Review - Nitro Express

Developer: Grayfax Software Publisher: Playism Available on: PC (Steam) Review system: Steam Deck

When robots run amok on the streets of Tokyo, chaos ensues. The military can't help. Regular police officers are busy. Only a special unit consisting of anime girls can rescue the people of Tokyo, uncover a conspiracy, and save the day!

Nitro Express is another exciting game from Playism, the publisher of eclectic indie games, including Break Arts and Mind Diver. Nitro Express delivers on chaotic good action, gorgeous pixels, and an exciting good time, even if it is painfully short.

Tokyo. Nitro City district. The not-so-distant future. Tokyo is as familiar as it is today, but the future is machine-powered. Machines and robots help fill in the gaps in society to create a seamless culture in which humans and machines help each other. To the public, they are referred to as Companions. To the police, they are referred to as atypical vehicles.

Suddenly, the machines go haywire and run amok amongst the streets of Tokyo. This is a job no one else can do. This looks like a job for the Atypical Vehicle Disposal Squad (AVDS) and its punkish anime girls! With high-powered weapons and gadgets, the AVDS is deployed to get the situation under control.

Lock On

Nitro Express is a side-scrolling action shooter on par with the likes of Contra and Blazing Chrome. As a member of the AVDS, players fill the shoes of one of two anime girls who pack serious heat. Using a variety of weapons, the team wields extreme firepower in order to protect the city. A bevy of assault rifles and shotguns is available for purchase, but players will start with the more traditional assault rifle and shotgun. Later acquisitions include anti-armor weapons like rocket launchers. New arms can be acquired after earning cash and completing missions.

Players can equip up to two weapons in a mission. Most importantly, they may equip a special weapon. From grenades to anti-tank mines, these special weapons are instrumental in taking down the mechanical foes. While there is infinite ammo for the firearms, special weapons can only be used so many times.

Lock In

The gameplay is simple: shoot everything! If it isn't human, shoot it. If it's firing back, blow it up. If it's too armored, use special weapons. The goal is to absolutely destroy every single enemy on-screen. This may sound simple, but it is no easy feat.

These machines come in various shapes and sizes, and all have different means of attacking. Some machines are aquatic and use powerful Vulcans. Others are more melee-driven and use pneumatic spikes. Some even have armor so thick, the bullets bounce off back at the player.

Danger is Everywhere

Shooting and combat feel mostly satisfying. The variety of firearms keeps things fresh and entertaining, and the satisfaction of seeing these Mechs being blown up is fun. A combat drone also assists in keeping enemies at bay, with fun emojis. This is all accompanied by a very fresh visual style.

Nitro Express has the appearance of a heavily pixelated yet densely detailed pixel style. It's as if the team were trying to emulate the style of Metal Slug games and other titles from the era. The colors simply pop off the screen, and the designs are impressionable. Even the sound effects are loud and unique.

We're on it, Chief

Holding all this together is a serviceable story that feels fresh out of a mid-90s anime, like You're Under Arrest or Gunsmith Cats. Players are in a world where the cops are the answer to the city's strangest occurrences, and a conspiracy unravels with silky characters, like a Mayor who is an influencer and a chief wrangling two anime girls to stay on task. It's ripe for an anime adaptation.

Between missions, players can embark on secondary missions and rack up more cash to purchase firearms. Additionally, they can complete paperwork, which is a quick-time event that activates a few squiggles on a paper. It does make for more cash to purchase arms.

All there is to see.

Nitro Express does have a solid foundation and simple gameplay. In this day and age, having a game that sticks to the basics isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, there are some design decisions that need to be addressed here.

Nitro Express does not run at 60 fps. Games from the era that the game is trying to emulate did have some slowdown and framerate issues, but for a game like this, it hurts the overall experience. 60 fps would have made the gameplay more exciting and responsive, especially with the aiming.

Black and Blue

Another aspect of Nitro Express is the length and simplicity of the game. The game can last 5 to 6 hours, give or take, for those who play on easy difficulty or hard difficulty. With the exception of the secondary missions, Nitro Express is all about the campaign. When that campaign is over, the game has shown everything there is to see. That's it.

Adding in a wave mode or a longer campaign with different aspects to the gameplay would have been beneficial. I easily could have imagined more being added to the foundation, such as rail-shooting sections from a helicopter. Finally, there are no Steam achievements.

Get aboard the Nitro Express

Nitro Express is a game with a strong foundation and simple gameplay, but nowhere else to grow. This makes it a title that is recommended for those looking for a purely short and contained experience. Nitro Express isn't bad. It sticks to what it knows. However, what we have could have been more. Still, for its short length, Nitro Express is a good time. In this day and age, sometimes good is enough.

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A review code was provided by Playism