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Developed by Spanish studio apartment Mango Protocol , Colossus Downis the in vogue in the " Psychotic Adventures " serial publication of game , beak up where the share taradiddle of its previous hitsMechaNikaandAgatha Knifeleft off . Colossus Downgives participant the fortune to wreck the halls this holiday time of year as a little girl and her 10 - invertebrate foot - tall struggle mech on both PCs ( viaSteam ) and Xbox consoles , and does an admirable job with its premise .
player are wander into the role of Nika , a seven - year - old technical school genius who invent a giant automaton mention MechaNika . Together , they will roam the world ( alongside Nika ’s friend Agatha and a butcher demigod identify the Great Bleeding Pig inthe optional local co - op mode ) , using MechaNika ’s awesome power to destroy anything that ’s " uncool " so Nika can rebuild it all in her simulacrum . The game ’s sense of wittiness is dark and sometimes phantasmagoric , with plenty of cagey nod to pop display , games , and even a public fig or two . There ’s a bizarre twist at the end that may necessitate knowledge of the previous Psychotic Adventures to completely make sense , but it ’s surprisingly gripping in a morbid way .
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Colossus Downplays like a distinctive side - scrolling beat-‘em - up , with players swinging MechaNika ’s blade branch , firing its berm - mounted exploding bird carom , and unleashing an electrical burst to electrocute enemy as well as block and dodging enemy attacks . to boot , players can unlock special move , ranging from massive galvanizing eruption to raining volatile dolly heads , that can be great for clearing out large waves of enemies - but using them requires players to take damage . as luck would have it , Nika can recuperate her health by injecting a collectable coolant found litter the landscape alongside the routine of scrap she uses to power her special moves .
Naturally , the " uncool " forces of the world will contend back , with foe including law , military personnel , and even robot sentries and mythologic creatures . There are also a few puzzle that will have to be clear along the way , ranging from describe up line on two columns to tack numbers on a telecasting bulwark . At one point , Nika will even install a jetpack to fly up to the top of a towboat , leading to a top - down rail hit man succession where MechaNika has to evade and blast foe and rubble as it makes its way to the top .
Throughout Nika ’s journeying , she ’ll take damage in the form of heat , which is represented by a ruddy damage measure on the upper left - hand quoin . Should this meter satisfy completely , MechaNika will explode , but luckily it will regenerate instantly after with no substantial penalty ply player tally to a choice to reduce the number of peculiar attacks they unlock to three . In fact , there areseveral narrative choicesto be made throughout the plot , most of which involve Nika deciding whether or not to spare an foeman in return for some form of reward . These all impact the game ’s termination , which encourages multiple playthroughs .
Colossus Downs ’s artistry flair is reminiscent ofAdventure TimeandScribblenaughts , boast colorful 2D nontextual matter , cute eccentric modelling , and fluidly animated cutscenes . Nika ’s travelling take her to a wide range of locations , from schoolyards , military base , atomic number 10 - light cyberpunk metropolis , aCandyland - style dreamscape , and even the inside of a video secret plan . Dialogue is done via text , with hand - drawn letters and periodic spelling errors to accent the plot ’s youngster - like perspective . All of this successfully contributes to the game ’s aesthetic , which is ultimately one of its biggest selling points but will also undoubtedly bend off some players who think it ’s too cartoony .
WhileColossus Downis a solid beat-‘em - up for the most part , it is n’t without its defect . unlock new attack can take a farsighted fourth dimension due to the big amount of scrap one needs to amass to fulfill the upgrade bar , and some of the puzzle and boss battles can be confusing at first due to a lack of exculpated instruction on what to do . It ’s also got a fairly middling ceiling , since it lack some of the depth that would kick in to making it a more engaging experience overall .
Still , Colossus Downis a play , offbeat , and dark game for players who wish well for nothing more than to raze the world in the name of a precious mecha and the genius who progress it . That ’s admittedly a pretty niche hearing , but those with an fondness for well - made sidescrollers or morbid cartoon will also find a heap to like inColossus Down .
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Colossus Downis useable now on PC , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X / S , and PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in January . Screen Rant was ply a Steam download code for the purpose of this review .
