G.G Series: Assault Buster

Genre: Arcade / Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Assault Buster is an Arcade-style Action-Platformer released on the Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare service in 2015, as well as being made available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. This game has players fighting off robotic enemies on a single screen using a gun and a jetpack that can briefly make players invincible.

The presentation in this game is quite good, using retro-style 2D visuals backed by catchy energetic music. This is a game that seems like it would have been right at home being released in Arcades during the SNES era of videogames.

It’s not just the presentation that evokes classic Arcade games of old, the gameplay here is excellent, with players dodging around the screen, showering enemies with bullets while evading the enemy’s return fire. This game uses a mechanic where players can use their jetpack to dodge in eight different directions, and doing so makes the player invincible during their dodge, making this an important strategic element of the game.

In fact, one of the clever elements here is that players may find themselves being forced to dodge to gain invincibility even when they’d otherwise prefer not to move from a good spot to shoot at enemies, tempting players to risk waiting until the last second to dodge so they can get in a few more hits on enemies. Additionally, players need to be careful not to dodge too much, or they risk running out of fuel and needing to wait to recharge, helpless and undefended for a few seconds.

My main issues with this game have to do with its controls, which can feel a bit stiff. In addition, as far as I can tell, there’s no jump and there doesn’t seem to be any way to hover in place, meaning that players wanting to aim at enemies properly in mid-air may find doing so to be tricky. What’s more, being able to dash in eight directions but only shoot in four directions seems disappointingly limited.

Despite these issues I found Assault Buster to be a game that was overall an absolute blast, and absolutely worth the tiny $2 price tag. If you own a Nintendo 3DS and you enjoy Arcade-style Action games, this one should be a no-brainer for you. The action-packed gameplay here feels great and has enough nuance to make for some interesting strategy. Don’t let this game slip by before the Nintendo 3DS eShop closes in March 2023 (later this month!)

tl;dr – Assault Buster is an Arcade-style Action-Platformer that has players blasting down robotic enemies while dodging return fire using a jetpack that also grants brief invincibility. For the tiny price of $2, this game packs a lot of great action, with some surprising nuance to make players carefully consider their use of the jetpack. While the game does have a few minor control issues, this is overall a game that I think every fan of Arcade-style Action needs to snatch up quickly on the Nintendo 3DS eShop before that shop closes permanently in March 2023 (later this month!)

Grade: B

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