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Housemarque has a well-deserved reputation for making hardcore action video games stretching back decades. I first got on the hype train for this Finnish studio when Super Stardust HD came out in 2007. No other twin stick shooter quite achieved the same balance of perfect flow state action and cutting-edge-for-the-time graphics.
The company continued down the action arcade road in the years since, producing hit after hit after hit. Their most recent title is Returnal, which has just as much in common with its prestige title AAA PS5 brethren as it does the arcade games of the team’s past. It elevated their classic intense action gameplay with beautiful production values and a real emotional narrative, proving the studio has what it takes to make a bigger full scale game.
However, before Housemarque left the world of arcade action behind, they made one last game in that older style. One final tribute to the world of twin stick shooting, points, and explosions. That game was Nex Machina, and although it came out five years ago now…I didn’t play it till this past weekend.
I almost made a huge mistake and skipped it forever. I don’t know why it didn’t get me to jump in…
