Devs Must Die’s latest arcade release is explosive fun

Like lightning, “Skybolt Zack” by Devs Must Die, (ironically enough) just came out today, Oct. 24 on the Steam Store for PC and Nintendo Switch.

This arcade game looks and feels like a mixture of any of the “Sonic the Hedgehog”, “Mario” and “Guitar Hero” games. It is a mixture of platformer mechanics and color-matching gameplay where the speed of Zack determines the rhythm of the music.

The controls are tight and allow Zack to traverse each level speedily. His abilities to rocket punch, dash, focus and rapidly change direction after destroying an enemy offers a lot of depth which is not seen on the surface.

Here are some key features which will help make “Skybolt Zack”, pop in the arcade genre.

Gravity has no power here

From the beginning of each level to the end, Zack has the potential to not touch the ground. If the correct buttons are pressed rapidly and correctly, Zack will continue hurtling into enemies until the end of the level without touching solid ground.

Diverging path

While bouncing around and slamming into enemies, different lanes to continue the level will be seen. Each one has its own level of difficulty that could make the current level more or less difficult.

Explosive graphics

The art style combines 3D resources with 2D digital textures along with tons of colorful effects and explosions.

Lots of enemies

There are more than a dozen robot enemies Zack will have to defeat in order to continue his quest. Some can be taken down with one hit and others require multiple button smashes to breakthrough.

Customizable controls

After playing the demo for this game, having the option of switching the controls is a welcome one. The default controls are not bad, but allowing player customizability may help improve each individual’s experience.

Color correction

For gamers who are colorblind, the developer has got you covered. There are options to change the in-game colors to colors which are more easily distinguishable.

No boring dialogue

The developer has painstaking worked to make sure the dialogue in this game is as interesting as possible.

This has been done by doing away with dialogue completely.

“You’d have skipped them anyway,” says Devs Must Die.

Conclusion

Just coming out today, “Skybolt Zack” comes out of the gates with fun arcade action that puts a spin on the time-tested genre.

With blue, yellow and red as your indicators, end each level with a bang.