Cosmocrafter

Overview

Cosmocrafter presents itself as a fast-paced space shooter but quickly reveals itself as a shallow, repetitive experience that fails to engage. The core gameplay loop of darting across the screen while holding down the fire button becomes monotonous within minutes, with enemy encounters offering no strategic depth or variation. What could have been an exciting arcade-style shooter instead feels like an underdeveloped prototype, lacking both the visual feedback and mechanical complexity needed to sustain player interest.

Shallow Shooting Mechanics

The fundamental space combat suffers from extreme oversimplification. Players control an exceptionally fast ship facing equally speedy enemies in basic shootouts, but the tactical options are virtually nonexistent. Holding down the fire button while scrolling horizontally along the screen's bottom edge eliminates most threats with minimal effort, requiring no positioning skill or situational awareness. Enemy AI behaves predictably, rarely presenting meaningful challenges even when projectiles eventually appear in later stages. The complete absence of visual satisfaction compounds the problem - destroyed ships vanish in tiny puffs without debris or explosion effects, making successful hits feel weightless and unrewarding.

You hold down 'shoot' and scroll back and forth along the bottom of the screen, wiping out more than 80% of the enemies. The rest will simply need to be dodged.

Gohst

Poorly Executed Innovations

The game's sole attempt at mechanical innovation backfires spectacularly during boss encounters. Without any tutorialization or in-game cues, players must press a previously unused button to defeat bosses - information only discoverable through the F1 help menu. This design choice epitomizes Cosmocrafter's fundamental flaws: it introduces elements without context, fails to communicate essential mechanics, and punishes players for not consulting external resources. The tacked-on narrative receives similar treatment - a lifeless story completely disconnected from gameplay that adds nothing to the experience. These half-implemented ideas highlight the development's lack of cohesive vision.

Monotonous Progression

Cosmocrafter's greatest weakness lies in its relentless repetition. Enemy waves recycle the same ship designs and attack patterns throughout the entire experience, with only minor variations like diagonal shots appearing later. The complete absence of strategic elements - no power-ups, ship customization, or environmental hazards - means every encounter plays identically. This unvarying structure turns what should be an adrenaline-fueled space battle into a tedious chore, where players go through motions without engagement or satisfaction. The game fails to evolve or introduce new challenges, making extended play sessions feel like endurance tests rather than entertainment.