10 Tons LTD has really brought a diverse portfolio of games in recent years. We fought monsters in Crimsonland, cyborgs in Neon Chrome, criminal degenerates in JYDGE, a time lord in Time Recoil, and even a space armada in XenoRaid. While these games have quite a few differences to each other, the biggest trait they all share is one word: Action.
The aforementioned games have done things differently, but have nonetheless been fun, endearing, and enjoyable to play, thanks to their focus on tight control and action. Now, 10Tons LTD has brought over their latest creation, Tesla Vs Lovecraft.
Tesla Vs Lovecraft is a twin-stick arcade action shooting game that plunges players away from the dystopic cyberpunk future of its previous entries and into the late 1800’s, an industrial revolution filled with steam and electricity. When a crazed young man by the name of HP Lovecraft unleashes a demonic scourge upon an innocent city, only Tesla and his power electric inventions, stand a chance at stopping the monstrous hordes. While the adventure starts with a familiar setup, Tesla Vs Lovecraft becomes an absolutely engaging action experience and another step forward for the studio.
Tesla likes to make it a shockingly good time.
It’s not what you have, its what you do with it, and Tesla vs Lovecraft differentiates itself from the pack. The game begins in a familiar fashion, with players learning the basics of twin-stick shooting. Players move around with the left stick while aiming and shooting with the right stick. The ultimate goal is to shoot all the enemies and stay alive.
In each of the game’s numerous levels, Lovecraft summons monsters from an unearthly plane. These fouls beasts, having come from another dimension, wield diabolical powers with menacing looks. Of course, as the player, your objective is to shoot every last one to complete the level.
Accompanying players is an assortment of Gilded Age-inspired weapons, including sawed-off shotguns, Tommy guns, and semi-automatic pistols. However, Tesla can wield his own inventions, including a Tesla cannon, a teleportation dash, and of course, his newest invention, the war-pigeon.
Players will be able to activate power-ups they collect, including upgraded rounds and earning double XP for each enemy slain. The most important mechanic they need to work with is the perk system. Players rank up in each level by earning XP from slain enemies. This allows them to add perks to their experience.
This is quintessential to surviving later levels, especially on higher difficulties. The perks range from more weapons damage to more health to the ability to automatically dodge attacks. The more enemies are dispatched, the higher your perk ranking becomes. This creates a stable platform for players, as they move about the level and slay hundreds of enemies. Perhaps your greatest asset is Tesla’s own combat mech, the war pigeon.
The War-Pigeon is a bipedal walking combat mech, built from the ground up by Tesla himself. Sporting heavy, hulking armor, the mech is designed for maximum protection. For everyone else, the sight of this pigeon is the last thing they will see. The mech sports two roaring electric miniguns, firing thousands of charged bullets a second. Anything on the other end of these guns is literally torn to pieces.
The War Pigeon, tearing through a multitude of enemies
Wielding this is an absolute joy. The rocking soundtrack and the amazing particle effects all make for a hell of an action experience, albeit, for a short time. After a few moments, the mech is disassembled and Tesla fights with firearms again. In order to gain access to the War Pigeon again, players must keep moving, collecting parts scattered throughout the level, in order to activate the mech’s use.
Having played many of the studios’ previous games, Tesla Vs Lovecraft feels as if the developer went to great lengths to polish and refine what works, making it better. Enemies are vicious but satisfyingly explode. The weapons feel great and powerful. The pace is quick, and the ability to teleport through walls to escape enemies is incredible.
Tesla Vs Lovecraft looks and feels distinct, and is perfect for those that are either new to action games or experts to twin-stick shooters. It is worth mentioning that the game features a 2-player mode for the entire campaign as well. Additionally, players have three “campaigns” for the game. Players can play the campaign on Normal, Aether, and Eldtrich planes. These are the levels of difficulty for the game, and it is encouraged to go through the game on each difficulty.
The game features a large variety of monsters to fight and weapons to wield. Moving quickly is essential
If there are any drawbacks to Tesla Vs Lovecraft, it is the use of recycled environments and lack of boss fights. There are a few boss fights, but it would have been neat to face more, considering that the game focuses on the reals of darkness that only Lovecraft can provide. It would have been neat to have seen more environments as well that take advantage of the late 1800’s world that the game takes place in. However, neither of these things detracted from the overall experience.
Tesla Vs LovecrItsis a tremendous action experience. Its controls are sharp, its shooting mechanics are thrilling, and the constant sense of challenge and reward will keep players coming back. 10tons LTD has done it again. The studio is proving with each new iteration a new display of their talent in the field of arcade action games. Whatever comes next from 10tons Ltd, I’ll be sure to play it, and prepare for a great time.
A key for the PlayStation 4 version of Tesla Vs Lovecraft was generously provided to Stack Up by 10Tons ltd. Thank you.