Asteroids: Recharged

Genre: Arcade / 2D Space Shooter

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local), Online Leaderboards

.

Review:

(Note: This game is included in the physical-only Atari Recharged Collection 1 bundle, along with Breakout: Recharged. It is also included in the physical-only Atari Recharged Collection 1 + 2 Dual Pack Edition bundle, along with Breakout: Recharged, Centipede: Recharged, and Black Widow: Recharged. It is also included in Atari Recharged: Volume One, along with all of the above named games plus Quantum: Recharged.)

Asteroids: Recharged is a family-friendly Arcade-style 2D Space Shooter released in 2021 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. As with other games in developer Adamvision Studios’ “Recharged” line of games, Asteroids Recharged is a re-imagining of an Atari classic, in this case taking the beloved Arcade game from the earliest days of videogames and adding in modern mechanics and a more contemporary presentation.

To be sure, Asteroids: Recharged still retains elements of the simple vector-based line art of the original game, but this has been fleshed out with a gradually changing spacey background, as well as some really excellent sound effects for the explosions as you blast away UFOs and the titular asteroids.

The gameplay here is at its core pretty faithful to the original game, but this version drops the stages of the original for constantly-spawning asteroids and enemies, gradually ramping things up over time. In part to offset this, players can also get temporary power-ups from downed enemies, such as more powerful shots, shields, or slow-mo abilities.

I really enjoyed these power-ups, but I was frustrated that the player has little control over them – often I was forced to get a power-up I didn’t want, either replacing one I liked that still had plenty of use left in it, or forcing me to take on a dud of an ability that I just didn’t like. Beyond that, the gameplay here is pretty repetitive, as was the original, but the fluid endless progression this game provides gives this game more longevity than the original.

While it’s not without its flaws, and it felt like it could have been fleshed out further, Asteroids: Recharged is a solid reimagining of the classic Arcade-style 2D Space Shooter that largely surpasses the original while remaining faithful to that original game. Its repetitive nature means that you won’t be likely to play it for extended sessions, but as a time-killer this is a solid choice.

tl;dr – Asteroids: Recharged is an Arcade-style 2D Space Shooter inspired by the Atari classic. This version improves the presentation, makes progression more fluid, and adds temporary power-ups, but otherwise leaves the original formula largely intact. The result is a game that’s a tad too repetitive for long play sessions, but that makes for a fun time-waster.

Grade: B-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Ben, Andy Miller, Exlene, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Francis Obst, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Ilya Zverev, Jared Wark, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}