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An adrenaline-packed alien invasion with a stunted view - From Space Review

17K View2022-11-07

I was first introduced to the concept of aliens in science fiction when I was seven years old. I was watching Dead Space: Downfall when I realized both that beings from another planet could exist, and that rather than being peaceful or friendly, they might just want to rip people's heads off. That said, when I initially saw From Space, I hoped the adorable neon-pink blobs of goop featured in this game would be good-natured. Appearances can be deceiving, though, especially when it comes to aliens.

The pink blobs at the heart of From Space are actually hyper-aggressive forces of destruction that swarm anyone they deem an enemy with tenacious strength. In this solo and co-op action shooter game, available on Nintendo Switch and PC, I had to stay alive while trying to eliminate as many space invaders as possible and journeying through the various areas that these aliens had overrun.

From Space doesn’t spend much time revealing how the planet became infested with aliens, not that I cared the slightest. I was facing much more grievous problems that needed to be solved. I had to eradicate these nasty little creatures using limited tools, strategy, and quick-thinking skills.

In From Space, players choose one of six characters, each with different playstyles. These characters are split between defense, offense, and support specializations and feature unique weapons, perks, and items. I personally enjoyed playing an offensive character named Shadow Sniper, who comes equipped with a hard-hitting sniper rifle, explosive claymores, and stealth-focused perks. I particularly loved how I could eliminate some of these neon pink blobs from afar and not attract any attention. It was always quite thrilling when one of my sniper shots would penetrate through an alien and into another, ultimately killing two at the same time.

One of the cool aspects about these specialists is that if I ever got tired of playing Shadow Sniper, I could change characters and test out a different approach. From Space uses an account-wide leveling system, rather than leveling individual characters, so swapping doesn’t leave you needing to grind to catch up. One minor annoyance: From Space didn’t specifically tell me that the leveling system applied to all of the characters at once. It took me two hours to discover that I could play other characters without needing to level them up from scratch, which was a painful realization.

While farming XP and playing around with different specialists, I had to spend time killing all the oddly adorable aliens From Space has to offer. These visitors from other worlds come in many forms, including some that leap towards characters’ faces, some that crawl, some that swarm in large groups, and even some that spit corrosive liquid. If I wasn’t careful, I would die almost immediately in most situations, forcing me back to where I had last saved my progress. When it happens in From Space, death is extremely punishing—and it happened frequently for me. The game doesn’t provide many areas to save, so when I died after playing through twenty minutes of gameplay, I had to do it all over again.

Part of the reason for From Space’s difficulty is purely due to design and aesthetic choices. The game is viewed through an isometric perspective, with the camera following the character as they explore areas within the game. Because of this pulled-back perspective, I found it quite easy to lose track of my positioning. And since the aliens are all neon pink, it’s tremendously difficult to distinguish a normal alien from something more deadly. For example, the everyday crawling alien looks quite similar to the much deadlier leaping variety that I had to make sure never to get close to. When a batch of different types of extraterrestrial foes are bunched together in a cramped area, it’s impossible to tell them apart, which led me to some extremely frustrating deaths.

While it has some issues, I still enjoyed From Space for the most part. I had the time of my life blowing up platoons of pink, gloppy aliens and sliding all over the place to survive. This game tested my reflexes and even more so my patience. With some tweaking to the visuals, it could be a standout co-op title.

SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Gunfire Reborn. If you enjoy Gunfire Reborn for its interesting characters and various weapons you can find and equip, you might enjoy playing From Space for its similar mechanics. Feel free to read my review of Gunfire Reborn on TapTap.

• Raspberry Mash. If you have slow reflexes like me but still enjoy the challenge of good, fast-paced combat like in Raspberry Mash, you may like From Space for the same thing. Feel free to read my review of Raspberry Mash on TapTap too.

💬 How would you react if aliens landed on Earth? Tell us your answer in the comments below!

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