Synopsis:
Soda Crisis is a fast-paced side-scrolling shooter, implementing sprinting, wall running, shooting, jumping, and grappling your way through levels while devastating enemies as you go.
Publisher: Bilibili
Reviewed on: PC (5800X, 32GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 3070)
Also available for: NA
Developer: Team Soda
Lead Credits: Jeff Chen (Producer), Xavier Wu (Game Designer, Programmer), Tan Tianxaio (2D Concept Artist), Wu Vicong (Game Designer, Programmer), Song Jinyang (3D Artist)
Soda Crisis is set in a strange universe where soda is both a tasty beverage and currency due to its popularity. We start the game in a strange place called J-Lab, a research facility where your mysterious character is being trained against various enemy robots. Once training is complete, you are offered soda as payment, but security is called on you after you refuse to comply, and you must escape. To escape unscathed, you must battle various robots, security guards, and armed scientists, fighting your way through each level until the boss is reached. The first boss is a scientist in a mech suit, and the two of you battle to establish dominance. After beating them, they inform you of the reasoning behind training you, the vague story about aliens coming and stealing the earth’s soda reserves, ultimately leaving you to team up with the J-Lab crew and work together to fight against the global threat. Each stage on the map plays out similarly, beating the levels, fighting the boss, and progressing to the next stage.
The initial levels are designed as tutorials; once into the main game, things get spicey, with greater movement speed, bigger guns, and more enemies. The fast-paced nature comes into its own as you blast, explode and speed through enemies with want and abandonment. Soda Crisis is a fun game with huge replayability with a massive combination and choices in guns, resources, and loadouts. You can also customise each loadout to your gameplay style, unlocking more varieties of guns, tools, and equipment as you progress further into the game.
The controls in the game are unique, with the two options of play being two hands-on keyboards using WASD for movement, and JKLUI for shooting, jumping, grappling, sliding, and alternative weapons or via the controller. I felt way more comfortable playing dual handed on the keyboard as the controller setup wasn’t optimal; although it is customisable, I didn’t want to take this extra step. This setup took me back to the early days of playing games where the mouse was more used as a menu navigation tool.
The graphics for the game is superb, the 3D design of the characters and levels gives the game real depth, and although your character only uses one plane for movement, there are plenty of visuals in the world to make it feel alive. Although somewhat repetitive, the level design is never boring, with a multitude of areas to explore, from the initial lab to the desert and even the inside of the water bear-shaped ship. These levels and designs play into the fun and weird world we find ourselves in; the animation in-between levels is smooth and plays into the universe very well. There is a variety of enemy types, with each stage introducing its spin on the enemy design and attack patterns and new bosses. Throughout the game, vehicles are added on some stages to bring a bit more chaos into the mix, with many of them having a unique aspect, from a forklift to a flying gunship. These vehicles aren’t always in the most obvious positions but are super fun to destroy enemies with and play.
One of the more fun aspects of the game is the bonus stages unlocked by finding cartridges in the world. The two cartridges I found were “Planet Guardian”, a platformer in the styling of the main game, but where the platforms appeared and dissolved around the player as they move. The second cartridge was “San Person”, a completely different game, rendered as a 16-bit style where the main character uses an umbrella as a shield and weapon to navigate levels. Each of these games was equally fun and challenging and brought a unique aspect to the game.
Soda Crisis is a relatively short title, and I completed it in approximately five hours. The game isn’t complex, and the story is vague and only there to carry you onto the next chapter. The game’s focus is more on the fun of the movement and the extreme shooter elements. Upgrades and loadouts are built so that there is a near-endless mix, while there are enough hidden gems in the levels to keep you searching. The addition of the cartridges for further gameplay is fun. The game would be a fun companion for a handheld device, hoping it will be released on other platforms such as the Nintendo switch. Overall, I had fun with this title, and if you are looking for a fun game to blow off steam, this might be the title for you.
(Soda Crisis code provided for review)
