Universal Vanquisher (by jin shan)

Ok, I pulled the hammer on this today, looks like another developer dropped a strikingly similar game out right by it to confuse us. Xenowek and meltdown are news to me and now on my dl list. Now with this game, so far is fun. Shoot, run backwards shooting, overheat, dash, switch fire more, dash switch back fire, see the malee flag and doing a finish just is fun. And as soon as it's over I'm loOking for another batch to kill. Now with the Samsus reference, ... Well this doesn't so far appear to have that exploring adventure element where you see stuff you can't figure out/get to, so the find a new item/tool and come back... Ya, that element is not there... Yet. (Yes I played metroid on Nes/snes, I'm old skool). Typical of most to days games, you will be leveling your weapons, (anyone else getting alittle tired of this element?,) ... That being said, I'm loving my Uzis. Time to go play some more till I have to zZzZz. How about y'all post some of your favorite weapons and where you guys are putting your pts.

 

People were posting earlier that the price was higher to begin with in other countries so I'm thinking the original $.99 in the US was a mistake.

 

It's possible that the word is out from members on the thread that the game is pretty much a premium game without the IAP's and you can play the entire game for a buck. Lol..I missed my chance to get it for a $1 I was on fence about this game because of the IAP's and thought it was one of those cash & grab kind've games I was waiting to read some feedback or reviews from members or media So far what Ive read has been mostly positive so I'm still going to buy the game but now I have to pay the price for procrastinating I should've just grabbed it it was only a buck, but it's cool $6 is not bad for a premium game I've paid a lot more than that

 

Going by my AppZapp Pro app it was never on sale in Australia.
It was released at $9.99.
Even taking in consideration the current exchange rate that is a ripoff when compared to the full US price.

Think I'll wait for a sale. Got enough other stuff to keep busy with anyways.

 

It is still not released in Turkish app store. C'mon devs

 

Been using an upgraded uzi and upgraded assault rifle. Also use the stun gun to freeze them up and then quickly switch.

Finally was able to upgrade to the heavy armor which has been a big help. Also just realized that there are passive abilities that you can spend skill points on.

So much content on this bad boy.

 

Im also very surprised by the price jump. I mean, I get it - its definitely worth more than a buck, but the price has so much variance now and 5.99 might throw others off quickly. I think a 2.99 to 4.99 is a fair price and it fits in the margin of 'i buy this game, i get everything i need without IAP' feel. 5.99 does this too, but most people wont buy it at that price unless its an established brand me thinks.

All that said, I still think its a good game and those willing to pay the cost should to support the devs. They made a decent game here and I'd rather they use this money model than IAP anyways. Just wish there was consistency or an obvious time of sale price on release.

Still need to reviews guns and stuff, but I still need to get a few. Simply put though - I mostly run the Assault rifle and the Uzi still.

I will say that most charging weapons suck - they take too long to charge, they typically only hit one target (this game tends to swarm you), and you are a slow sitting duck while its charging. For those that dont know the sniper rifle, shotgun (standard; not auto), and the ion cannon are all charge based weapons. I dont recommend them until you have bought a few other weapons. My favs so far are the Assault rifle, Uzi, Fire gun, and the Metro Lancer. Fire gun is a nice one since it handles groups who are right on your tail fairly well.

 

Again, going by the launch price in other countries, I think the original $.99 price was a mistake in the U.S. Could be wrong but makes the most sense.

 

Regardless of the .99 cents being a mistake (which I agree mist be the case), what the dev has inadvertently done is turn potential buyers away due to the price hike. I don't think $6 is what anyone should pay on the app store....not unless it's something extremely anticipated or ported from a somewhat recent console game.

 

Thats kind of the problem with the app store IMO - this game is worth 6 bucks and would be considered 'cheap' on other platforms in its current state. However, the app store is different and it needs to have a lesser price to be noticed due to how this market works. I chalk it up to some developer in experience, but they may also have specific margins. who knows - i just hope they get the income to keep making games; this one is fun for sure.

 

I will support this just because of all the good praise here, I do wish I caught it before it became $6, but like u said, it'd be good to see this developer get where they need to be with this.

 

In the us store there are already ratings saying how good the game is for one buck, while the price is six times as high now. And it's still not out globally, even after the (sometimes locally delayed) weekly shop fix.

On the whole, this is a perfect "how not to" for releasing games on the app store.

 

sad, but true. I may have to change my review of the game if I said 99 cents at all haha.

Whats funny is that people seeing this game on steam or psn would probably think its cheap or reasonable, but seeing it in the app store as more expensive than banner saga 2 is crazy. Kinda surprised by the pricing module. I hope it doesn't effect sales too much for them.

 

I think $2.99-$3.99 would be a good price point for this kind of game considering the lack of hype and an unknown developer.

That said, it's definitely been a nice surprise.

 

Yeah this is a fantastic twin stick shooter with an upgrade system to boot. Not too far in yet, but I'll be playing this a lot.

 

Alright y'all, got some reviews on guns [UPDATED 12/22/16]:

There are really 2 types of guns in this game; autofire and charging. Autofire works just how it sounds and charging just how it sounds. The problem is that most charging weapons are inherently slower in all aspects - they fire less, you are less mobile (cant dash while charging), and you can really only focus on one target. Typically they pack more of a punch which usually means they are great for bosses, but even most bosses have little guys to help them and they can swarm charging weapon holders quite quickly. Section 3 might be the only area where charging weapons start to shine as the enemies are fewer, but hardier.

I say all this to prepare you; most guns that spit out more ammo are better than guns that shoot one big bullet or have a charging system. So.....on with my review.

Assault Rifle - this is your trusty starting gun and it shines throughout the game. No one would think less of you for using this throughout the whole game - its got good reach, solid damage, low overheating, and keeps it all that way as you upgrade it. A solid choice.

Sniper Rifle - a charging weapon. The sniper rifle does high damage as one would expect, but it leaves you vulnerable. Possibly useful for certain boss battles, but even then may not deal with extra enemies quickly enough to warrant use. If you are only going to use it for bosses and it wont bring that much of an edge, its probably not worth the investment.

Uzi - Solid gun. Think of it like a shorter distance Assault Rifle that does more damage by spraying out more bullets. Since the update, its power level has come down where you used to be able to mow down even bosses quickly with it. However, its still a very useful gun for general play. The only problem i see with this gun is that it overheats fairly fast, but you can offset that with cores and skills a bit. Useful throughout most of the game and will probably replace your assault rifle.

Side note: The Uzi, Guass pistols, and Crossbow are all dual pistol guns. They are generally a little weaker, but more than make up for it with mobility. These guns hardly hamper your run speed which is key specifically for boss battles to dodge bullets. All are worth buying simply for that use.

Plasma Rifle - this is an interesting gun. It shoots giant balls of plasma that hit your target and stuns them slightly when it does. This means its nice for keeping enemies away, but its also kind of weak so enemies will just pile up as they slowly come at you. Fun to play with on occasion, but not a regularly useful gun.

Shotgun - This gun used to suck really bad, but since the update, it has become respectable. This is one of the few charging weapons i think is worth the time. Why? Because it packs a whallop as all shotguns should! Even with a small charge this can easily kill most enemies who are close to you. And when fully charged, it kills just about everything (minus bosses). The problem - its short range. This makes sense, since its a shotgun, but since you have to charge it to be effective, that means you need a couple seconds while the enemy closes in to charge. A good gun to close the gap for sure, but will take getting used to for most. If you want an easier option, choose the riot gun.

Metro Lancer - lets just call this what it is - a Rocket Launcher. I think since the update, the power has been brought down and it no longer does much for splash damage so its less useful. The problem is that this gun has a very slow firerate and aside from instances with a few enemies, its outshined by plenty other. Not a bad gun, but certainly not a staple.

Guass Pistol - this is your starting sidearm and its serviceable. There is nothing special about this gun to me and it does ok, but i think it gets outclasses by other dual guns like to Uzi or Crossbow.

Lightning Gun - This is a gun i would classify as 'fun' since the update. This still paralyzes enemies as before, but now it can bounce to multiple targets. I'm not sure how many it can bounce to, but i have done it with about 3 enemies at a time. Really this gun is designed to hit enemies as soon as they pop up, freeze them all, then pull out a bigger gun to mow them down (gatling gun maybe?). A gun worth playing around with for alternate strategies. Not sure how this works on bosses. I would think it takes longer to stun them with it so it might not be viable.

Riot Gun - used to be called the auto shotgun before the update, but still a solid gun. This is a go-to for closing the gap on all stages. Not as powerful per shot as the shotgun, but since it provides consistent firepower, you can blast away while back pedaling to get the baddies off you. It also adds a little push back on enemies when they are very close and the damage will increase too. I typically use this with the uzi for my 2 main guns.

Laser Rifle - A charging gun that has been improved since the update, but not enough for me to really use it much. Its kind of like the shotgun in that it packs a good punch and can hit enemies far away, but its not as strong as the shotgun. It sort of makes up for that by having a continuous bullet which will hit multiple enemies in a line. Not one i really enjoy though.

Fire Gun - Since the update, this and the freeze gun seem a bit weaker. Their damage is lower and i think their range has been shortened. Both are designed to handle enemies at short range, but i find the shotgun and riot gun now do this better so they have dropped on usage.

Gatling Gun - This has seen some improvement since the update as well - basically its damage. The gatling gun seems like its got everything going for it - high fire rate, good damage, great range, low overheating - its basically the big brother of the Uzi with more range. The problem? It slows your mobility down tremendously. So that means its great when you can stand in one area and mow down enemies who are running right at, but against section 3 or bosses, you will take a ton of damage so its practically a death sentence (unless you can couple it with the lightning gun). A solid gun in many aspects, but losing the movement is tough to get used to and it can kill you in certain situations. Needs to be coupled with a dual pistol for sure to allow you to swap when moving is key.

Ion Cannon - man the tutorial makes this gun look pretty good. This was one i wanted after trying in the tutorial, but much like any other charging weapon, i quickly lost interest. From what I've seen, its similar to the Sniper rifle, but slightly less range and damage. Since the update it got a bit stronger, but still weaker than a couple other charging guns so, its not one i use.

Frozen gun - Again, since this update this and the fire gun have lost some power. I also don't see this freezing enemies anymore - just slowing them down.

Mine Thrower - A more experimental weapon. Hit enemies for low damage, but places a mine on them that you can detonate. You can also keep shooting mines on them to boost the detonation damage. Once you detonate, it will hit that enemy and all others around it. I have not had much time to upgrade it and see if its really worth its cost/power level, but it seems good overall if a little awkward by adding a detonation button.

Revolver - I expected this to be a dual pistol, but its a single gun similar in the size to the assault rifle. However, this is a charging weapon and not one that seems all that special to me. I haven't fully upgraded it, but will update this if it feels strong enough to include one maxed.

Crossbow - This is a new gun that seems to take all the short comings of the guass pistol and make it better - it has very simialr properties and damage output. However, it adds a speed multiplier to it that when you hit an enemy with it, a little wind kicks up under your feet and you shoot a little faster. As you keep hitting enemies, it gets faster and faster until you are shooting near Uzi levels. That typically when the gun starts to overheat, but its still a solid gun. Maybe not as immediately strong as the Uzi, but probably stronger overtime. Definitely a dual pistol worth the time. I have been known to fight bosses with just this and the Uzi going back and forth to get around overheating while keeping mobility. Works pretty darn well!

Gravity Gun - This gun is very FUN. Its a charging weapon, but one that is super fun to play with. When you shoot an enemy with this gun, a giant blackhole hit them and sucks it and other enemies closer to it. The bigger the charge, the bigger the hole! Really good at holding down enemies. Bigger charges are required for bigger threats (otherwise it will just slow them down minimally). This gun has terrible damage, but makes up for it with how easily it handles groups of enemies. Best way to use this is to fully charging it before walking into a room, wait for all enemies to spawn, then shoot it off and watch them all get sucked in! You can switch guns while they are stuck to mow them down or you can keep charging up the gravity gun and lock them in place while you slowly kill them. Not sure how well this works on bosses and i assume they can still shoot you quite well while being sucked up, but this gun otherwise can dominate (or troll if you'd rather) the first 2 sections of the game like no other.

In general, the best guns IMO are the Assault Rifle, Uzi, Shotgun, Riot gun, Crossbow and the Gravity gun. All provide a fast paced gameplay (minus the gravity gun) that you'd usually expect from a twin stick shooter. most others feel too slow and all except the Uzi and Crossbow are harder to pilot in boss battles. I would recommend having one of those 2 at all times in this game!

 

Thanks scape that was a helpful guide to weapons! I feel the same way as you about charged weapons. My first weapon purchase was the laser rifle and I was pretty disappointed with it, but maybe I can shed some light on the mini gun. That is my main weapon of choice and I have upgraded it twice. The fire rate is unbeatable and makes up for the low damage. I have only overheated this gun once or twice so it works pretty well as a gun to spam with. I am using a build which increases crit chance against enemies 50% or lower as well as a skill which deals extra dmg to enemies marked by critical shots. These two skills work very well w the mini gun. I just chomp through enemies. My secondary is the frozen gun to slow the enemies who reach me.

 

Wow! Nice weapons breakdown! Thanks for that scape211.

Kind of wish I had that earlier before some of my early purchases . But definitely will help going forward.

Really hope this game generates some traction. The pricing "mistake" or whatever it was will probably hurt sales in the short run at least. It's a great game though.

 

thanks maxbrickem! do you find the walking speed slightly slower like i said? I was only mildly noticeable from the video I saw, like a 5-10% lower speed when equipped so nothing too drastic, but it makes sense for the gun to have a small downside. overall though sounds like you have a good setup