Thank you Ratalaika Games SL for sending us this game to review!

FullBlast was released on Steam in 2016 and was pretty well received. It’s not ground-breaking by any means, but it is a fun shoot ‘em up regardless. I’m glad that it made its way to consoles in 2018. Though the Vita version is portable, it doesn’t allow for co-op gameplay as the other formats do. Another downside to the Vita version is that I experienced some gameplay slowdowns that are probably not present on more powerful gaming systems.

The story isn’t very original in this game. Aliens are invading and it’s up to you (an ace pilot) to reclaim our planet. In total, there are three difficulties and twelve levels. The default difficulty of normal wasn’t very challenging until the final boss battle as I was able to complete most missions on my first or occasionally second try. The last boss probably took me fifteen attempts.

Some levels are longer than others as a few of them merely lead your jet to a boss battle. All in all, this title may only take a couple of hours to beat. Since the levels are not random, there isn’t much replay value other than a different difficulty or trying to unlock a previously missed achievement.

As a shoot ‘em up, FullBlast checks all the right boxes with numerous power-ups to collect and plenty of marine-themed alien ships to shoot out of the sky. Some of the enemy aircrafts look like lobsters and stingrays. There are some krakens and insect-like ships too.

The levels take place in different biomes including snowy mountains and dense forests. The krakens can be found in the ocean missions. While not jaw-dropping, the visuals are decent in this title.

Voice acting is non-existent and all of the game’s dialogue is in text. Unfortunately, there are a few instances of the word d*mn used. The heavy metal background music is pretty good. It really gets you pumped for the upcoming battles.

Your lives are limited, but occasionally you’ll come across an extra life power-up. Other power-ups include a faster rate of fire, more or stronger bullets, or a temporary shield. After a level is cleared you can proceed to the next one with your power-ups intact. However, once you die or start a level fresh, you’ll lose any enhancements you had previously.

Though the enemy patterns may have their directions flipped, the level layout and power-up drop is always consistent. Your best bet on taking on the last boss is to continue on from level eleven fully powered instead of relying on the single gun power-up on the last level.

If you don’t mind the language and enemy combat, FullBlast is worth checking out. The visuals and story won’t blow you away, but the game is fun and that’s what counts. If you want to play with a friend it’s worth checking out on other platforms. It’ll probably run better too.