Mio and the Hot Summer

TLDR: [b]Mio and the Hot Summer[/b], like the British summer, is brief, cheap, and simple...but, like the British summer, it's also charming, refreshing, and worth experiencing. * * * * * You are Mio, Goddess of the Sea, whose plan to have some ice cream on a hot summer's day quickly turns into a quest to put out the fires of conquest with dual-wield water pistols! Your water powers mean your weapons have infinite ammo, so you can focus on soaking increasingly large swarms of goofy monsters before they overwhelm you with weight of numbers or cartoonish combustibles. The gameplay is simple: you glide around shooting monsters [i]Quake[/i]-style, never needing to take your fingers of the triggers, occasionally talking to simply designed characters and piecing together a short story where everyone - friend and foe alike - is just trying to do their best. There is no great challenge, though the difficulty does build appropriately throughout; the boss fights won't really push you, but they are a nice change of pace and each is different in their own way. [b]Mio[/b] doesn't swim in deep waters, but in a world of cynical live service offerings and 80+ hour epics, it's nice to just splash about on the beach for a bit. I got strong [i]Atelier Ryza[/i] vibes while playing - a happy-go-lucky girl on a low-stakes adventure, gradually collecting a group of eclectic friends while fighting cute, nonsensical monsters - and this is no bad thing. Each level introduces new allies and enemy designs, and you gradually accumulate different weapons with which to soak your foes. The level 'design' is just a series of linear corridors connecting to the next arena where you're swarmed by more monsters, though there are occasional surprises such as environmental hazards. Regardless, this isn't a game that relies on exploration or collectable hunting - you're here to kill time with some retro 'strafe and spray' action, and it does that just fine. If the game were developed further - or had a sequel - I'd be interested in seeing the addition of temporary power ups (e.g., speed boost, invulnerability, increased fire rate, etc.), an ultimate move you charge over time (e.g., AOE water explosion around Mio, Kamehameha-style water stream, etc.), and the inclusion of mini-bosses. Completing the whole game, including the optional challenge modes (featuring a speed trial, survival mode, and bosses-only gauntlet) took just 2.5 hours - grab the free demo if you're unsure, and I can honestly say I enjoyed every moment. [b]Mio and the Hot Summer[/b], like the British summer, is brief, cheap, and simple...but, like the British summer, it's also charming, refreshing, and worth experiencing.