Review SIGINT 4/5 · Dec 6, 2022
Really fun indie twin-stick shooter
NeverAwake is a twin-stick shooter taking place over a ton of bite-sized levels. It's a fun and relatively accessible example of a "bullet hell" style game, and has a unique premise and visual style that give it some memorable personality.
That premise is basically that the levels and enemies all represent exaggerated nightmare versions of a child's mundane fears, dislikes, …
NeverAwake is a twin-stick shooter taking place over a ton of bite-sized levels. It's a fun and relatively accessible example of a "bullet hell" style game, and has a unique premise and visual style that give it some memorable personality.
That premise is basically that the levels and enemies all represent exaggerated nightmare versions of a child's mundane fears, dislikes, and anxieties. From vegetables and dogs to hospitals and social pressures, they take on a variety of twisted forms as the story slowly develops to give us more personal insight into this girl's life and condition. Boss designs in particular are both fun to look at and exciting to play against. The enemies in the normal levels are fun too, pretty varied in behavior and strategies needed to take them down.
The way the levels work is that you float around and kill enemies to collect little gems that they drop to fill up a score meter to 100%. If you reach the end before reaching 100%, the level loops back on itself with a higher difficulty and more points dropped. I really enjoyed this design approach and think they designed and paced the levels in a way that suits it. The optional potential of perfecting each level is a nice way to keep things low pressure for a casual run, while having a fun challenge for advanced players.
It's still challenging, but you have an arsenal of upgrades and special weapons to even the odds. Dying expedites the unlocking of some impactful ones to help you out. The upgrades range from small numbers buffs to things that can alter your playstyle a fair bit—but you can only have so many equipped at a time. There is also an auto-aim mode for players who are newer to the genre.
In these ways, the game keeps moving at a decent pace for players of all skill levels, but doesn't totally trivialize itself. While none of it is overly challenging by any means, the harder segments create a nice amount of excitement and tension, especially those boss levels. I enjoyed this quite a bit, just a straightforward, unique-looking, enjoyable indie title.