Atomicrops Reviews
Atomicrops is an enjoyable Twin-Stick shooter that can provide some good challenge and laughs to people who like Bullet Hell and are ready to let it grow. Don't expect it to be the more polished game on Earth, accept the facts that farming isn't very satisfying and social interactions are quite missing, and you'll probably find a potentially addictive experience.
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A fun gameplay loop, nice exploration and roguelike elements are unfortunately ruined by poor performance. Atomicrops is too much of a slog to get through and the framerate issues mar what could be an enjoyable game. Where precision evading and dodging are required, so is a good, smooth framerate. This title is hard to play in its current state but if the promised performance boost comes to fruition, it may be worth a revisit in the future.
On the surface, Atomicrops is a retro-inspired, top-down 16-bit shooter. However, even early stages start to reveal a much deeper experience, filled with love interests, guns, and unrelenting enemies. Perks can become permanent down the road, but the path to getting there is fulfilling and enough to keep you returning after each defeat for more crop production and bullet fire.
Despite a few nitpicks, Atomicrops is, in many ways, is a superb experience. It’s a harmonious blend between completely unique ideas and straightforward, simple mechanics. It’s tough as nails, but not discouragingly punishing. It doesn’t overwhelm the player with a surfeit of nuances to learn, yet it offers enough perks and gameplay modifiers to keep you always stumbling upon something new.
I'm a person who likes having the resources of tutorials and hints; if you are like me, I'm sorry to say you won't find that here. Other than a sweet old man who meets his untimely death in the very beginning of this game, you have no help or direction on how to play. The art, bosses, and wacky soundtrack are big pluses, as they give those good retro vibes and never feel outdated. Overall, Atomicrops isn't for everyone, but for people who are fans of the genre they'll definitely find a lot to enjoy.
My only real major disappointment with Atmomicrops is that the advertised simulation bits turn out only to be a few light nods to the genre. It’s got some simulation-shaped aspects, sure, but they’re flimsy plastic ferns in comparison to the very much alive and dynamic creeper vines of its shooty-dodgy core. This said, the farming does make fighting more interesting simply by providing a worthwhile distraction, leading to almost unbearably chaotic instances of frantic multitasking. As long as you know what you’re getting into, and are up for sewing a few hours of practise in before you reap the rewards, I think it’s well worth your cashews. Which I’ve only just realised are a play on ‘cash’. Ooh.
Atomicrops is an action-packed rogue-like farming simulator crossed with a frenetic twin-stick shooter. It is filled with good humour and some interesting systems, but the perma-death feels a little out of sorts with the idea of growing things.
Atomicrops is an unlikely meeting of two genres. Set to the backdrop of a post-nuclear apocalypse, Bird Bath Games finds a way to adequately weave together two styles of gameplay that typically shouldn’t work together. Although there are moments where the two primary modes of play feel like they’re stepping on each others’ toes, those moments are few and far between. Bird Bath’s Atomicrops is an excellent addition to PC and home console indie catalogues.
Atomicrops is a wild and challenging blend of genres that's very moreish indeed.