From Space Preview

From Space is a top-down action-shooter about a world that has become infested by cute, pink, gooey aliens who will absolutely kill you if you're not careful. 

Although there will be a roster of characters to choose from, during the preview I only had one character to use. Despite that, I never felt like the game was lacking at all; in fact, one of the most charming features was how much I had at my disposal to destroy the aliens. This was due to the multiple armament options available to use against them.

Aside from the arsenal of weapons, you'll also have access to different types of throwables and traps, such as grenades and molotovs, and barbed wires and turrets. Although at first I didn't care for the traps — as they're useless in many games — I quickly grew fond of the barbed wire because it made the waves much more manageable. Additionally, I had an absolute blast setting up a bunch of traps and turrets and then throwing grenades and molotovs at the large waves of aliens that accompanied the bosses. Although the bosses are accompanied by quite a large number of minions, it’s never too overwhelming, as even if you’re out of grenades and traps, you can shoot at the environment (like the vehicles) to cause explosions that take out several enemies.

That's not to say that the only fun part about the combat in From Space were the bosses, as the aliens themselves are fun to kill too. One of my favourite aspects of the game was that they added special types of enemies, much like the infected you find in Left 4 Dead. Although none of them are as disabling as the special infected, they do add more challenge to the game and create a nice variety. Additionally, unlike most games where once you kill the enemies in the zone everything remains safe, in From Space, the aliens will continue to spawn, creating a pleasant and constant stream of action. I didn't find this annoying — and I don't think many will either — as the ammo also spawns continuously, and the waves of enemies aren't too overwhelming; they're just enough to make the world feel full and alive.

This helps keep the escort missions interesting, as you can’t just clear an area from enemies and then take the NPC safely because foes will continue to spawn. Aside from adding difficulty and action, the constant waves of aliens really makes it feel like Earth is being invaded and we’re fighting for our planet. 

In addition to the escort missions, there are other things the NPCs will ask you to do, like bring them something from the alien-infested lands or even clear up some nests to lower the threat around the area. Although they aren’t anything unique or new, they did a good job at making the usually annoying mission types enjoyable, such as the escort quests, which I normally really hate. 

From Space’s dialogue isn’t anything to write home about, and it’s usually short, but the attention to detail in the world was pretty interesting to me. Since Earth has been overrun by the aliens, everyone is gathered up in barricaded areas (much like in zombie games), but what I like about this is that they use Christmas decorations to keep the zones lit up, which I thought was quite clever. 

This was further amusing to me as the game rewards exploration. In fact, it’s quite encouraged as you’ll need to keep your ammo refilled at all times with the constant enemy attacks. Additionally, this is the way you can find new weapons, more traps, and even get some currency to upgrade or buy more guns. 

Overall, I had a lot of fun running around gunning down aliens, collecting loot, and upgrading or buying weapons, but From Space does have a few downsides. Although I don't think they’re anything so significant that some might dislike the game for it, I do think they're worth the mention. One of the minor issues I encountered was that, because I had to go all the way to a radio to save the game, it's kind of tedious to die or have the game crash. Additionally, I often got lost because it was a bit hard to see due to the camera angle in some areas, and some missions weren't clear to me. I also hope some difficulty options are added, as I didn't struggle at all to play alone and would be very disappointed if playing co-op with my wife made the game too easy.

That being said, From Space is headed down an excellent path. The animations are great, the shooting feels smooth and reactive, the enemies are varied and enjoyable, and the gameplay is very fun. I really am looking forward to seeing its released version.