Spectra is a fast paced retro arcade racing game built by indie studio Gate Way Interactive and Chipzel and published by Mastertronic. Spectra is part of the ID@XBOX program and so you will not be surprised to hear that it is only available through steam and on the Xbox one.
Since I have already said that Spectra is a retro arcade racing game it will not come as a surprise that the gameplay is that of an arcade racer. There are two modes such as hardcore (which is unlocked after you have unlocked all the tracks) and normal mode. In both the objective is the same –collect the random cubes for points, do not hit the pink/purple pulsating blocks as they will lower your score and break your score chain and don’t fall off the edge or it is game over. This is simple enough, and really fun. With ten tracks that get progressively harder it may sound like there isn’t much to the game and your right. But, is that such a bad thing? I think the game has done a brilliant job of capturing the feel of an arcade game in that it’s short and simple and makes you want to play it over and over to finish those pesky tracks. Or even maybe get a better score and see if you can try and not hit any of those annoying score cancelling blocks in a single run. At first I had a complaint with how the stick controlled the ship as it made it feel quite un-manoeuvrable and the amount of times I would miss a large stack of blocks just due to trying to gently correct it on the track. However once you get used to it it actually makes sense and adds to the feel of how the ship actually moves. I did not notice this for a while due to how the ship is positioned at the bottom of the screen but I will come back to that later. In a way it reminded me of rainbow road on Mario cart – you are nervous due to the knowledge of no safety net on the sides if you go to fast or steer incorrectly and furious when you fall off. This does not mean it isn’t fun but challenging. Although going over the same course may seem easy as it seems like all you would have to do is remember where stuff is in the level this is not the case as there are slight changes that are made during your play of the level due to it being procedurally generated. Admittedly not enough to through you off completely- however enough so that you won’t get too frustrated at a part you cannot pass or zip through the level un-challenged.
The music is the true focus of the game and for good reason- as its great. There are a total of ten tracks played with one for each level and they really are the essence of the game with chiptuny goodness. Also the tracks are looped really well. This is evident when you die and re-start as it does not sound like it has jumped saving you from ear pain and general distain. Also since each track is relatively short and you will probably be more focused on not dying it does not get too old too fast. I mean I think I could probably listen to sonnet all day before getting sick of it.
As for Spectra’s looks, again, it is what you expect for a retro racing arcade game. I mean it has a much more modern look however this does not compromise the game’s arcade feel with the pulsating neon objects with really simple geometry and the straight forward path. Combined with the empty abyss around you filled with what look like stars ensuring a simple vibrant environment without compromising the retro look the game has. The ship fits too, however if the ship had suddenly popped out of existence or turned into a giant hot dog I would not have noticed due to the fact that your time is spent so much on looking at the top of the screen so you can see what is coming causing you not too really pay attention to the small amount of space your ship occupies at the bottom. In a way this is not really an issue as when you get used to it the gameplay is not really affected however it would have been nice to have a greater feeling of what you are actually driving.
Overall Spectra is a great arcade game and a nice throw back to games of that era and genre with its retro look and chiptune sound. It may not be a game that has great depth or an experience that you will poor hours into however it is fun. Spectra is a great game to just pick up and play when you have a spare couple of minutes, and for the busy world we live in that is greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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