I'm a huge pixel game fan, but when I say huge, I don't mean… literally. Die. Hard.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what I did in Drop Troop, until I got the hang of it. Oh god, and once I got the hang of it, I died a few more times, but I made sure to bring a lot of aliens with me. Whenever I play a roguelite (or even roguelike) game, I have a very rigid mindset: kill a lot, die a lot, and see what happens. Well, that's the story I'm going to tell you in today's Drop Troop review. It's a story about love, death, and tears. Tears shed by me, when I was 2 seconds away from being caught, of course.
Let's start with the sound and graphics
Before we talk about the gameplay and what makes this game so brilliant for me, let's talk about some of the other aspects that some of you might consider essential in games like this. As I said in my very first sentence, Drop Troop is a pixelated game, but it has some great animations that are well integrated into the gameplay.
Thanks to the slightly “spastic” animations and the music that accompanies them, you will constantly feel the adrenaline flowing through your veins as you try to escape the large groups of nesting aliens or solve the puzzles.
I've played the levels over and over again and I can't get enough of the sound. Even though it can get a little repetitive after a while, it's exciting. The music you hear during the levels is a mix of electronic music: trance, techno and some “ambient” sounds. It's a real treat if you miss going to a rave.
Graphics are my forte because, as a lover of pixelated games, I like to see those elements of the environment realized in unique ways, as well as the characters, weapons and the various biomes.
The gameplay is fast and ruthless
Given the genre, one would expect gameplay to be this fast. However, one must be prepared, because IT IS ruthless. If you have played any Souls games, you know that death means starting over. The same principle applies here.
When you start a new mission, you have 4-6 minutes to complete it, depending on the planet you are on. You can complete up to 3 missions and you can destroy up to 3 hives (monster nests) within this time frame, for extra rewards.
Once you've completed all the missions without kicking the bucket, you can wait for your spaceship to take you away from there and for the much-desired screen to appear informing you that you've completed your mission (successfully, no less!).
Of course, there are no power-ups that allow you to increase your passive HP, DEF, ATK or anything like that. It all depends on what equipment you choose at the beginning. Since each stage is so fast-paced, you have virtually no time to sit back and slowly take on the aliens. You have to fly them, move in circles to avoid them, and pray that you don't encounter any more.
You have several equipments to choose from
As you complete your missions, successfully or not, you will still get rewards. These rewards are a kind of medals, which you can accumulate and use in the shop to buy new weapons, armor or gadgets.
Each weapon has a different charging mechanic: some charge while you walk, while others require you to stand still to reload. Armor can have different effects, from granting you increased HP or movement speed, to slowing down enemies and leaving a trail behind you.
Last but not least, you have gadgets, which can be drones that attack on your behalf, boots, or shields. They are useful depending on the enemies you are facing, but unlocking them is also quite difficult. They are expensive, but nothing a few runs can't fix.
There are also missions and puzzles!
Drop Troop has several missions that you can find on each map, and some of them can be a bit frustrating, especially if you're not a puzzle gamer. I found the sound one to be the most annoying of all because for this puzzle, you have to listen to a sequence of buttons and then press them in that order.
If you happen to miss even one, you're done. You can be re-listed, but then you've wasted precious time on your mission.
Other puzzles include finding the right sequence for some pillars, and my favorite: escorting the scientist. It's not a puzzle, but it's a simple mission, and by far one of the easiest you'll come across.
What caught me by surprise was the destruction of the hive: be careful, because once you plant the bomb, you have to RUN. Don't let the red area find you, because it will “help” you finish the mission sooner. And not in a good way.
Overall? This game is awesome! If you like the genre and pixel graphics with a little bit of excitement, you need to give this a try. It has some replay value, but honestly, I wish it had more. It's nice that it's easy to pick up at any time for a quick play session.
If you want to know more about the game, visit the official Drop Troop website or Google Play.