These individual abilities allow for different play-styles, improving the variety and replay value of the game. Each character has an ability unique to them, adding an additional element to the gameplay. Two additional secret characters can only be played under special circumstances during play. The player controls one of a total of 12 characters, 10 of which must be unlocked through play. There are also daily and weekly challenge modes, allowing the player to compete against others via the Steam platform for the best score (determined by the number of kills in the playthrough), on the same set of randomly generated levels. The game consists of two main game modes: single-player, and a local cooperative gameplay mode. A rare balance and a true achievement.Nuclear Throne is a top-down shooter roguelike game with bullet hell elements. It all adds up to making running and gunning not only exciting but also thought-provoking. Regardless, it's a race to accumulate buffs between stages after collecting enough experience, balancing your play style against your character's inherent strengths and weaknesses. It's gory but nowhere near as brutal as a shooter and certainly no worse than your average mayhem-filled episode of Looney Tunes. It's all very cartoony, making the explosions, violence, and spraying bullets (or slashing swords) more funny than shocking.
For example, Melting starts with a max of two hit points but gains far more experience with every kill.Īs the variety of playable characters implies, there's lots of ways to die in this game. Some are far more difficult to unlock than others, but they all have considerable trade-offs and perks. This gets even thornier - in a good way! - when you factor in the dozen mutants you can play as.
For instance, if you scoop up every power-up, you'll be thrown tougher enemies at a more unrelenting clip. What seems like "another" retro-style game is actually a title with plenty of nuance and strategy - especially when you notice the game adapts to your experimentation.
Younger players may not connect with Nuclear Throne's dated visuals, but the difficulty assures anyone a well-earned sense of accomplishment after advancing to the next level.