Special thanks to WayForward for the review copy!
Spidersaurs is a game that I knew very little about until I was offered a review code for it. It’s a title that was released on Apple Arcade way back in 2019, but not having had access to that platform, it was something that flew under my radar. A quick review of their pre launch trailer showed me that this game is an old school run n’ gun action platformer in the vein of Contra or Metal Slug, but with WayForward’s usual sense of style and presentation. This was especially exciting to me as WayForward are the developers of 2007’s excellent Contra 4 on the DS. Let’s find out if it lives up to that lofty pedigree.
Story and Presentation
After some consideration, I decided to roll the story and presentation categories into one section for this review because I feel like they’re pretty closely tied together. The game is broadly styled after the sort of Saturday morning cartoons you would see in the 80s and 90s. This was a time when the IP that drives modern kids programming wasn’t as all encompassing as it is today, and toy companies would throw whatever wild ideas they had against the wall. The plot of Spidersaurs certainly fits in with something like Street Sharks or Biker Mice from Mars. The premise of the game is that a company, in this case InGest (a not so subtle jab at Jurassic Park’s InGen) has developed a solution to the worlds’ food shortage: genetically engineered dinosaur and bug hybrids. This ludicrous livestock, surprise surprise, escape and go on a rampage, and it’s up to two plucky young taste testers (Adrian and Victoria, more on them in the gameplay section later) to stop them.
The game throws a lot of enemies at you, and despite the name, most aren’t dinosaur and spider hybrids but rather (as I mentioned) a mix of dinosaur and bug. So, you might get a cockroach mixed with a small theropod or a triceratops mixed with a beetle. The art for all of these enemies is gorgeous, but the actual animations don’t always match this level of quality. I also don’t feel like WayForward’s usual anime house style really fits the 80s cartoon aesthetic they were going for. In the end that doesn’t matter much, however, as it’s still vibrant, colorful, and matches the mood of the game.
This game contains voice acting throughout the stages as well as in story sections that happen between levels. These story sections generally take place in the same area and are very static in nature. They get the job done, but don’t have quite the same polish as the in game action. The music for this game is good, and much like the rest of Spidersaurs takes inspiration from action titles you might have played in the 90s. None of the tracks stand out to me in particular, but I enjoyed them at the time of playing. I really enjoyed the sound effects, too. This game borrows most heavily from Contra but hearing Adrian say things like “lock and load” definitely invokes Metal Slug, too.
Gameplay
This game feels, in many ways, like Contra 5. No, really. It has its own flavor, of course, but so many of the game’s enemies and gun types feel very much like reskins of items from Contra. This is not a bad thing. There’s one flying enemy in particular that tries grabbing you and taking you off screen in a way that’s very reminiscent of a similar alien creature in Contra III. It goes beyond that, though, as the actual feel of the game reminds me of Contra, right down to the flip your characters do when they jump.
When the game starts, you can choose between one of two characters. Victoria, who has an electric guitar and rock n’ roll themed power ups, and Adrian, a cop in training that’s a little too obsessed with sports. Seriously, this guy has a gun that shoots exploding (American) footballs. The two characters broadly play the same but have entirely different power ups. Some of these power ups feel very familiar — the aforementioned football powerup is essentially Contra’s Crush Gun and Victoria has a version of the classic Spread Shot — but some, like Adrian’s Rebound Breaker, which breaks apart and bounces across the screen once it makes impact, are in my experience wholly unique. Upgrading your gun is accomplished the same way as in Contra: floating powerup pods appear that need to be shot down and then recovered. You can store two at a time, and they can be upgraded once. If you’re hit, however, the gun goes back to your base gun. If you die, you lose that weapon altogether.
That’s a core way that this game differs from Contra. You have hit points that can be recovered by eating meat, so if you get hit, it’s not the end of your life. This makes Spidersaurs a bit easier than other classics from this genre, but it’s not an easy game. One thing it does is provide you with generous checkpoints (after each midboss). Because of this, it never takes too long to get back to an end stage boss if you lose all your lives and have to continue. One interesting thing about this game is the fact that your characters “power up” as the story progresses. Once you defeat a boss you eat a chunk of its meat (remember, that’s the entire premise of this game) and you learn a new ability. These range from a ground slam to a double jump to a way to tether to the top of the screen ala Contra 4. This particular powerup doesn’t have the same utility that it does in Contra 4 due to the lack of a dual screen, but it still comes in handy.
The game is relatively short, taking place over six stages. The stages are selectable once they are unlocked, meaning you can go back and play your favorite at any time. Each stage has both a boss and a midboss, and the bosses are varied with their own attack styles and detailed artwork. The stages themselves go through the various tropes of the genre. You have an auto scrolling stage on a vehicle (in this case some sort of spidersaur), a lava stage, and so on. Overall, it’s a fun but short experience. The game has two player co-op, which I would recommend for anyone considering this title.
Verdict
Spidersaurs is funny, charming, and provides just the right amount of challenge. Unfortunately, with only two playable characters, no online co-op, and not much in the way of extra modes (you unlock arcade mode and speedrun mode once you finish your first playthrough) there isn’t much meat on the bones of these Spidersaurs. That being said, at $20, I feel like it’s priced just right. Think of it as a good lunch special.
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I been meaning to check Spidersaurs out, thanks for the review.
I like the character design, the opening intro and the Saturday morning cartoon vibe of the game. I agree however that the game is for the most part pretty underwhelming, like with the small amount of content.
Assuming there aren’t DLCs in the works it would be nice if Wayforward plans to expand the IP through a sequel or something I guess.