Mutant Storm Reloaded
Encyclopedia
Mutant Storm Reloaded is a multidirectional shoot 'em up developed by PomPom Games
. Mutant Storm Reloaded debuted as a launch title
on the Xbox 360
's Xbox Live Arcade
service with updated graphics, sound, and gameplay over its PC
predecessor, Mutant Storm.
The game's core is very much that of a classic arcade shooter, although its artistic design, colorful and reminiscent of cel-shading or microscopic medical imaging, has been called "psychedelic" and "an eye-frying Minter
-esque slice of psychotropic twitch brilliance" by reviewers. Generally, reviews were positive, with the most common complaint being the game's cost, 800 Microsoft Points
($10 USD) compared to similar alternatives available on Xbox Live Arcade.
-type enemies which require many shots and specific strategies to be defeated. After each room is cleared, the remaining time is converted to points and added to the score. As the player progresses without losing a life, a score multiplier and a belt meter increase the reward and difficulty level
. Gameplay strategies, weapons and power-ups depend on the mode of gameplay chosen.
The belt meter is the second gameplay element that alters the level of challenge during the game. It is a performance-ranking system that uses a color scale similar to the one used in Judo, although the game creators referred to it as Blastikkidoo.
At the lowest level, White Belt, enemies are generally sluggish and non-threatening. At Black Belt, the game is as challenging as any of the classic twitch games
. As play continues and more enemies are defeated, a belt meter in the lower left-hand corner of the screen increases gradually from 0% to 700%. Each belt color is associated with a multiple of 100%, beginning with the white belt at 0%. As the rating increases, so does the difficulty and speed of the game, as well as the scoring. If a player loses a life, their ranking is decreased, possibly causing the belt level to drop a color. In this way, the game tries to keep pace with each player's ability. In general, the player must complete 20 rooms without dying to be able to move onto the next color.
The second mode, Tally Mode, is played one room at a time. Players are competing against themselves by trying to best their top score in that room. Tally Mode is different from Adventure Mode in that each room is a checkpoint: once that room is completed, it can be replayed or one can go onto the next room. Tally Mode also allows you to choose any belt level, so new players can experience playing at a high belt level without having unlocked it in Adventure Mode. As only one great performance per room is needed for high scores, Tally mode rewards risk-taking and finding ways to clear a rooms most efficiently.
PomPom Games
PomPom Games is an indie video game developer based in the UK. Originally a developer of classic arcade style games for the PC, they are most well known for Mutant Storm Reloaded, a new version of their own popular PC game Mutant Storm.-Games:...
. Mutant Storm Reloaded debuted as a launch title
Launch title
A launch game, or launch title, is a video game released to consumers synchronously with the release of its respective video game console, meaning they are the only available games at the time of the console's launch. Several of these games are also packaged with the console...
on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
's Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
service with updated graphics, sound, and gameplay over its PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
predecessor, Mutant Storm.
The game's core is very much that of a classic arcade shooter, although its artistic design, colorful and reminiscent of cel-shading or microscopic medical imaging, has been called "psychedelic" and "an eye-frying Minter
Jeff Minter
Jeff 'Yak' Minter is a British computer/video game designer and programmer. He is the founder of software house Llamasoft and his recent works include Neon , a non-game music visualization program that has been built into the Xbox 360 console, and the video games Space Giraffe , and Space Invaders...
-esque slice of psychotropic twitch brilliance" by reviewers. Generally, reviews were positive, with the most common complaint being the game's cost, 800 Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Games for Windows - Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery, and Zune online stores. The points allow users to purchase content without a credit card and to reduce the number of small credit card transaction fees, which Microsoft would...
($10 USD) compared to similar alternatives available on Xbox Live Arcade.
Gameplay
In the game, the player controls a ship around a succession of 89 rooms filled with enemies which must be defeated within a certain time period. The enemies range from slow-moving targets to stationary turrets to mini-bossBoss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
-type enemies which require many shots and specific strategies to be defeated. After each room is cleared, the remaining time is converted to points and added to the score. As the player progresses without losing a life, a score multiplier and a belt meter increase the reward and difficulty level
Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
. Gameplay strategies, weapons and power-ups depend on the mode of gameplay chosen.
Score multiplier
Scores are increased by 2x, 3x, or 4x the longer a player goes without losing a life. The highest scores are awarded to consistently great performances, as mistakes can slow down a scoring drive considerably.Belt meter
| White | |
| Yellow | |
| Orange | |
| Green | |
| Purple | |
| Blue | |
| Brown | |
| Black |
The belt meter is the second gameplay element that alters the level of challenge during the game. It is a performance-ranking system that uses a color scale similar to the one used in Judo, although the game creators referred to it as Blastikkidoo.
At the lowest level, White Belt, enemies are generally sluggish and non-threatening. At Black Belt, the game is as challenging as any of the classic twitch games
Twitch games
Twitch gameplay is a type of video gameplay scenario that tests a player's reaction time. Action games such as first-person shooters often contain elements of twitch gameplay. For example, Quake III Arena often requires players' fast reactions to shoot enemies. However, other genres can involve...
. As play continues and more enemies are defeated, a belt meter in the lower left-hand corner of the screen increases gradually from 0% to 700%. Each belt color is associated with a multiple of 100%, beginning with the white belt at 0%. As the rating increases, so does the difficulty and speed of the game, as well as the scoring. If a player loses a life, their ranking is decreased, possibly causing the belt level to drop a color. In this way, the game tries to keep pace with each player's ability. In general, the player must complete 20 rooms without dying to be able to move onto the next color.
Modes
There are two modes by which one can play. The first, Adventure Mode, is a progression through the 89 rooms. If you lose a life, you try the room again, and move on after you win. After every 10 rooms, a checkpoint is created; a new game can then be started on that room thereafter. In addition to choosing a room, Adventure Mode allows you to start a game at any belt level that has been previously unlocked. Adventure Mode rewards steady, consistent performance without any deaths.The second mode, Tally Mode, is played one room at a time. Players are competing against themselves by trying to best their top score in that room. Tally Mode is different from Adventure Mode in that each room is a checkpoint: once that room is completed, it can be replayed or one can go onto the next room. Tally Mode also allows you to choose any belt level, so new players can experience playing at a high belt level without having unlocked it in Adventure Mode. As only one great performance per room is needed for high scores, Tally mode rewards risk-taking and finding ways to clear a rooms most efficiently.