We recently brought you the news that UrbX Warriors, a new action adventure title in development for the Spectrum Next and PC, has smashed its crowdfunding target. Well, since then we’ve been playing the excellent demo and have a few words to say about it. Firstly, all those words are positive, as UrbX Warriors is shaping up to be a classic. Secondly, it’s worth mentioning that the Kickstarter is still running, and so plenty of time to pre-order a copy.
When you download the demo, there is a choice to install it on Windows or Mac, as well as load it into your Spectrum Next. Sadly, we don’t have a Spectrum Next to test this on, so we opted to try the PC version. The game recognised our Xbox controller right away, and we were soon blasting away on this lovely-looking pixel title. You have a choice of selecting Alejandro or Ramona, and start in a rocky area outside a temple with no weaponry.
You quickly discover a rudimentary crowbar that can be used to take out the slow-moving zombies in the first area. Each weapon has a limited use that requires players to wait until it recharges, and this is the same for guns, which you eventually find. This is a great gameplay mechanic that you need to be conscious of from the start, as constantly spamming the fire trigger will just mean your weapon’s energy depletes when you need it most.
The other aspect of UrbX Warriors that requires some strategy is when to use a vital key to open chests or doors. To find everything in a given area requires exploration, and you start to weigh up real risk-reward scenarios as to whether it is worth trying to unlock every chest. The rewards for doing so can be great, with more keys and goodies on offer, but the risk is that your precious life gauge may take a hit or even an untimely death that puts you back to the start of the level.
Once you start getting to grips with the gameplay loop in UrbX Warriors, you’ll be rushing around blasting enemies and collecting loot in no time. The controls work brilliantly with a simple action button to use weapons and a secondary button to switch between your collected weaponry. Running into a chest will automatically open it as long as you have a spare key and the walls that need destroying are clearly marked in the play field.
The standout aspect for us while we were building up our skills to get further into the demo was the beautiful pixel art. UrbX Warriors looks stunning, and the animations, sprites, and general presentation are a testament to the hard work the devs are putting into the game. There is also a tight experience in terms of collision detection, and there is a general feel of quality throughout. This is shaping up to be an excellent retro adventure that will please anyone who enjoys action-adventure titles.
