Graphics wise, they take a 2-D environment and really juice it up with extras that you would think would only be showcased in the higher end and more expensive games. I was very impressed with the fire and explosion effects during the levels. The explosions create fire trails that have very realistic smoke. When an enemy ship explodes, the enemy pilots start floating down in some levels and when you shoot them, they spurt blood and scream while they fall. Your ship also fires bullets with shell casings that fall and won’t simply disappear, but will hit another ship or object in the environment. Lots of incredible detail for a so-called flat environment. For parents that are concerned about the gore content of the game, you can shut off some of the more gory aspects of the game, (like blood coming from floating pilots), in the Options menu when you start the game, but what fun is that?
The game also has over an hour of heavy metal music by the band Machinae Supremacy to enjoy while you complete your missions. I can’t say that I really enjoyed the music; I really didn’t notice it too much. In this, I think they created a soundtrack that serves its purpose for the game. It doesn’t distract you from what you’re doing, but it does add to it. I think if they had a soundtrack of my favorite AC/DC songs, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on what I was doing; I would be getting slaughtered while I sang along with “You shook me all night long”. The music does sound a little electronic for heavy metal, but did you buy a CD or a video game?
