At first glance Take Arms looks like Castlevania took the Call of Duty route and went modern. The classic 2D side scrolling mixed with an online shooter. Take Arms takes the best parts of COD, Zombies and Pterodactyls, and a little Castlevania and puts them into one Indie game. Whether you’re playing solo with bots, or you take it online with people that can kill you with ease, this game is fun and very addictive.
The three basic fundamentals of any online shooter are here: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and CTF. With game types usually played on a disk based FPS the 2D side scrolling add not only whole new elements to the game but a new level of difficulty, like in the fact that someone on the floor above you will be able to see you before you can get into range to do even a little bit of damage. Deathmatch is as it always has been: Every man for himself. Add in a team element and you not only have the makings of some chaos but some fun as well. CTF is where I got really interested. With games like Halo and COD out there I had one solid view of playing flag, but with CTF while side scrolling brings a whole new ways to drop down and score the flag.
They’re three classes to chose from when you first start the game. The first is called Striker, he is your run of the mill sniper, but sniping in 2D is a whole new weird and kinda enjoyable ball game. When you aim the sniper rifle the screen goes black except for the cross hairs, almost like the game Golgo 13 way back on the NES. At that point the shooter can move the cross hair for a limited distance either left or right across the screen. Each class also has a pistol you can switch back and forth. The Striker’s is a fully auto machine pistol. The next class is called the Grunt. He carries a semi auto rifle and a slandered pistol. The Grunt is also slightly faster that the rest of the classes. The final class is the Destroyer. He resembles one of the juggernauts is MW2. He carries a light machine gun and a heavy revolver as weapons. The Destroyer class is the slowest class but he can take a few more hits that the others. The one thing that all the classes have in common is the melee attack. One hit from the knife and it’s over for the other guy.
The level design is what stands out in this Indie title. It has a Castlevania level design inspired by COD. You can only choose between three levels but they are different enough to let you choose different ways to attack the enemy. The first is called Bridge and it has a few three story buildings connected by long steel beams, the lower part of the level has barriers and fences that you can jump up on to get to the top or by stair access in the buildings. The next map is Complex and on the top level it looks like a jungle scene out of Indian Jones including rope bridges and pit falls. The pit falls take you to the lower level is very dark and confined, good for close quarters combat. The final level is called Trainyard and it’s best smallest of the maps. The underground tunnels lead to the outside and to a train being repaired underground. The outside is a series of building connected by stairs and half destroyed train cars.
A unique mix of shooter and side scrolling with beautiful level design, this Indie game stands out. If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, then Take Arms is something you should play. It doesn’t matter if you are by yourself or you play online with friends this game will deliver pure chaotic fun.
