Sovietborgs is a new action title being developed for the Mega Drive/Genesis. Developer Retro Sumus has been working hard in recent months to assemble the new overhead shooter with a retro style and asked for our thoughts so far. So, we’ve been playtesting the latest build and getting insight into what we can expect when the game is released. As with all these kinds of previews, this isn’t the final product and is more an indication of the gameplay elements and a general feel for what the game will become. This early build was played on an emulator using a ROM file.
From our initial play, this game is a cross between Cannon Fodder and Gaunlet taking some of the best elements from both. When comparing Sovietborgs to Cannon Fodder, you control an entire squad of attackers and they slowly get picked off one by one as you take damage. Losing all your troops will result in a failed level and back to the start. But it also plays like Gauntlet in that your squad needs to destroy enemy spawning nests and dispose of all the attackers in rooms to progress.
Sovietborgs starts with a three-man squad each with a simple blaster weapon and a few bombs shared by the whole team. They all move together and closely follow each other as players try to avoid enemy fire and attacks from the various creatures that always hone in on your position. The key to the game is to find the right balance between moving and shooting. There will always be a need to find a safe space to plot up and start firing as there is a need to keep attacking the never-ending stream of enemies.
The advantages available to succeed in this are having the ability to fire in a straight line while moving or holding a different attack button to pivot and aim in eight directions. This feels like a well-balanced game in that regard, it’s a true arcade title that requires practice and experience as to when to move and when to lay down suppressing fire at an enemy nest. After a few minutes of trying different ways to attack in Sovietborgs, it started to appear a natural way to use the strengths, speed and agility of your troops.
Graphically, Sovietborgs certainly has a distinct look with its use of green, brown and grey, which has that 70s Communism feel to it. Most of the graphics and art still need some work as there weren’t a lot of details in the scenery or with animations during attacks. However, given the early stages of this game’s development, there is a definite aesthetic Retro Sumus is aiming for that hopefully shines in the final game. The sound is also at an early stage but there were a few glimmers of voices and interesting sound effects during the play test.
Presentation aside this preview is mostly to gauge the gameplay and on that front, there is a very promising game in the works. The squad moves great and with the weapons system, there will be additional firepower and bombs to mix up the overall gameplay tropes. There is the thought that maybe two players could get involved and share control between the squad somehow. Lots of interesting ideas could be implemented into the gameplay but it doesn’t help to speculate. We just hope the development continues the way it is as Sovietborgs has a good feel about it. Retro News would like to thank Retro Sumus for providing the ROM so we could sample the game.
