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Gameplay
Graphics
Sound & music
Controls
Replay value

For the last six months or so, there have been quite a few shoot-em-up games that have hit the market really hard. So the competition is very brutal. And that´s something that you must take notice of when you´re about to review a shoot-em-up game (that can be said about other genres as well of course, but you get the point). Well, at least if you want to give a fair and balanced score. Because you must compare the game that you have played with other shmup games on the market. So I did that while I was reviewing Skinny Jean Death Studios (it´s an indie developer studio that was founded by Jonathan Cunningham) Galagan´s Island (which you can buy via steam for 4,99 Euro). And this is what I think about the early access version of Galagan´s Island.

First of all, I’m really impressed that a 13-year-old has developed a game of this caliber (that alone is very impressing). Secondly, Galagan´s Island made me think about the old-school Amiga days. I also enjoyed the beautiful and colorful graphics in the game, and the soundtrack is really nice as well (some of the songs made me think about “Plants Vs Zombies” for some odd reason).

Galagan´s Island is an intense top-down arcade shoot-em-up.

However, not everything is golden with Galagan´s Island (keep in mind that I’m talking about the early access version, and not the final product). For example, most of the games bosses actually consist of small enemies that are mashed up together. I also have to say that the gameplay tends to get rather repetitive after a while (mainly due to the lack of different bosses, power ups and weapons). Another thing that I noticed some levels aren’t difficult because they’re hard. Nope, it´s because of either bugs, glitches or strange design decisions. For example, around level 12, 13 enemies pop out just below your screen. And you have no chance in hell to avoid them (at least not to my knowledge), so you will lose a handful of ships in the process (unless you just happened to have a force field activated).

Galagan´s Island is 100% action from the beginning to the very end.

Nevertheless, Galagan´s Island is still a really good shoot-em-up game that most shoot-em-up players will enjoy for sure. Besides, I played (and reviewed) the early access version. So I´m quite sure that Skinny Jean Death Studios will pay close attention to reviews and the Gaming community. In short, there will be improvements for Galagan´s Island in the near future. As for now (despite the flaws of the game), you get quite a lot of gameplay value for your money if you pick up Galagan´s Island. So if you´re a fan of shump´s, download and try the demo. Then you can decide whether or not you should buy the full version.

Pros:
+ Awesome soundtrack (everything from hip hop to house music)
+ Fun gameplay mechanics
+ Smoth controls
+ Very nice and colorful graphics

Cons:
– Repeditive gameplay
– Some levels are ridiculously hard (you stand no chance pretty much)
– More power ups and different weapons would have been nice

tgg grade 3.5 out of 5

Verdict: 3.5/5
Galagan´s Island may be far from a flawless shoot-em-up game. However, it´s still worthy of your time and money. As you get a lot of gameplay value for your cash.

Title: Galagan´s Island: Reprymian Rising
Developer: Skinny Jean Death Studios
Format: PC
Genre: Arcade shoot-em-up
Resolution: Highest possible for PC
Release date: 2015-06-12
Difficulty: Normal
Spent time: +3 hours
Average grade internationally: ????
PEGI age rating: 18+
Price: 4,99 Euro via Steam