Action/arcade twin-stick shooters are a tough market. They've been around for decades and have years of design refinement, and still, only a few stand strong. It feels like we're bombarded by dozens more arcade-y action games every year, and there's simply not enough space for them; games are no longer an infinite sum game – the market is arguably oversaturated.
I still like following the scene, though. We were recently told about Assault Android Cactus, a game that's releasing to PC and consoles in the summer, and hopes to reintroduce “Dreamcast-era” gameplay to the market. In watching the gameplay trailer, I'm reminded of – perhaps against the developer's intentions – a more playful, youth-targeted twin-stick shooter. The bright colors and silly dialogue mostly contribute to those, though looking beyond the graphics and into mechanics, we see what resembles a faster, brighter form of Forced.
The target price is $15 – a tough sell on Steam's overwhelmingly populous marketplace. We're believers that well-designed and marketed titles can rise, even if briefly, on digital distribution platforms, but the price has to be right.
Learn more over here.