Retro platformers have a special place in the video game industry. Rather than relying on over-the-top visuals and complex gameplay mechanics, they feature a simpler nature that is extremely easy to pick up and get behind. A game that fits this description perfectly is Lazr. It’s a physics-based platformer developed by Garrick Campsey.
The game is tentatively scheduled to release sometime in 2020, but fortunately, a demo is now available on Itch.io. Thus, if you want to see how this game plays and check outs its vibrant visuals firsthand, now you can for absolutely no charge.
When you look at this game and its color pallet, you immediately get cyberpunk vibes. It’s like you’re in a future city filled with pink neon everywhere. Any time a game has these visuals, it instantly stands out and receives a positive push from the community. Aside from the great-looking visuals, Lazr is a great platformer.
You play as Lazr, a fusion-powered killer android. Your goal is to track down and destroy rogue AI and mega corporations littered throughout Alpha City One. Normally with a platformer like this, you wouldn’t expect to find a lot of ways to customize your character. That’s not the case in Lazr.
You actually have over 64 different loadouts that you can use to enhance your android-killer in some distinct way. Some loadouts make you more immune to explosions while others enhance your bullet power. There is so much variety to look forward to; you constantly want to switch things up to see how they affect combat and gameplay.
Another shining aspect of this game is the player choice system. There are a lot of corporations you can work with in Alpha City One. However, choosing to favor one corporation could put stress on relations with another corporation. You thus have to decide where your allegiances lie. What you decide to do will ultimately affect who you go against in the future.
Finally, the enemies are very unique and very difficult. This is particularly true regarding the bosses. Expect to perish quite a bit, especially right when you start playing. Through advancement and understanding of each enemy variety’s skill sets, you’ll begin to catch on. Moving through difficult sections always feels rewarding; it’s a feeling that will have you coming back to Lazr time and time again.
It hasn’t been 2020 for very long, but already, Lazr is definitely one of the more unique and compelling games worth keeping an eye out for.
