Atari is celebrating their 50th birthday by releasing classic Atari games for today’s gamers. They are releasing five of these ‘Recharged’ titles on Stadia over the coming months. First up: Centipede: Recharged! Checkout our Stadia Review!
For those who haven’t had the pleasure of playing this arcade classic, it utilizes a simple formula of shooting up at moving targets as the difficulty increases over time. And, that is pretty much it! But, don’t be misled! This title may just surprise you.
Gameplay
There are 3 main variations of the game: Recharged, Classic, and Classic with Power Ups – with each of these being playable in single player or co-op mode. There are no levels to progress through here. It is a classic case of surviving as long as possible and getting the highest score you can! You die once (which happens by touching one of the many enemies) and it’s game over. In co-op mode, it is possible to last longer in the game as your in-game partner can be granted a power up to spawn you back into the game. Move around the bottom third of the screen with the left stick on the controller and fire with the A button.
That’s all there is too it. Very easy to learn and just difficult enough to master that you won’t be able to stop playing. The longer you last in the game the faster enemies will spawn. The variety will also increase as time goes by – with each enemy moving in a different way – making the game more and more difficult. After you die, you’re greeted with the leaderboard (incidentally the leaderboard looks like it is growing rapidly in the first few hours – it passed 1,000 in the first 24 hours) and then it’s one press of a button and you’re back in the game again. This makes the game very addicting and hard to put down. “Just one more try” will go on for longer than you intend…
Visuals
Centipede: Recharged stays true to its original 8-bit design whilst somehow managing to feel modern and fresh. It is very polished and smooth, with a slight background pattern and color-scheme to separate the above/underground of the game that breaks up the black space of the original. The neon aesthetic is a really nice touch and compliments the game well. The all makes the game much more appealing to a modern audience. The classic Atari sounds of yesteryear are out, and a simple, modern soundtrack is in. It’s subtle but hypnotic – matching the gameplay perfectly! Kudos to the composer: Megan McDuffee.
Performance
Performance is as expected. That’s not to say it isn’t good, but, with a game like this, you don’t expect bugs and issues. And, there haven’t been any as far as I can tell. The game play is smooth and responsive, without graphical glitches. The leader board is working fine (and something that is sure to keep you coming back), and, praise to the clouds, there are achievements in tow!
Conclusion
This game rocks! It’s as simple as that. The gameplay is fantastic. It is incredibly addictive and will suck you in for hours. It will hit the older gamers among us with hard nostalgia of course, but I also tested it for the younger generation with my 6 year old boy who thought the game was great fun. So, between him and myself, it is safe to say that this game will be enjoyed by people of all ages – and not just gamers! I can see people who aren’t normally in to games having great fun with this one too.
The one thing lacking in the game would be a few more modes. A versus mode or online co-op mode would be great! But they are just nice to haves – not something that really hold the game back.
Let us know what you think of Centipede: Recharged with your own game review in the comments.
Centipede: Recharged
Summary
Centipede: Recharged is a nostalgic remaster of an Atari arcade classic remade for modern times with visual updates and a brand new soundtrack.
It’s classic game reborn and ready to be enjoyed for the millionth time (or the first) by people of all aged. Perfect to be enjoyed for hours on your own or in co op mode. Time will fly by with endless replay-ability as you strive to get to the top of the leader board. Endless fun for all ages.
