GRIDD: Retroenhanced

Genre: On-Rails Shooter

Players: 1

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Review:

GRIDD is an On-Rails Shooter released on PC and Xbox One in 2017 and ported to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in 2018. This game has players piloting a flying vessel down a path in an abstract world meant to represent hacking a computer.

As a result, the visuals are also abstract, though this is not to say that they aren’t impressive – the entire 3D world around you seems to be warping and transforming around you, with the path in front of you literally building itself as you progress forward, with a lot of great detail to give players plenty of eye candy as everything zips by. This is all backed by an outstanding techno soundtrack that really helps to keep the adrenaline pumping, with songs like The Last Flight as one example.

While the presentation here is excellent, the gameplay is surprisingly simple, even for an On-Rails Shooter. Players simply use the left analog stick to move around, and can press a button to fire. That’s about it. I should note that the Nintendo Switch version of the game also features a “Glove of Power” mode that allows players to control their movement by holding a single Joy-Con and shifting their hand around in a manner similar to the classic Power Glove accessory on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s a cute addition, but I think most players will likely prefer to stick with the traditional control scheme.

Despite the simple gameplay here, the game manages to have enough variety of obstacles and enemies, tossed at the player at a fast enough pace to keep things interesting. Players will avoid spinning lasers, time their shots at shielded enemies for when the shields come down so their attack won’t be deflected, fight bosses, engage in “decryption” sections that require the player to follow a path. Many of these activities will require the player to figure things out as they go and it’s not always clear what they’re expected to do, but it’s still pretty fun each time you approach something new, trying to figure out how you’re supposed to tackle this particular challenge.

The main issue that I have with this game is the camera, which is neither stationary nor does it follow behind your ship, but seems to shift its focus wherever the game decides it should be looking, which can sometimes make it difficult to aim as well as to judge where your ship is in relation to other elements in the environment.

Despite the frustrating camera issues, GRIDD is a surprisingly strong entry in the On-Rails Shooter genre. It’s not about to take the crown away from Star Fox any time soon, it’s a solid entry in the genre that’s well worth this game’s $12 price tag. If you’re a fan of this style of game, GRIDD is definitely a game you’ll want to check out.

tl;dr – GRIDD is an On-Rails Shooter set in an abstract world where you are flying a ship that represents a hacker’s attempts to break into a computer system. The game looks and sounds fantastic, and even though the gameplay is simple, it’s still really fun thanks to a fast pace and some good variety of challenges to tackle. The only problem here is the camera, but even despite this problem this is still an excellent entry in the genre that’s well worth checking out.

Grade: B

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