[h1]<| Overview |>[/h1]
[b]Hyper Shapes[/b] is a frenetic [b]Boss Rush experience[/b], where you get to face a [b]variety of Bosses[/b], all of which have their [b]unique quirk/mechanic[/b] that differenciates them from one another.
To face off against the dangers of the game, your character is accompanied by its trusty blue ball, which acts as a friendly projectile.
Said projectile can be thrown when you get close enough to it, making you able to damage enemies and destroy certain enemy projectiles.
If you like [b]Flat Heroes[/b] and/or the combat of [b]Titan Souls[/b], I would recommend trying this game, as it gets a lot of its inspiration and ideas from those two games.
Before going into what I liked and disliked, I would like to mention that Hyper Shapes is not the hardest [i]Bullet Hell[/i]/[i]Boss Rush[/i] you will find, but it can prove to be quite challenging at some specific points -I will go into more detail about this in the "What I disliked" section-.
Take it slow, rest when you need to, and enjoy the ride!
[h1]<| What I liked |>[/h1]
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[*][b]Game feel[/b]:
Hyper Shapes' game feel is one of its best parts.
The movement is snappy, fluid and comfortable; moving around, dashing and dodging feels highly responsive.
Firing your projectile is easy to do, and you can manouver and aim it towards the desired direction with ease.
The death animations and effects are fast, making sure that you don't lose focus and maintain the flow even if you die.
[*][b]Color code[/b]:
The game features a color code that you learn progressively as you advance through the Bosses.
This color code is something that I find interesting, and that gripped my attention.
Each and every color that you can see in the game represents something/some mechanic/purpose.
[*][b]Boss variety[/b]:
All the Bosses in Hyper Shapes are different.
None of them share not even one attack pattern, making each fight memorable, refreshing, different and interesting, since the game is always surprising you with new things.
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[h1]<| What I disliked |>[/h1]
[list]
[*][b]Difficulty curve[/b]:
The game has a very well defined difficulty curve, but there are a few noticeable spikes here and there, which can prove to be quite challenging for some players.
The majority of the game is well balanced, increasing the difficulty as the player progresses through the various Bosses, but, I felt that there were two -maybe three- spikes in difficulty.
From one boss to another, either the fight was substantially harder, or it was much longer than the previous one, making the game experience a bit more tedious due to the lack of checkpoints.
[*][b]Price[/b]:
In my opinion, the price for Hyper Shapes is a bit expensive for what the game offers.
It is clearly a small project with a very clear scope, that aims to offer a polished experience with a reduced amount of content, but making sure that it is of high quality.
Even when taking this into account, the price still is a bit too high for me, but maybe not for you!
[*][b]Mouse & Keyboard control[/b]:
Unfortunately, playing Hyper Shapes with or without controller are two completely different worlds.
If you have the opportunity, play the game with a controller, it feels much smoother and fluid. The game was clearly designed to be played with a controller.
Even though using a Mouse & Keyboard is possible, and playable, the experience is much worse compared to what using a controller offers.
The movement feels slightly slippery, and the Dash sometimes doesn't work as intended.
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[h1]<| Conclusion |>[/h1]
Hyper Shapes is a short but charming game.
It has a very characteristic art-style, with a lot of effort put into the game's animations, effects and transitions.
Although some bugs can be found here an there, the game feels polished.
It is comfortable to play, presents a substantial challenge for the players and is a pretty solid experience.
If you enjoy [i]Boss Rushes[/i], [i]Bullet Hells[/i], [i]Minimalistic graphics[/i], and don't mind spending about 5€/5$ for around 2 - 3 hours of gameplay -without taking into account completing all Steam Achievements, which could extend the play time during one or two more hours-, then Hyper Shapes is for you!
