Game Review: Megaton Rainfall Review - The story behind it does not matter

Who does not want to be an immortal, intergalactic superhero now that rescues humanity from an alien invasion? That's the question that developer Alfonso del Cerro made himself in 2012 just before he decided to set up an in-studio Pentadimensional Games. Megaton Rainfall is thus the result of five years of sweating and one-man's swing and now it's finally the time when his superhero simulator appeared on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR. An ambitious project so, but is it worth the effort to pick up this game?

Come out and play

The story behind Megaton Rainfall does not matter. When the game begins, you will be addressed by a voice that addresses you as being 'Offspring'. The message does not bother you: you are immortal and your goal is to prevent mankind - also created in the equation of 'the voice' - to be protected from alien rigs that it has on the so-called xenospheres objects that giving the user unimaginable power Once you hit an attack successfully, you get the xenosphere, which increases your super powers. For example, in the shortest time you can use superluminal speed, which allows you to fly to other planes at a speed greater than MACH 10. Another example is the ability to use a superbom that places entire cities in ash if you do not deal with it with extreme caution. And that's exactly the crux.

You may be immortal, but the people you try to protect are not. On the left side of the screen you will see a meter that keeps track of how much damage is caused. If the meter is empty, you will be returned to your last checkpoint. It is therefore important to limit the effects of all forms of destruction, both the damage caused by the alien invasion and possible abuse of your own forces. When you get a new power, you are first taken to get to know the power. In itself, the pattern is very predictable: look for the invasion, turn off the invasion, fly to the xenosphere, listen to the voice, use new powers.

Virtual reality superhero

The game is not only playable on a TV, it is also suitable for playing with your PlayStation VR headset. In fact, The non-VR version seems to be less thoughtful compared to the VR version. And honestly, it's incredible - it's incredibly handsome what Pentadimensional Games has achieved with Megaton Rainfall in this area. Virtual reality currently suffers from stigma that there would be no qualitative content available and that VR is primarily the field of trials and experiences - not so much the field of Triple-A games where giant teams have worked.

Megaton Rainfall shows that here is slowly changing. The length of Megaton Rainfall is not long-term, count at about three to six hours, but the primary VR issues, such as proper control and the suppression of nausea, are excellent. If one person or a very small team can put down such a VR game, then that is a good thing for the VR future. Navigating, targeting and shooting, it all feels just a bit better and more precise than the non-VR variant.

The devil's in the detail...

The presentation of the story and the design of the menus are kept very basic. There are no flashy menus or excessive modes in Megaton Rainfall. The text that plays 'the voice' is also written out for your eyes - and that will be a bit annoying after the second time. Once released, you will start flying a bit, to get a little sense of what it's like to be a digital superhero. The speed at which you fly over the earthquake is incredible and especially the transition from, for example, flying across the seabed to ascension to the atmosphere, is incredibly well-developed. The control is very simple and therefore also pleasant. Rise up with R1, decrease with L1. To look around and to navigate, use the analog sticks. Other skills are distributed among the remaining buttons. All in all, this is very intuitive and it works fine.

Graphically Megaton Rainfall is absolutely not a high-glider, but that's not very disturbing. The alien spaceships are all uniquely designed and each has its own attack pattern, but it lacks details. Weaknesses are always indicated by a red color, so in the beginning you will have to look for the weakness in every type of alien. The ships range from small vehicles that are difficult to distance from to large worms that eat through buildings to repair damage. You will also encounter giant UFOs that you must destroy before they change the whole city with one full-stroke in axis. The collapse of skyscrapers and the way in which damage is done in the cities reminded me of the Earth Defense Force series: graphically far from fantastic.

However, the choice of audio is somewhat strange. The sound effects consist of ominous, dark tones that announce that you are dealing with alien civilization, but shortly before the first skyscraper collapses, a techno soundtrack gives a whole different turn to the game. This suddenly feels like a new game of developer Housemarque (known for example from Resogun, Super Stardust, Nex Machina). Also, I noticed that I was going to play differently because of this change in music and hence atmosphere, and in fact, my experience was even better. Due to the change in tone, it is not very clear what Megaton Rainfall is trying to be right now. It's certainly not a serious game, but it's serious enough not to be an arcade shooter.

Conclusion

Megaton Rainfall places you in the boots of a superhero that must protect humanity from the evil alien invasion. That sounds like B-film material and Megaton Rainfall is in that role. In addition, the performance is fine. The free flying and the corresponding transitions from a planet surface to the space are excellent and resisting the alien attacks is fun, but it becomes somewhat repetitive if you know all the variations once. The game seems to be mainly developed for PlayStation VR owners, because on that platform, the game is better than when it just plays on your TV. If you have PlayStation VR and are you on the concept, Megaton Rainfall recommends a no-brainer. If you do not have a PlayStation VR headset.

Pros

➕ Good control
➕ Excellent VR support
➕ B movie setting

Cons

➖ Repetitive
➖ Graphically not great
➖ Strange audio choices

Thanks for your precious time.

You May be Interested in My Other Posts:

• Super Mario Odyssey Review - Wanderlust with Mario
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 Review - Do not play, This is really a sin
• RAID: World War II Review - A less serious look at the Second World War
• Game Review: Raiders of the Broken Planet Review