Astrosaurox is a throwback to the late 70s and early 80s coin-op arcade classics. Playable with one or two players, the game challenges you to complete 8 stages of randomised enemy placement and angry bosses as you traverse rows of platforms in space. It’s minimalist, but of the time it’s trying to emulate. Challenge is the key word, though. Astrosaurox is tough as old boots!
Players control a tank that can move and shoot in the four compass directions. Your gun has a cooldown meter, and if you overheat it by shooting too much, you’ll need to wait for it to be repaired. Each stage is full of different robots or alien creatures, and each one has its own attack and movement pattern. Some stay on their platform lane, but most will move between them, signalling their movement on the way. As enemies are spawned in at random (although they only spawn from a certain level onwards), it’s wise to stay away from the edges of the screen. All too often, you’ll end up pincered between two enemies and be unable to move to another platform ledge because enemies or spikes are there. This pincer approach to difficulty is what retro coin-op games relied on to kill off players, and Astrosaurox does the same thing. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel fair, but you’ll dive back into the action quickly, thinking you’ll be able to beat it next time.
Whilst individually nothing is taxing, collectively, it becomes a lot to manage and watch out for. Bosses often charge at you, firing random bullets. Rows of enemies spawn faster and with increasingly more aggressive and complex movement patterns that require consideration. You’ll need to keep your gun from overheating, or it’ll be curtains quickly for you. Critically, you only get three lives for the entire game. There is no way to earn any more lives or continues. You also can’t pause the game either, much to my annoyance. The lack of difficulty options to ease players in, a pause menu, nor any scoreboards to make score-chasing feel meaningful are three large holes in the title. All of them are modern-day affordances, but they’d all make Astrosaurox far more approachable and palatable to a wider audience, who’ll come to relish the true challenge later on.
Since the challenge is so high, I must confess, I’ve not seen stages 7 or 8. I’m not sure how long it’ll take for me to get to see them either! I’ve hesitated to name this article and video a review because I haven’t seen everything it has to offer, but I can also recognise when it’s my skill issue at play, and not a game being unfairly difficult. If you have no qualms about that brutal, exacting challenge, and enjoy retro coin-op titles, then Astrosaurox is a great addition to your collection, especially at its price point. I hope you reach the end and show me what I’m missing!
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