Assault Android Cactus+

Genre: 2-Stick Shooter

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local), Online Leaderboards

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Review:

Assault Android Cactus is a 2-Stick Shooter with an odd name and some unique mechanics. However, at its core, it is a solid, fast-paced, high-action shooter through and through.

Unlike most other games in the genre, where the player’s life is tied to their health, in this game it is tied to battery power, which is constantly ticking down. So taking hits and getting knocked out for a few seconds doesn’t lose you a life, it loses you time, and the result is that players are encouraged to weigh the risk of venturing into the fray and getting damaged against the risk of holding back and maybe taking out enemies at a slower rate. The game nudges players toward being more in the thick of things by having enemies drop battery refills on occasion, which is a great risk-reward mechanic that pushes the action.

In addition to this, each of the game’s player characters have a two-weapon system, and swapping between them also acts as a “dodge” command, giving players more reason to want to swap weapons during a fire fight. It’s an interesting mechanic that adds another element to the game, but I felt that one thing kept it from being fully-realized: you have a main weapon and a sub-weapon, and the sub-weapon has a limited number of uses before needing to recharge. Because of this, you may find yourself dodging to get out of danger, firing off a few shots, and being forced to dodge again just to get back to a usable weapon. I can’t help but feel this system would have worked better if both weapons were equally viable.

And of course, this is a game that truly shines in co-op, with all of the game’s modes supporting local 4-player co-op play. Given how different the game’s characters feel, and how different players will undoubtedly gravitate toward a different favorite, it adds an extra element of variety to the game to have characters with different weaponry fighting off enemies at the same time.

Graphically, this game looks good. Nothing too impressive, but the presentation is slick with a good framerate and a large number of enemies onscreen at once. My only gripe here is that the levels felt a bit too repetitive at times.

The “plus” in this game’s title refers to the content exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version of the game. In addition to some balance tweaking and a few minor changes, there is also a new remixed campaign mode after you finish the main one, basically doubling the campaign’s length. This is of course in addition to all the other game modes like the endless Infinity Drive mode and Boss Rush mode, which are included here as well. Altogether, this makes the Nintendo Switch version of this game the one to get.

In the end, Assault Android Cactus is a phenomenal 2-Stick Shooter that’s perfect for multiplayer, and the Nintendo Switch is the best place to play it. There are a few nitpicks I have regarding its repetitive levels and missed potential in its sub-weapon swap mechanic, but overall this is a superb game well worth adding to your collection.

tl;dr – Assault Android Cactus is a 2-Stick Shooter that has some fun, unique mechanics and a lot of great, intense action. It’s a blast to play in co-op, and the Switch version is the definitive version of the game. I only wish the sub-weapon dodge-swapping mechanic was better-utilized, and the levels looked more distinct. But those are minor complaints about what is a fantastic game on the Switch.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Game for Kids and Casual Players, Best Multiplayer, Best Action Game

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