Spidersaurs Review

Spidersaurs tells the story of the nightmarish dinosaur-spider hybrids, Spidersaurs, who have run amok and turn their backs on their creator the InGest Corp. Created to provide the meat and muscle that humanity needs to end world hunger, the Spidersaurs had enough of being used and are now on the loose causing chaos everywhere. It’s up to officer-in-training Adrian and punk-rocker Victoria to stop the madness.

The best way to describe Spidersaurs is to see it as a Contra with dinosaurs. It’s a 2D run-and-gun affair where you shoot your way through waves of various types of Spidersaurs in order to reach the final boss. When first starting the game, you can choose between two characters: punk rocker Victoria and officer-in-training Adrian. Much like Konami’s beloved 2D shooter, characters can also pick up power-ups from flying things. You can carry two power-ups at the same time and switch between them. When you die, you only lose the one you were using. Additionally, after completing each level, you earn a new ability such as a double jump or a grapple.

Among the firepower, players will recognize the spread guns but also experience with new kind of weapons such as electricity balls that will shock nearby enemies. There’s a total of 12 different power-ups to use. If you get hit, you can thankfully pick up food items that will replenish your health. And if you looking for a challenge, the game has you covered with three settings: Well Done, Medium, and Rare. Those who want the most of the experience will also be able to unlock an arcade mode and speedrun mode.

The game does have a few nuisances, however. First of all, the mission 4 boss. I will not say more not to spoil anything, but it’s definitely one of the most annoying and most frustrating bosses’ design/level I remember seeing in the last few years. The other issue, which can happen a handful of times at the mission 4 boss, is that it’s easy to miss and lose track of incoming projectiles and spiderwebs due to the number of things coming at you leading to unnecessary and sometimes unfair damage. Also, some enemies can shoot through walls… but not you.

The game does look great with its Saturday-morning-cartoon-style action and each of the six levels varies greatly from one another. Each level is highly detailed and colorful. The game will take you from a sweltering jungle to an infested laboratory; among others. But as mentioned, despite its colorful details, it can be a pain to try to avoid enemy projectiles because the screen can become filled with enemies, including well-hidden ones, and their projectiles. The soundtrack is an upbeat, hard rock-filled score… that gets forgettable quick fast. Some tracks sound songs like rejected Mega Man tracks. Good effort, but not up to par to the quality of the gameplay.

WayForward have done it again with Spidersaurs. It’s a challenging, albeit sometimes frustrating, addictive intense run n’gun experience that fans of the 2D games and especially Contra (a.k.a. Probotector) games should definitely pick up. Bosses are fun and challenging (except Mission 4), there’s a decent amount of power-ups and each level provides a new and refreshing challenge. This game will keep you on your toes. I definitely recommend Spidersaurs.