Developed in partnership between eastasiasoft and developer Lillymo Games, Habroxia is a retro-style, 2D shooter that features intense boss fights, challenging rescue missions, and levels that can shift in perspective.
Spanning a whopping 15 levels, Habroxia sends the player into an R-type-like environment, replete with enemy turrets (attached to the floors and ceilings of each level); rock-like debris that can be destroyed to obtain power-ups; and maze-like passageways that are reminiscent of the arcade classic, Scramble.
The game itself is rather basic in design, forgoing flashy, large sprites and big explosions for a more tamed, retro appearance. The gameplay also reflects this mindset: the player’s spacecraft moves at a sluggish pace, as do the levels. Oddly enough, the enemy spaceships move slightly faster than the player’s spaceship. This means that dodging enemy projectiles (or even the enemy themselves) can be difficult. It’s not impossible to do, though. The player just needs to anticipate their next course of action before getting too close to an enemy or their projectiles.
The player’s ship is capable of shooting horizontally and vertically. Not only does this help against enemy spaceships that slip by the player’s defenses, but it’s a good way to eliminate the numerous gun turrets that populate most levels. And this doesn’t include the large walls of space rock that will occasionally impede the player’s progression. In fact, it’s all rather rudimentary in design.
With that said, Habroxia does have features that help it stand out as a shooter — shifting level perspectives and incredibly difficult boss battles. From level 3 onward, the horizontal stages (at specific intervals) will transition into vertical moving levels, mimicking the classic game Galaxian.
After a level is completed, the player is sent to an ‘Upgrade’ Menu to power up their spacecraft. Unlike some shooters that use ‘coins’ or ‘points’ as currency, Habroxia takes a different approach by using the ‘continues’ the player collects as power ups by shooting enemies. That’s right; we’re talking the same ‘continues’ that keep the game going after defeat. It’s a strange concept, but since the game is generous with continues, it’s really a nonissue.
With that said, Habroxia is an odd-looking shmup that somehow encapsulates the core elements of the genre, while also being unique enough to stand out on its own. This is quite a feat to achieve, especially in a genre that is brimming with competition, where it’s difficult to make an impact. Developer Lillymo Games deserves praise for a job well done.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Lillymo Games
Publisher: eastasiasoft
ESRB: E (Everyone)
Price: $7.99
Habroxia Official Website: https://www.eastasiasoft.com/games/Habroxia
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Classic 2D visuals compliment the experience. | |
| Sound |  |
| Like the graphics, the sound effects have a retro appeal to them. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Somewhat sluggish, but still a lot of fun to play | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Habroxia is an odd-looking shmup that somehow encapsulates the core elements of the genre. | |
