There are a lot of independent game developers out there. From large companies to single person operations, they produce a large portion of the games on the market today. Not only are they producing new games but they are breathing life into older, foreign and less known games. CowCat has recently remastered Diabolical Mind’s twin stick shooter Riddled Corpses EX.
In the spirit of 8 and 16 bit games you are on a mission to destroy the evil zombies and the monsters that created them. You start out playing as Jon, a well-rounded fighter that will work on destroying the evil hordes. As you kill zombies, they will drop gold which can be used to upgrade your fighter or buy a new fighter with special abilities. The more powerful you get, the easier it will to conquer the 6 different stages in story mode.
The game has 3 different modes story, arcade and survival. Story mode consists of working through 6 stages, each with multiple waves of enemies and a large boss at the end. Once you complete a stage you will be able to restart after that stage if you die before completing the next one. Racking up large amounts of gold in each run will help you upgrade your fighters. You can also buy upgrades such as time stopping clocks, health, and dynamite to help your progress. Arcade mode pits you against all 6 levels with limited lives and one shot at making it through. Survival mode is just that – try to survive against as may waves of zombies as you can. If you are having trouble making it through any of the game, you can grab a friend to help you out in local co-op.
Graphics are perfectly retro. The game has been updated to run at 60 frames per second on consoles and 30 on PC. There is a wide variety of enemies and bosses that are each have their own personality. You will end up giving each a nickname, but once you complete the game, you will see that each is actually named. The music has been updated as well. The original chip tune soundtrack is still in the game, but you have the choice of switching to a new soundtrack if you want. Once you beat story mode, there will be a third soundtrack for you to enjoy.
Riddled Corpses EX is out now on XB1, PS4, and Steam. If you pick it up on PS4 you will also get it for the Play Station Vita so you can take your zombie slaughtering skills on the go. You can add this twin stick shooter to your collection for $12. This is a fun game that gets better when played with a friend. While the title can be a bit grindy while you are trying to level up characters, it is worth the play time.
