Backlog Review: Assault Android Cactus

To clear out my Steam backlog, I’m playing games I haven’t played on Steam before.

Assault Android Cactus

Time Played: 57 minutes

Done?: Maybe

Source: Humble Gems Bundle (now expired)

Assault Android Cactus is a dual joystick shooter. It can get a bit Bullet Hell-y at times. You take the role of one of many android characters. Effectively, they amount to different weapon patterns and mechanics. Each has a main weapon and a power weapon which has limited usage but recharges over time.

Each level has enemies dropping in from the sides or climbing up through holes of an arena. A timer in the form of the android’s battery capacity ticks down as you play. You collect battery power-ups dropped from some enemies to increase the timer. Other power ups include: speed, disable enemies, added fire power. Aside from that each enemy drops little crystals that charge up your main weapon throughout the level.

The game is well made and the controls feel responsive. While the character’s shooting mechanics are inventive, some of the core mechanics are at odds with the design. The more action based movement and focus on speed and number of enemies ends up making the more precise movement required at times feel a bit unfair. I ended up dying in some circumstances that I couldn’t actually avoid.

If you like games like Geometry Wars, or any Bullet Hell games made by Treasure, you’ll probably find some value in Assault Android Cactus as well. I might come back to this game some day but there’s a backlog to tackle!