Galactic Glitch

Roguelikes seem to be released every week these days. Ever since Dead Cells and Hades rocked the gaming world, developers have been scrambling to have the next big thing in the genre, and with the market now over-saturated, it’s become essential for developers to innovate for their game to stand out from the crowd. 

The latest entry in this packed market is the twin-stick shmup Galactic Glitch from the Berlin-based developers Crunchy Leaf Studios. The biggest gimmick to try and separate this game from the rest is its physics-based mechanics, which promise to keep the gameplay fresh while you play, especially handy considering the nature of a roguelike. 

In the game you take control of a prototype ship with the sole mission to help your creator escape a simulation that they seem to be stuck in. The reasons why are spread throughout the game, feeding you little chunks of narrative at the end of each unsuccessful run. A really nice touch, as it saves the player from being confused with a whole lore dump at the start, keeps the mystery going throughout and also gets the player into the action as quickly as possible. 

This action consists of travelling through different zones on your journey to escape. Each zone is made up of a series of interconnected spherical rooms that almost look like bubbles. In each room you’ll find a satisfying array of different enemy ships out to stop you, all with their own interesting attack patterns and weapons. This results in fast-paced gameplay thanks to the ship’s pacy movement and the need to dodge multiple enemy attacks at once.

The physics mechanic I mentioned earlier comes into play with the ability to grab floating debris, rocks, missiles, and small enemies and fling them at enemies to inflict damage. You can also shoot projectiles into the sides of the rooms, which then will bounce off and shoot across the room. While pretty fun at the start, it was a mechanic I stopped using after a while, as the damage done using this is minimal, and I preferred my main weapons. Also, in busy moments with much to think about, it became difficult to concentrate on using it, as there was so much happening. If the damage level were higher, I could see this as a great supporting attack to your guns, but at the moment, it felt half-baked and missing that slight refinement. 

During exploration, you’ll find rifts of varying difficulties, which will send waves of enemies at you, with rewards of various items upon a successful defence. One reward will be buffs for the player to choose from, which anyone who is seasoned with roguelikes will instantly recognise, as they are all standard affairs. Increasing attack power, health, dodge effectiveness, and defence are all here, plus some support options are also available, with my favourite being the drone ship that will fire missiles at enemies. 

Other items that could drop from these rifts include extra health, orbs, glitch tokens, and charges. Orbs can also fall from defeated enemies and can be used in the game’s skill tree for some permanent upgrades to the ship. Glitch tokens are the game’s currency, which can be used in shops that are found in each zone and the glitch shards give you access to secret rooms and hidden crates, which can contain key items or a bucket of glitch shards. 

Blueprints will also be waiting to be found, which will unlock new weapons for the ship. As you start with a standard mid-range weapon, you’ll soon be able to access many more short, mid, and long-range guns. Each has their own weaknesses and strengths, so it will be up to the player to find one that fits their preference. Personally I was quite attached to the shotgun, as its power was undeniable, but its short range meant that I did get caught out a few more times than I would have with other guns.

Of course, at the end of each zone, the player will come up against a boss machine, which guards the entrance to the next zone. These boss battles were pretty fun, with each having their own attack patterns for you to dodge. Sections of the boss can be targeted and destroyed, which will diminish its patterns and attack strength, giving the player more freedom to get in the last devastating blows to finish it off. As the run progresses, these battles do become tougher, and it’ll need good concentration and reflexes to avoid any damage. 

This does lead into one negative, as the damage the ship receives from hits was pretty high and the health bar went down much quicker than I would have liked. After one or two hits, the bar was down to halfway, unfairly crippling my runs and it wasn’t long before I was back at the start. The game offers a roguelite mode, which offers a more freeing and friendlier version, but once activated, you can’t turn it off and I didn’t notice much change afterwards either. 

Visually, Galactic Glitch is effective with its choice of design. It successfully shows the world in a satisfactory way with detailed ship models and explosions. The physics are depicted well, especially with the edges of the rooms, with believable movements that you would expect from a bubble. Sound design was also fine, with all the sounds in the game fitting in well with the theme and the music, though average, doing the job well enough. 

All in all, Galactic Glitch is your run-of-the-mill roguelike bearing a different skin. Its physics mechanic is just not doing enough to make it stand out, and for someone who’s sunk hundreds of hours into Dead Cells, Hades, or any other similar roguelike, you might find too many similarities in Galactic Glitch for it to hold your interest for more than a couple of hours. 

This is a shame, as the game is well made; it plays and looks wonderful and the systems that have been implemented work well together. The game has been on a journey since its early access with many new features and improvements thanks to player feedback, and with a ten-year development, there is a lot of love that has clearly been poured into it, but it just didn’t innovate on the genre enough to grip me in the way in which I wanted it to.