Hyper-5 (XSX) Review with stream
Once you grind to unlock a few upgrades, the first 4 stages offer simple, straightforward fun (level 5 is grueling and unfair though)
Lots to unlock if you wanted to take the time to farm XP
Dynamic camera can be cool at times
Jank and low poly count looks like an early Gamecube game
Clunky menu and UI is difficulty to navigate
Cheap enemy placement and sometimes things that don’t look interactive from the background can cause harm
A budget horizontal shooter by EastAsiaSoft, Hyper-5 doesn’t exactly have the highest level of polish but can still provide some entertainment value if you can deal with the missteps.
If you watch my initial stream embedded in this article, you’ll notice that I do not get very far. When the player first starts, the slowly shooting peashooter requires multiple hits to destroy any enemy and the ship can fall with just a couple hits. It wasn’t until I farmed XP by replaying the first stage could I unlock important upgrades to finally beat the subsequent stages. Be warned, the initial unbalance is high and a tough pill to swallow. You can also unlock these pods that provide offensive support, but they take damage and are easily destroyed while essentially making your hit box 3x as big. Point being, this game can be unfair and tough at times.
It isn’t hard to see that this shooter was made on a budget as it looks like an early PS2 title with chunky polygons and low-res textures. There is plenty of jank too, like how some enemies can quickly attack from off screen, your shadow is an awkward red and yellow warning light, and even navigating the main menu is way more confusing than it should be. Taking damage is also weird because the only indicator is listening to an annoying, horrible voice actor speak poorly written lines. However, like many other EastAsiaSoft titles, Achievement hunters will want to take note as most can be unlocked in a short amount of time.
It is a little strange that your spaceship starts venturing underwater and eventually becomes a bug hunting Starship Troopers knockoff, but Hyper-5 isn’t all bad. While the flaws are highly noticeable and annoying, I didn’t mind mindlessly blasting through a few stages once I took the time to upgrade my ship to stand a chance against all the jank.
Not As Good As: Drainus
Don’t Forget About: Wings of Bluestar
More Fun Than: Succubus with Guns
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
