Back in 2012, a Playstation Minis game called Velocity was released by FuturLab. This spaceship shooter played in a top-down perspective may appear like your typical game upon first glance. However, there is an added element of puzzles that will test not only your reflexes but also exercise your brain. Now, the very same game has been spruced up for the Playstation Vita with its title changed to Velocity Ultra. And as a result, it is just as addictive as its predecessor.
When you start off, you’ll be acquainted with the game’s mechanics. The whole objective is to shoot down your enemies, avoid getting run over by obstacles, and rescuing the escape pods that are holding survivors. But in addition, you spaceship has the ability to teleport. This is especially useful when you have an obstacle that you need to pass through.
Controls are pretty responsive and easy to get used to. You have basic movement with the left analogue stick as well as shooting your missiles with the right stick. You’ll only be able to shoot in four directions in this case, which can seem kind of awkward at first. Because you won’t be able to shoot in any of the four diagonal directions, it will take some time to get used to. It’s not a deal breaker here at all, but it is noticeable at first.
There’s also the right shoulder button which executes your spaceship’s boost. You’ll find this particular feature useful if you want to move at high speeds in order to get a good level completion time. A great feature to make use of is the ability to drop a telepod. By pressing the triangle button to execute this command, you’ll be able to return to that very position upon request.
What you’ll want to pay specific attention to is how to execute the teleportation properly. This is done by holding down the square button, which brings up the cursor on screen. You’ll then want to use the left analogue stick on your Playstation Vita to move this particular cursor to the desired position, and then release the square button.
Teleporting is very important in Velocity Ultra, especially when it comes to solving the puzzles featured in this game. For instance, there are color-specific fields that can only be deactivated by hitting certain switches in a particular order. You’ll also need to teleport when trying to uncover secret areas.
Velocity Ultra can get mighty challenging with the constant number of enemies coming at you. This is further complicated by obstacles that you encounter, thus making the gameplay extremely difficult for beginner players. In fact, there are levels that can use up your three lives very quickly and this can be a frustrating situation nonetheless. And if you factor in the objective of saving as many survivors as possible within the fastest completion time, you’ll really put your skills to the test. Luckily there are checkpoints throughout the levels to make your gaming a little easier.
You will spend a lot of time playing Velocity Ultra considering that there are 50 levels to complete for the whole story campaign. When you finish a level, you’ll be awarded up to three medals depending on how you perform. And depending on what medals you get, you’ll also be given some experience points. Each successive level requires a specific number of these experience points in order to unlock. This is where Velocity Ultra gets its replay value as it entices players to revisit levels that they have not perfected on and get those missing medals. Finally, the game features leaderboards, which allows you to compare your scores online.
Graphics wise, Velocity Ultra looks mighty fantastic especially under the Playstation Vita’s OLED screen. The colors are very bright and solid, giving a positively everlasting impression. In addition, the action on screen still manages to run at a constantly smooth frame rate. The audio aspect of Velocity Ultra is terrific considering how the music is pretty catchy with its electronic tunes. In fact, they have a little mix of retro which players can appreciate and enjoy.
Velocity Ultra is a real gem of a spaceship shooter for the Vita. For $7.49 at the Playstation Store, this is a very good price to pay for an ultra good title like this. You’ll definitely don’t want to pass this one up.
