Review: TxK

Jeff Minter is well known for making quirky, retro-styled games. In particular, he is credited with being the driving force behind one of the few games that made the Atari Jaguar so sought after by collectors: Tempest 2000. Having tried to perfect the Tempest formula a second time with Tempest 3000 (and some would argue again with Space Giraffe on the Xbox 360), Minter has returned to the title for what is likely a final time with TxK. The title itself is clearly an indication that Minter believes he has found the right formula; referring to his previous titles as T2K and T3K, TxK suggests that this is the Tempest for the ages. But has he succeeded?

For those not in the know, the original Tempest was an arcade “tube shooter” created by Dave Theurer for Atari in 1981. It was a vector graphics-based game with straight lines making up the game’s artwork as opposed to individual pixels. Players piloted a spacecraft of sorts, that hovered around the top of a 3D tube – enemy ships would progress their way up the tube from the other side. Players would move about the lip of the tube shooting them down. It’s a simple idea, but as with so many arcades of the time, simplicity often bred pure fun.

TxK is no different; in fact, it looks very similar to the original Tempest. However, the improvements — while subtle — are overarching, covering virtually every aspect of the title. T2K was brilliant at the time, and as a Jaguar owner, I can attest that it is still immensely playable. Still, it had limitations that meant that it couldn’t live up to even the arcade (vector-based systems are very difficult to emulate/impersonate). Space Giraffe, while bringing in a bunch of new ideas, was not friendly to new players, and was so visually stimulating that it was often accused of being unfair. TxK, on the other hand, is crisp, clear, simplified, and so sharp as to closely approximate the vector graphics of the arcade, whilst still managing to keep a foot in the modern age. Still images and compressed videos hardly give TxK any justice.

Of particular note is the manner in which TxK trains new players. The first 10 levels are somewhat slower than the rest, and include annotations on screen to explain how to play. Further (but unfortunately somewhat less user friendly), the “How to Play” section of the Game Info/Options screen includes a brief yet comprehensive explanation of the gameplay. The combination of both should mean that even the newest Tempest player will be well prepared for everything the game throws at them.

There are three main modes, covering 100 levels. Pure Mode is the core game, with players starting at level 1 and progressing as far as they can before running out of lives. Survival mode removes Bonus Levels, and also only allows three lives, significantly increasing the challenge (again, this starts at level 1). Classic Mode is what most players will charge through; initially starting off in Pure Mode, TxK records the score and number of lives at the start of each level, and refers to that as the “Best Ever” effort for that level. Classic Mode allows players to start each level using those “Best” markers, and therefore challenges players to replay each level to improve their “Best Ever” starting score. Frankly, it’s the only way 99% of players will ever reach level 100.

Gameplay is refined, and significantly faster than the original title. There’s more happening within each level, and as the game progresses, TxK throws more at players than ever before. Collecting powerups within a level will again unlock the ‘Jump’ ability, allowing players to jump off the top of the gamefield to shoot enemies on the lip. Further powerups will unlock the AI Droid to help shoot down enemies, as well as provide additional points (for the score chaser in us all), increase the number of bullets fired at a time, and provide Warp Keys – 4 of which will unlock a Bonus level.

Bonus levels are a different beast entirely, much like they were in T2K. In general, they are slower paced, with muted music, and require players to simply guide their way through a series of rings (or along a lit path, and so on). They are a nice break from the main game, but in a way feel like longer versions of the mini game that plays out between each level (in which you guide a spark through a series of tunnels in space… or something).

Much like T2K, though, TxK becomes more than the sum of its parts as a result of some fantastic accompanying music. All electronic, and mostly tending towards trance, TxK begs to be played with headphones. It is the only game that I can attest is TRULY better with headphones. The music, the sound effects, the disembodied voices – everything works in unison to transport you to another world. Sublime.

In the end, though, this is ‘just’ another Tempest… but it is definitely the best. Personally, I can’t get enough Tempest, and would love to give the game a perfect score. It should still score highly, putting my personal views to the side; the pure gameplay, the addictive “one more turn” desire that drives you to perfect your BEST EVER score, and the gorgeous visuals and trance-inducing music make this a must-have title for your PlayStation Vita, given the $10 AUD price point.