Reviews

• 

  Venicello

  Nov 29, 2021

  Not as refined as some of the dev's more recent works, but the core gameplay is still quite fun. The upgrades system is nice in a classic shmup sort of way - it feels good to get on a streak, stack a few upgrades, and mow down enemies even faster. There's a lot more dialogue here than in some of the other Tales games - many bosses talk to the player, there's a Soviet scientist in their head, etc - and it's funny and lighthearted.
• 

  seanymilk

  Aug 19, 2022

  Excellent little run and gunner! Reminds me a lot of the game Millennium Soldier: Expendable
• 

  Darkstar

  Jan 14, 2017

  I was a bit uncertain of purchasing this game as it had no reviews, and a rather unique look. I can happily say that all of my apprehentions were blasted away after completing the first mission. This game is a cool, fun, and challenging throwback to the early N64/Ps1 era Arcade style games. At times it reminded me of both Starfox and Timecrisis blended with something far dirtier, nuclear and grindhouse-y. The Levels contain many hidden/alternate paths that increase replay potential, and will keep highscore junkies searching for the perfect/fastest route. Each level has you starting with your standard single shot blaster, but you have 2 upgradable equipment slots that offer a large range of customization options. For example you can fill one slot with the explosive shot and the other with multi shot, after upgrading a few times you will be slinging a huge cluster of exploding bolts with each pull of the trigger. More than any game in recent memory, Cold Vengeance had me thinking i was back playing an arcade classic, only with more toxic waste.
• 

  yezo

  Jan 16, 2017

  I have been following the development of this game for some time, and now had a chance to beat it. It is sure a fun and dynamic game. Punk-styled art may not be for everyone, but I surely enjoyed it. If you like fast-paced comedy shooters, you should definetly play this - it will give you several hours of real good entertainment.
• 

  Slowwoke

  Jan 24, 2017

  Cold Vengeance is a neat little 3D shoot 'em up that's drenched in 90's nostalgia. The story is pretty non-sensical, but not self-serious in any way. The music is serviceable (if a bit repetitive), and the art-style is about as good as one could expect from something that pays homage to N64/PS1 era games. I enjoyed my time with it, but I don't know how much more I'll end up playing it, as it's not engaging enough for me to want to keep coming back to it. I'd recommend waiting for a sale before taking the plunge. If you're interested in what the gameplay looks like, I made a gameplay video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddM4SzTP-iQ
• 

  Slavophile

  Feb 8, 2017

  Funky and fun shooter. Wild yet appropriate aesthetics and fast-paced gameplay. Music is solid too. A little janky at times, but nothing debilitating, nor really out of the general feel of the game. Overall, super fun, silly, and awesome.
• 

  BARF_FACE_9000

  May 23, 2017

  TL:DR version: The effects are nice but the camera/aiming/controls are a hassle! I may end up liking the game more, but my immediate reaction is that while I enjoy what the game offers, I could see many people being turned off by its simplistic approach and somewhat clunky aiming mechanics. I was bummed to realize this plays more like an on-rails shooter/shmup (you choose when to move forward and have 180 degree aiming or at everything in "front" of you as you move forward, but if you want to aim "behind" you or look around far to your left or right, your view is restricted.) The player can slowly "back up" to explore previous areas, but this kills a lot of the rhythm of the game. Let's say you have just barely walked past/ ahead of an enemy on the game, if you are one step ahead of where they are, they can still hit you but there is nothing for the player to do aside from holding down or back to take slow steps backward until the only-facing forward 180 degrees POV allows you to then aim to your left or right (now that you can see the enemy ahead of you again) to take the enemy out -if you choose to- but most often you may be better off just running ahead and skipping the encounter altogether to avoid being hit. The game's aiming seems to have really wonky anchor points at times for both the player character and the reticle, on both Xbox One controller and Mouse and Keyboard. The player's area of interaction seems to jump from zone to zone quite a bit. Let's say you are trying to aim to your immediate bottom-left to strafe into and "keep an eye" on zones as you enter them, which may sometimes be very narrow corridors to shoot enemies and avoid being hit, the game's aiming will "bounce" your aim to face where it has deemed is looking ahead in certain areas, despite the enemies being able to already shoot at you from your far periphery, the player is at a disadvantage due to the shoddy camera movement and strange insistence on aiming ahead of you. I had been expecting more of a platformer shooter with "fully 3D" (360 degree) aiming, not confined to the previously-mentioned rails feeling. You also have no jump button (unless it is possibly a pickup of some kind?) or roll to dodge enemy fire, which adds both more restriction to the overall player movement as well, but also adds to the 'elegance' needed to narrowly dodge enemy fire as found in other SHMUP/rail style shooter games (I could see this becoming immersive later in the game, with more enemy types and larger swarms of enemies...) The effects of the game and gameplay beyond the POV restriction are still cool and fit the early 3D PS1 esque designs well, with the sound design being well done and the sound effects and soundtrack being appropriately chunky, the enemies exploding as their point total is shown and a heavy bass sound effect hitting is nice and gets you into building a large score. The soundtrack and game have a sort of surf rock / laid back presentation that fits it well, which I imagine changes up as the game progresses. The game includes powerup pickups and health dropped from enemies to give some variety. The game fits its niche market well, and begins to embody a frantic Space Invaders / Panzer Dragoon aiming feel as you strafe and take out waves of enemies, but the way the game moves from zone to zone, with its restriction of the aiming only being available within your front vision (or less on some more clunky camera sections..i.e. navigating a narrow cityscape / balcony area) to be disorienting and annoying when trying to dodge enemy bullets and also line up shots of my own. I will probably end up enjoying the game and may end up recommending it, and this shouldn't be thought of as a be-all end-all Non-Recommendation as I do think the game is entertaining, especially to those seeking a retro 3D game that can wrangle its somewhat crappy camera and enjoy it despite some lame deaths due to strange aiming mechanics. At the somewhat "high" price of 14.99 for what is present, I think the game's sales and reception would improve if it the game were to move to a lower initial barrier of entry cost-wise (for example, I paid 8.00ish during a sale..) and it definitely needs to resolve or smooth some of the camera issues ( I can understand if full 360 degree aiming isn't possible with what's already made of the game, but the "bouncing" effect as you strafe into or try to aim to your immediate right or left during crammed sections is obnoxious)
• 

  Filibuster

  Jan 27, 2018

  A uniquely modern take on the arcade style scrolling shooter genre that takes full advantage of 3D space.
• 

  MrBalin

  May 29, 2018

  Overflowing with nostalgia, this homage to the classics will get you on the edge of your seat with full out action only to rest for witty dialogue. The weapon powerups will keep you well entertained! If you are a fan of retro games, this is a MUST have for your library.
• 

  MorganLaK

  Jun 30, 2018

  What Cold Vengeance lacks in polish, it makes up for with creativity and charm. If you're into games about shooting, the enemy and level design make for some really fun moments and surprises. The camera does have quite a few issues however, it frequently gets stuck in objects and will occasionally change sensitivity mid game. I'd recommend it to anyone who can look past a few polish issues and wants to have fun shooting things
• 

  dripkidd

  Jul 22, 2018

  I really liked this low-poly bullet-hellish score-chaser. The story is weird and funny without being tryhard. I can't feel nostalgia toward n64 psx b/c I haven't had either system, so for me the visuals aren't retro, but their own thing, from what I played on emus this game is much less janky than those were. I loved the boss-fights, simple, deadly but very much open to cheese-strats. The base mechanic of picking up stacking powerups creates some stupidly op firepower. I really appreciated the game not wasting my time, mobs can be ignored, bosses taken down with non-upgraded weapons, frequent checkpoints and easy level-select. Oh and the music is rally good.
• 

  PHIL COLLINS

  Oct 29, 2018

  Better than Gears of War tbh................
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  KrudlerTheHorse

  Dec 28, 2018

  Nobody is going to look at this and think it's a masterpiece of visual art. But if you can get past the crude graphics you may find that you quite enjoy the gameplay. It is simple and yet I find it very satisfying. I made a steam controller profile that uses the gyro and it has made the game incredibly fun. if you can look past the blocky graphics and get it on sale it is worth it believe it or not!!
• 

  𝔅𝔯𝔞𝔡𝔲𝔷

  Feb 18, 2019

  Boring/uninteresting
• 

  thEnd

  Apr 21, 2019

  It's like a brain aneurysm... only fun. old fashion fun arcade game with the cheap thrills and constant cheating. If this were coin-op I'd be broke.
• 

  Baudisch

  Jun 23, 2019

  A really cool "shooter on rails" game, with a cliché, but fun story, in a world where Canada is the villain. Lasers, guns, robot dinosaurs, jet packs, you got all of that. Most levels have more than one path, some paths are harder, others very easy - but by deviating from the main course you manage to find some secrets. Of course, this is not GOTY or a masterpiece, but for its category and for what it promises, it is a good game. Cons: - Sometimes a completely unbalanced random mess of difficulty. This made me rage quit and play again just the next day many times. It took me about a week to finish this game because of that. Many times I just wish I had a god mode cheat code so I could pass some part, because of the lack of difficulty balancing/polishing. - Camera in the final boss is terrible and you can't see what is going on most of the time. - The game freezes or even crashes when unlocking achievements. Pros: - Weapon upgrades - Graphics (in their own category of low poly with pixel art textures) - Story - Length (for me, 2-3h is the perfect length for a game) - Quick pick up and play sessions - Big bosses, big enemies - No ammo, no inventory management, just run and shoot. Inspirations that I noticed: * Lone Soldier - PS1 * Some monsters from FF7
• 

  TobiasM

  Feb 27, 2020

  I liked how this game looks when I bumped on it at Steam. Low poly graphics always tickles my nostalgia. But gameplay dissapointed me at first, like a atractive girl that shows some of her flaws on first date. Maybe I expected too much. Anyway I decided to give it a chance and, aside of it's flaws and shortcomings, it is quite enjoyable small experiece.
• 

  Gianni

  Nov 15, 2020

  I think this is my favorite Renegade Sector game. Very classic romp, stays charming and fun all the way through its relatively short ride which doesn't overstay its welcome.