Hyperide: Vector Raid

Genre: Arcade

Players: 1

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Review:

Hyperide: Vector Raid, released on Nintendo Switch in 2018, is the follow-up to the mobile game Hyperide, which would later be ported to Nintendo Switch in 2019 (you can read my review of that game here). The two games play very differently, but have at their core the same basic premise – you are piloting a spacecraft through a path full of objects you need to avoid and pickups you need to get. However, while the original Hyperide was a 2D side-scrolling game, Hyperide Vector Raid is fully 3D, and has players viewing the action from behind the spacecraft along a set course.

The presentation in this game isn’t especially impressive, using simple 3D visuals comprised largely of geometric shapes for its graphics and backing it with a forgettable soundtrack, with levels in the game interspersed with text messages accompanied by character art. It’s nothing special, but for a $2 game, it’s actually pretty decent.

The gameplay keeps things simple – players can use the left stick to steer normally, or use the right stick to steep at a faster but more unwieldy speed. This works more or less, though I wonder why the speed wasn’t tied to a button press instead, which might have felt more natural. Other functions, such as firing missiles at obstacles, happens automatically.

Simplicity itself isn’t necessarily an issue. Unfortunately, the real issue here is that the game’s rigid perspective makes it difficult to determine whether or not you’re likely to run into an obstacle. With objects rushing towards the screen and the camera largely fixed in place, players have to more or less guess where they will land when they close the distance, making this game often feel less about skillful maneuvering and more about the luck of whether you guessed right about where an object is.

In the end, that’s what it comes down to here – Hyperide: Vector Raid could have been a simple but fun game tasking players with skillfully dodging through obstacles, but the game’s problems with camera perspective make it far too much about guessing where obstacles are, and that just isn’t very fun. Players may be able to get enough enjoyment out of this to be worth the $2 price tag, but most are best off skipping it.

tl;dr – Hyperide: Vector Raid is an Arcade-style game where players navigate a spacecraft through a path full of obstacles. Unfortunately, the forced camera perspective makes judging just where those obstacles are far too difficult, making the game often feel like it’s more down to luck than skill. You’re probably better off skipping it.

Grade: C-

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