Awhile back, I read somewhere that as you age, your reflexes and hand-eye coordination become increasingly worse. This could happen as early as your 30s(!). To be fair, the source was a random person on an internet forum, but it got me thinking... and worrying. As of this review, I'm [b]35[/b] years old, and I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to be put out to pasture. I still play 2D shootemups, or as the young'ns call them: shmups. My skills when it comes to this genre are just as sharp as they ever were, maybe even sharper... right?
Enter [i]Shmups Skill Test[/i]. In as little as 10-12 minutes, gamers across the globe can get a scientifically* accurate assessment. They can also challenge friends and strangers alike in the online leaderboards. Over the course of a session, players will attempt four minigames, each having two (or three) variations, while engaging in a handful of interspersed microgames. Each minigame focuses on specific skills, such as dodging, shooting, and showing good judgment. Upon completion of a session, the player's "gamer age" is determined, and their score is uploaded.
Now, onto the minigames.
[h1]8-bit! Tank A! Tank B![/h1]
These three minigames test the player's overall ability. If I'm playing [i]Shmups Skill Test[/i] for score, I go with 8-bit. This minigame sends wave after wave of flying ships at the player. It's very reminiscent of the old-school games where a line of enemies would attack at once. This minigame is my pick for scoring because it's the easiest to clear. Even though minigames are picked randomly, the session always starts with either of these three, so restarting is painless.
Tank A is a relentless tank assault. In just a short amount of time, players will face a barrage of tanks, and their cannon-fire continually increases in speed. This is an exciting mode due to its raw intensity. It's worth pointing out that players will experience every kind of dodge. These can include (but are not limited to) the "I expected that.", the "That was close!", and the always classic "Wow. How did I even avoid that?". After awhile the bullets move at obscene speeds. Surviving beyond this point requires pure grit.
Tank B is less intense, but there are multiple tank-types, all with their own attacks. This minigame requires a good sense of judgment, since you have to focus on the most dangerous enemies, while also paying attention to what the nearby forces are doing. Unlike a number of shooters, enemies can fire bullets from off-screen. Overall I think this variation is the most complex and interesting of the three.
[h1]Dodge the Bullets![/h1]
The purpose of this minigame is to test dodging. You're put up against an invincible boss that fires off several bullet-patterns. Admittedly, this minigame prey on my weaknesses. The bullet-patterns aren't particularly complicated, but they are pretty fast. Sometimes, the best approach is not to rely on reflexes, and to instead use short focused maneuvers. I can reach level 50 (out of 99) in these minigames pretty consistently. However, once the speed doubles, I start panicking (and losing).
[h1]Dodge the buildings or the balls![/h1]
Yep, more dodging. The basis of any 2D shooter is in the dodging, so I can't say that I'm surprised. There is some randomness to this minigame, but there's also a sense of control to them. It's almost as if you can influence the general direction the screen shifts, by how you move your ship. It's hard to explain, but when playing this minigame, I try to move as often as possible. The objects are static, but the screen can sometimes shift in a way that sends the player into an instant collision with them. Overall, I'd say that this minigame is equal parts intriguing and frustrating.
[h1]Button pressing![/h1]
The final minigame tests the player's ability to mash the fire buttons. This is the second to last minigame of the session and for good reason: It's positively exhausting. Both variations require that the player shoot exceptionally durable objects, before they pass the bottom of the screen. Since auto-fire is turned off, you have to press buttons as quickly as possible, in order to survive.
While it would be all too easy to get a controller with turbo functionality, I prefer my Hori EX-SE arcade stick. In order to clear these minigames, I attempted various techniques. One method involved pressing buttons in a sequence, as if I'm drumming on a desk out of boredom.
However...
In order to get the firepower necessary to destroy giant asteroids, I have to brush my hands across all of the fire buttons at once. It's sort of like dusting off an old book, except at a forearm-destroying rate. By the way, it's a bad idea to allow the finger-tips to do most of the work. In just a couple minutes, I got a blister. It's rather ironic that in my 33 years of gaming, this is the first time that I've ever gotten a blister. These are the things that happen I suppose.
[h1]Odds & Ends![/h1]
Before the session ends, the player enters the "cooldown" phase. The player shoots cans so that they fall into a floating garbage-can. This is an oddly well-developed minigame. The cans have physics, and will react accordingly when they are shot or make contact with other cans. This is also a nice way to score some extra bonus points, but I can't say that I'm a fan. The microgames are neat, though their quality can vary wildly, depending on the skills of the player. While I like finding the right moment to use a bomb, or shooting through a huge wave of tanks, I always fail within two seconds of the "dodge everything!" microgame.
[h1]The Results![/h1]
After a few hours of practice, I've been able to consistently hit a gamer age of 20. It's been a very rewarding endeavor, although I could have done without the blister. [i]Shmups Skill Test[/i] works not just because of its variety of minigames, but that it also respects the foundation of the genre. The controls are perfectly suitable, the mechanics are rock-solid, and the visuals are clear and concise.
It's also very nice that the sessions are short and to the point. This makes them good for practice, before players take on a more involved 2D shootemup. The minigames succeed on their own merits as well. It's very likely that I'll return to Tank! minigames over and over again. This is because despite their simplicity, they're consistently challenging and entertaining. Overall, this is a collection well worth looking into.
*I'm certain that if there was an accredited shmup scientist, they would recommend this game.
[i]Disclaimer: For the purpose of this review, a key was provided by the publisher.[/i]
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