A Blast From the Past With a Modern Touch.

When nostalgia calls with game that feels like it was from the past, it can bring on memories long gone. This is where Strike Force Heroes falls into the landscape of creative nostalgia. (Note, this is a remake of Strike Force Heroes from the old days of web/flash games of yesteryear) Though currently out on PC, Strike Force Heroes is now coming to consoles. Where I enjoyed my time with the game on Xbox.

Strike Force Heros knows exactly what it is and doesn’t hold back with its over-the-top story telling, arena wave-clearing bombastic chaos that brings a satisfying gameplay loop and crazy characters that will have fans old and new enjoying the charm of the game. However, the gameplay reaches a questionable difficulty spike early on that will make the game much more challenging than it should be intended in the early stages.

A Forgettable Story

The story is far from the main attraction of the game. Though it’s there to push things forward with its over-the-top characters and voice acting, it's rather empty and typical of games similar to those of the past. Our story begins high above the clouds, with our plane going down on a suspicious island. Our team of soldiers have been attacked by a mysterious group from the island. After saving a scientist, we quickly learn that our newly found friend has been hired by the mysterious soldiers that lead us to the discovery of zombified soldiers appearing. A typical and uninspiring story arc.

From Small Beginnings

Sky9 Games has previously focused on Web/Flash games and later mobile. Now, with Strike Force Heroes, their first game to come to consoles and PCs. The game has stuck the landing with its gameplay, but had some air turbulence along the way.

The variety of weapons, outfits and perks are at the heart of the game. The gameplay, with its side-scrolling arena chaos, is fun, mixed with an arsenal of weapons that will keep you testing new gear after each run is exciting. It’s the constant changing and upgrading of my gear that felt most satisfying. Though the game fell short with the variety of mission types, which quickly became repetitive. Capturing three points, or capture the flag has been done for years, and becomes stale after the tenth time playing the game mode.

Enter The Chaos

It’s the chaotic and frantic gunplay as you spiral around the level spinning from side-to-side shooting everything and anything that moves that becomes a thrill-ride with Strike Force Heroes. Combine that with its art direction, and it hits home with a nostalgic touch of the old-school Contra back on Nintendo that made the game so enjoyable. But it's unfortunately met with disappointing difficulty spikes that make the game, at moments, hard to push forward when everything was flowing so smoothly.

Boss fights didn’t feel necessary, instead, placed to extend the gameplay without reward. Having the boss’s health bar fill the screen with a mix of floating spores or the addition of more enemies didn’t fill the story or gameplay. But instead, left me asking why? Was it because the team thought it would be necessary to add bosses to the game? Which is fine but done better in other games.

Let’s Play Co-Op, Kind Of

There is a multiplayer aspect to Strike Force Heroes, but it comes with a catch. The online component is set for invitations only. As of the time of writing, there is, unfortunately, no matching-making or ability to search for a game with multiplayer lobbies. I could play co-op, but only through inviting another player. A bit odd, but something to consider when buying the game if you were hoping to play the online component of the game. The game has moments of flying high, but there are definitely some moments of turbulence. I feel the game is priced right for the experience of the title, coming in at $24.99 USD. Know going in that you will have some great bombastic gameplay experiences, with the wild and over-the-top characters with a blast from the past.