Beyond the Storm

Beyond the Storm is a game I did not expect to like as much as I did because it takes an old style space shoot em up and gives it a much bigger structure than I was expecting. I am flying around a huge galaxy, moving between planets and stations, fighting enemy ships and trying to keep my own ship alive. It is clearly made as a love letter to Tyrian, and I can feel that influence all over it, but it does not simply copy the old game. There is an open galaxy to explore, story information to collect and a lot of freedom in how I set up my ship. The open galaxy is probably my favourite part. I can travel between different sectors using warp cells, revisit places I have already been and look for money, data and equipment that I missed before. I like having a reason to go back because I am not just replaying a level for the sake of it. I might return somewhere because I need more money for an upgrade or because I want to collect information that could help me understand the story and reach a different ending. It makes the game feel more like an adventure than a simple series of disconnected shooting stages. The weapon and power systems are where I think the game gets properly interesting. I can customise my weapon setup, but I also have a power matrix where I decide how the ship's energy is distributed between different systems. That means improving one part of the ship can affect something else, so I have to think about what I actually need rather than simply buying the most expensive equipment available. There are a lot of weapons, ships and enemies to experiment with, and I like being able to slowly build something that suits the way I prefer to play. The shooting itself is straightforward, and I think that is a good thing here. The controls are simple, but the game gradually gives me more things to think about through enemy patterns, upgrades, shields and different weapons. It is not trying to be a bullet hell where every screen is completely covered in projectiles, so I can concentrate more on aiming and movement. Some sections are definitely harder than others, especially when I am dealing with stronger enemies or bosses, but I rarely feel like I need perfect reflexes just to make progress. The biggest weakness for me is that the game can feel rough around the edges. Some of the menus and interface elements are not as easy to understand as I would like, and there are moments where the presentation feels more like a small independent project than a polished commercial release. The sheer amount of information in the game can also be a little overwhelming at first. There is a database full of lore, equipment to understand, energy systems to manage and plenty of places to revisit, so it takes some time before everything starts making sense. I like the depth once I understand it, but the learning period could have been smoother. The music and overall atmosphere help a lot. The game has a large original soundtrack inspired by the music of Tyrian, and I think it fits the fast space combat really well. There are also fully voiced lines, which gives the story more life than I expected from such a small game. I especially like the strange mixture of old school arcade ideas with the much more modern open galaxy structure. It gives me that classic space shooter feeling without making the whole experience feel like something pulled straight out of the 1990s. Overall, Beyond the Storm is a game I think deserves credit for how much it tries to do with a very old formula. I really like the open galaxy, weapon customisation, energy management, exploration and the amount of information hidden throughout the game. The rough interface and occasional lack of polish stop it from reaching the highest ratings for me, and I think some of the deeper systems take too long to properly understand. Still, once I get into it, there is a lot here to enjoy, especially when I am flying through a sector, collecting upgrades and figuring out how I want to build my ship. The fact that the game is now completely free makes the whole package even easier for me to appreciate. Rating: 7.3/10