Redux: Dark Matters

2

5 /5

Redux: Dark Matters draws upon arcade SHMUPs from the ‘90s, with some added innovations of modern bullet-hell formula. In fact, Dark Matters is a tribute to legendary SHMUP R-Type through and through. The design of the main ship in Redux strongly resembles the iconic R-9 from the late ‘80s classic. Familiar locations and level layouts also become evident, and even that little spherical pod– which was so ingeniously implemented in R-Type— accompanies your ship throughout Redux. While the game certainly tries some new ideas, especially with its more defensive style of play, at the end of the day Dark Matters feels more like a R-Type clone than anything else. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but at the end of the day anything that 2014’s Redux: Dark Matters does, 1987’s R-Type still unarguably does much better, right down to the visuals even.