DAMN Review

Twin-stick shooters are right up my street, so when I stumbled upon DAMN! Arriving on Xbox, I thought, what harm is one more? The launch on console is a late arrival, after eight years on the PC. It is a short yet sweet experience that brings old retro-style play with a series of levels to work through from a top-down perspective. For a reasonably low cost of £5.79, it is worth it for a few hours of casual chaos.

Run & Gun

The objective of each mission is a fairly simple premise: to reach the end of each level alive. There are plenty of enemies and obstacles along the way, and a plethora of weaponry to discover and play around with. Each run isn’t straightforward, though; you may need to locate keys to open doors with the eventual outcome of unlocking the exit. The pacing is fast, frantic, and you’ll need to react accordingly as the critters you encounter are quick and nimble.

Some experiences have you racing against the clock against a bomb with a timer attached or locating and rescuing hostages. It is never too challenging, and a failed attempt doesn’t lose too much progress since most levels are over in a matter of minutes. This game is simple enough for even the most casual of players to pick up and play, with my seven-year-old son even trying to conquer the playthrough alongside me. The true goal was to try to achieve three stars in every level, something that isn’t always a success first try. If you run through a couple of times, you’ve got to learn the behaviour of the robots, the room layout and could go back for a further crack.

Visuals & Audio

The entirety of DAMN! is played from a top down perspective and instantly reminded me of games back in the Miniclip websire era. Back when it was cool to log in and play Java-based titles mindlessly. Enemies come in many variants, with some choosing to hold back and others rushing towards you as you enter a room. The appearance of areas can vary in design, but the strongest point is the weapons, changing the aesthetics of what you see on screen. Audio can be a little overbearing, but I put that down to the retro-based atmosphere and bringing a high-intensity soundtrack to the mix.

Final Thoughts

DAMN! isn’t going to consume many hours of your time and whilst it is quite a short lived experience, it is fun enough and is a worthy investment at a low cost. If you’re a perfectionist, you may aim for all three stars in the twenty-five levels on offer. After this point,  though, there isn’t much scope for replayability with another mode in the offering. If you’re after a retro casual shooter with some mildly challenging moments, then this might be a damn good time for you.