Akka Arrh Review (alexmcchessers)
I think Akka Arrh might prove to be my favourite Llamasoft game.
So much more than the twitchy arcade blaster that it might seem from the trailer, it's a game that demands accuracy and a careful rationing of your weaponry, closer perhaps to Missile Command than anything else.
This doesn't make it chore to play though, as the right shot in the right place at the right time can set off gorgeously satisfying chain reactions.
It does require you to pay attention and learn its ways, to a degree not seen since Space Giraffe, and I can see how easy it would be to bounce off of it and declare it too hard, but it's super rewarding when it clicks.
My only real complaint is with those little bastard bullets that fly off the screen, turn around, and fly back again at speed. Unless you spot them being launched and deal with them quickly it's very easy for them to take you by surprise in a way that can feel a bit unfair. There is an audio cue when they turn around, but it's easy for that to get lost in the din - and it is a glorious din that deserves to be turned up if you can.
The pacing's spot on, too, building up the chaos and tension, then throwing you a nice, chilled level or two to let you cool off.
Anyway, get it, and don't be put off if for the first few games you feel like you have no idea what's going on. Akka Arrh speaks a language worth learning.