Meltdown

This game is great,

I played a lot of twin-sticks and top-down shooters etc and this one stands out as one of the most tight, simple-yet-deep and highly satisfying twin-sticks there is,

it's a lot more 'complex' than you'd expect in a twin-stick, but at the same time it's easy to pick up and accessible.

Probably one of the best twin-sticks ever made, it exceeds almost any other twin-stick in gun-play,

but it has it's own flaws (mainly repetitive looking stages and not too many guns etc) so it's not the best twin-stick of 'all time',

but one of the best ones for what it's trying to be.

Note one of the complexities of this game is that you actually can and should use 'cover',

it's not a gimmick like in most twin-stick shooters here it actually works, works good and needs to be used.

It's on the opposite spectrum of something like Robotron or Nex Machina,

it has twin-stick shooting action but requires thinking and even darey say, 'planning' to succeed.

Not only that but it has multiplayer (quite fun, I played co-op so far), upgradable guns and weapons etc.

It's a solid 25 dollar game easily, for less than 10 bucks it's practically a steal,

one of the best value games on steam for sure (!)

Great little isometric grindy shooter. I still play it occasionally since I got it AGES ago. Worked on steam deck but didn't have audio last I tried but I only tried one proton type, did the least effort possible really. It's still a tight little shooter that's easy to pick up for a quick play, def on the mobile games-side of quality compared to today's offerings, but it means it will work on your computer, no matter what it is now.

Its kind of a sin no one has heard about this game. Its also a sin that its dead now. I'd recommend it to shooter and roguelike fans, also people who want to play a local co op game with friends.

Fun 3rd player FPS. Great for solo or up to 4 players. Been playing a few hours every year and the game still holds up.

I first played this since on an Ooya Android Gaming console (so way more than the 5 hours shown, probably closer to a hundred TBH), it was one of the best games for that system, and the PC version is just as fun, One of the few "shooters" I've managed to get into (normally not a "twitch" gamer). The variety of weapons available allow a wide range of tactics, and offer quite a bit of replayablity in the process... can I get through this faster with this weapon or that, fight better from range or in melee? Which approach works best with which boss? How do I prioritize upgrading my character, weapons and gear?

It has that "one more level" feel with constant upgrades to your character, weapons, and access to new weapons as you gain EXP (though you wind up grinding through the same level multiple times to get additional stars, cash, bonuses, which is fine, it's very satisfying to get through a level in record time with no damage). The "loop" works well, if you're even slightly compulsive about minmaxing your character and getting near perfect scores on a level.

Oh yeah, the music and SFX are awesome. This game reminds me of playing Speedball 2 in a way back on my Amiga 500 30 years ago when I was in college. You wind up just grooving along to the music as you blast your way through each level.

The controls (I use an Xbox 360 controller) are mostly sensible (though I wind up inadvertently pausing the game regularly, haven't figure out which button does that) and neither they nor the camera are an impediment to play. All in all 10/10 for a simple, straightforward run and gun experience.

"As a young boy, I dreamed of being a baseball; but tonight I say, we must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!"

Meltdown is a pretty basic isometric third-person shoot-em-up, where you shoot a lot of robots that can get a bit samey appearance-wise, and things definitely get a bit grindy gameplay-wise, but it's still pretty fun. One of the things that impressed me the most was the fact that I could play lag free on public servers with a friend connecting from Estonia (and I'm in Australia). You can't talk or issue commands to your teammates within the game, so communication is limited to pointing and twirling.

7 out of 10. Would twirl towards freedom.

I wasn't expecting much of this game, the "super deformed" graphics kind of turned me down, but the gameplay is great, fast and flexible. There are many diferent gameplay styles, a bunch of weapons and equipment, all upgradeable. Multiplayer is very convenient, as anyone can join your game or you can join any (open) game.

Not the best game out there, but deffinetly worth of a try, if you like arcade, action, FPS or top down shooters.

Addictive nonstop explosive action fun - a definive recommendation! ( MAKE SURE YOU PLAY WITH A CONTROLLER )

Easy too learn and good to start enjoying right away , yet customizable and replayable enough to keep you going.

- Good graphics

- More than satisfatory control response which , while not perfect , is predictable enough to get used and mastered ( and enjoyed! )

- Good mechanics

- Nice music

- Multiple modes including online coop and versus ( only con for multiplayer value right now is not many people online , but you can enjoy the complete game solo )

- Good range of gear that alters gameplay style , fitting for all sorts of players

This game has potential but its gameplay is decent at best. My biggest issue with the game is:

-Too much grinding involve
-The levels start to feel repetitive, same enemies and environment
-Using the covering system doesn't really help or go well with the pace of the game

I still recommend it but only if theres a discount for it.

Meltdown is a really solid indie RPG twin stick shooter in a futuristic setting devoid of any story.

Some of the main features are VR support (the reason behind my purchase), 4 player co-op, and semi-randomly generated levels.

There are 3 resource types: XP which unlocks skills in a 3-branch tree, money and upgrade chips (weapon/equipment purchases/upgrades).

You can only carry 2 firearms and 1 melee weapon.

The gameplay is solid, and the controls are tight using an x360 controller.

I quite enjoyed the energetic music as well - fits the game well.

There is generally really nothing wrong with this game, but there is absolutely nothing new under the sun either. And there is too little visual variation in the maps. Some more enemy types, attack/movement options might prevent the 30 "campaign" levels from feeling as repetetive as they did.

The VR support for Oculus rift (DK2) is really solid, with large easily readable menu texts, and while it doesn't really immerse you (or attempts to), it definately heightens the sense of involvement and intensity. Only complaint is the zoom effect when someone levels up - it's too much in VR.

If you're just looking for a non-VR twinstick shooter, try the Halo Spartan Assault/Strike games instead which are similarly priced. But if RPG or VR ticks your boxes, then this is a no-brainer at the price.

73%

Teal Deer

• Developers: Phenomenon Games
  
• Publishers: BulkyPix
  
• Initial release: June 2014
  
• Genre: June 2014
  
[*]#Worth/NotWorth: #Worth

Exposition, Concurrence and Summation

Meltdown is a sort of dual stick shoot 'em up in space. Actually it's set on a space station that seems to have gone mad and is intent on ending your life by sending all of it's robots after you. Using an isometric perspective the game seems to give a nod to gaming of yesteryear.

You will have to fight wave after wave of them, but you can bring some friends along with you as the game has a neat multiplayer mode. You can play online of locally if you prefer, but the more players you have the tougher the enemies become. There are plenty of objects to hide behind making the game a sort of cover based shooter. Every few levels feature a boss which makes for some great multiplayer action, but can seem a little daunting when you're on your own.

If there's one small complaint it is that most of it looks the same, but this doesn't really matter when you're busy blasting the hell out of those metal nut cases.

Absolutely one of the most surprising game of (mine) 2014.
It remind me back Loadout for movements,weapons and colours,just in the new isometric vision that give a little bit of mess more :)
From 1 up to 4 players,local or online,obv more players in the game = more enemies,but it will be easier and funnier play full players.30 levels,3 bosses,3 different prestige levels (that allow you more slot for weapons upgrades),lots of different weapons to personalize.
Achievements maybe are too standard,if you beat the game you'll probably get all of them.For this,replayability could be the bad side of this game..I'm actually at 3d (and last) prestige level,i don't know if once beated the story i will keep playing it (actually 10 hours of game,i supposed to reach 12).
However for the daily price (1,74 euros) it absolutely worth for me and a gift for a friends :)

I really enjoyed this game , the levels are randomly generated so even if you get stuck on one its not the same everytime. There are not a ton of weapons and armor and the single player is short. Best part of the game is the music.

Pros:
Fun to play
Random Levels Gen
controls well with Keyboard
Great game

Cons:
Short single player
Not a ton of options on weapons, once you find the combo you like it gets a little broken.
Got into the game late so not many online to play

Great game to pick up on steam sale

Was recommended this by a mutual friend and i have to say despite it being a small game, it is cheap and it is really fun.

Maps are randomly generated and i have found i can easily sit and just play a quick game over and over because its always different a layout.

Its got a good weapon upgrade system that is resettable so you can try out different combinations of upgrades, it has armor and hats / helmets which are also upgradable, it has a skill tree which you can max out for interesting damage and health / shield upgrades.

It does have achievements which were not very difficult to achieve so anyone that is an achievement hunter will find this an easy one to 100%

I have sunk around 38 hours into this game and am more than happy to keep putting in an hour here and there while either watching a livestream or warming up my own livestream :P

Overall: For the price and the content / playability i would DEFINITLY recommend to everyone!!!

This game is fantastic, is it nearly at the end of development and more content to come, it gets insanely challenging and if you have a few mates, you can hook up and do some coop modes. Very good weapons system, skill points and weapon skill points, armour. 10/10

Out of Early Access & with it, it has gotten a new feature of customizing one's character with armour/helmet/shoulder pads/face masks!

Pros:
+ One of the best, most fluent co-op games I've played so far (and I've tried out plenty!)
+ Character customization
+ Easy interface, movement & gameplay
+ Able to switch & upgrade gear between missions
+ No silly puzzles
+ Getting up 'n close with melee weapons gives more experience
+ Prestige (upgrading your character's HP/shield/weapons slightly, also shown to other players as a "rank" of sorts)

Cons:
- Each time a level is beaten, it throws everyone back into the "lobby" (as in unable to have a continuous play, but good for those who are chain smokers...)
- Easy bosses, especially after grinding
- GRINDING LOTS for new gear
- Skills are great, but after you've gotten them all, there's an empty hole in your heart wanting to improve them further or having more *sniffle*
- At least one armour doesn't work as it's supposed to yet, as far as I know (the most expensive one!)
- No possibility to type/talk in-game without 3rd party applications

Overally, one hell of a blast (and I mean that literally)

One of the better mobile to desktop ports I've seen.
Borderless windowed mode would be appreciated tho. The buttons on the main menu has a bit of a weird placement and are rather large, which would be good for a tablet game but not on desktop.

Supports 360 controller (and other gamepads) which is a plus, plays really well with it aswell. (I've played with both keyboard/mouse and controller)

Really nice graphics, I thought the flares was a bit much to start with but it looks nice :)

Good customization/upgrade options for both weapons and the player character. Some interesting upgrades, and not very difficult to obtain.

Character movement is nicely fluid, however I feel that bullets don't go strictly where you aim which was really annoying at the start, once you get used to it it's not that big of a deal tho.

The difficulty of the gameplay increased rather rapidly like on mobile games that are "free" when they want you to purchase virtual currency to proceed.. That gameplay mechanic is quite obvious when you die, if you have obtained 1up's you can use them when you die in a level to proceed, otherwise you have to restart the level, losing progress & things you have obtained during the level.
This type of gameplay mechanic is frequently used in mobile games with micro-transactions. It's apparent that the devs have tried to ease down on that mechanic, but it is not completely removed.

Hopefully they will balance it out better during the Early Access stage.

JUNE 2014 UPDATE:
Meltdown moved out of Early Access into release (now at $6.99 price), with the latest update. It added an armor/equipment system (headgear, facial masks or hair, body armor, shoulder pads), and each piece of equipment has different modifiers/buffs and can be upgraded a few levels via coins and chips.

You can now set up a password-protected private game.

Co-op now seems tougher than I remember, with enemies immediately becoming tougher (more HP) when others join your game. Still a blast, and the equipment adds some much appreciated variety and things to shoot for, so to speak. I'm encouraging them to do similar with the melee equipment.

The publisher promises much stuff down the road including local co-op, PVP (deathmatch and CTF) and a variety of other things. Hopefully it will just get better with time :)
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My Original EARLY ACCESS Review

The funnest, most addictive twin-stick (or keyboard/mouse) tactical arcade shooter with online co-op for $3.99 (in Early Access, $5.99) at release that you can probably find, and that chances are, you never heard of. While it's a PC port of a popular Android game, it doesn't to me feel like a mobile game all aside from some really big interface icons -- they're working on that. :)

A very cool artwork design, great sound FX, deviously varied robotic enemies (the droid that tosses pairs of knockback grenades at you will make you crazy), a surprisingly deep and flexible weapons upgrade system -- you can switch between two firearms, and one melee weapon -- and skills tree, And how can anyone not love a game that has a chainsaw? :)

Caveats? The co-op imho needs a lot of improvements in terms of making it easier for you and 3 buds to play the game and STAY in the game together. Right now, you die, you get kicked off the server. You all complete the mission, you all get kicked out of the game. It sounds like the devs realize this is not conductive to having fun with your friends -- and you WILL have fun playing this with your friends :-) -- and are promising improvements and password protected games.

The co-op is there works very well imho. Only rarely have I ran into connection issues. It's not brain surgery in co-op but some arenas have some shield generators to take down and assault waves, and it's really fun to blast away together on the maps.

Lots of power-ups and rewards with arcade sound FX here and there that will make any 1980s arcade game player happy. :)

Currently it offers 30 missions -- albeit you'll see some repetition in the techie look, the maps are randomized nicely in terms of layout. You'll never be bored. :) You can also play a randomly generated map, or a continued assault waves map, for variety, with more variety promised in future updates.

I already find Meltdown as fun and addictive as a box of deep fried, glazed, jelly-filled donuts. I can't wait to see how it develops further during early access. :-) And oh yeah, thanks to Steam itself for recommending Meltdown to me -- I've been skeptical of the whole "Steam recommends so-and-so based on what you like to play," but by golly, I'm grateful Steam connected me with Meltdown. :)

You gotta see it in action to appreciate it, so check out my growing Meltdown gameplay videos collection over at Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/blackjackgt/profile

Really recommended for People that like fast-paced arcade Games.

Pro:
+ Nice Graphics, simple arcade Pyhiscs.
+ smooth and easy to handle Controls.
+ Co-Op Multiplayer
+ Skilltree, unlockable Weapons, Guns to Upgrade

Contra & big whishes to the development of the game:

- The Menu looks silly and the Icons are way to big
- Didnt see an ingame Chat?
- Better handling with the Multiplayer Part (manage it with rooms to join and not just jumping in a allready started game).

But at all. Thumps Up!

Great arcade gaming fun. It's quick and you can play in small bursts. Recommend for people who love these kind of games. Decent amount of upgradable skills and weapons for the price.

Gameplay is fluid and simple.