, but the difficulty incline starts to hit almost vertical. This is just one of those titles that you’ll need to keep practising and improving on. Luckily, each time you finish a section, the game saves, and you can jump right back into the last level you were trying to get through. And because the sections are quite short, you never feel that you’ve wasted any time if you need to come back to it later.
We were trying to find any negatives to throw at Operius DX, with the only real one being how the level-up targets sometimes appear behind a wall or in a position that causes you to collide with an enemy. Although this sounds unfair, the sections are short enough that you just quickly dive back in and try again, without feeling cheated. It’s a lot of fun and is pure gameplay from the get-go due to the stripped-back nature of the controls and design. There is also a lot to unlock, including color palettes, new game modes, and new ship types.
The aesthetics in Operius DX are amazing, as is the soundtrack. Everything about this game screams vintage Jeff Minter, but there are enough original design elements that help it stand out. To keep the game fresh, different modes start to become available as you progress through the sections, and each one puts a new spin on the gameplay formula. These modes add some longevity to a game that could otherwise become repetitive. There are also great-looking bosses strewn throughout the sections that require different tactics and skills to beat; this feels like arcade gamer nirvana at times as you focus on the center and watch the waves descend.
Overall, considering the small cost, coming in at under $5, it’s hard not to recommend Operius DX to any gamer who loves arcade blasting. Everything from the controls to the incredible vector-style aesthetics has been well thought out by the developers, and this feels like a real bargain. Although we played the Steam version for this review, we could imagine this being the perfect Switch game for those quick blasts while out of the house. Bottom line is Operius DX is impressive given its price point and fun gameplay loop.
