Twin-stick shooters are a favorite of mine. When I first got into PC gaming, I really enjoyed playing these overly-stylized, arcade-like shooters. There’s usually a lot happening, and the thrill of feeling overwhelmed while trying to push forward to the next level or wave is a blast. First released for PC, Hovership Havoc is now coming to the Xbox One. Here’s how the arcade chaos stands as a console experience.

A Great Twin-Stick Shooter on Xbox One

In April 2019, Snow Day Software released Hovership Havoc to PC. The game is now coming out for Xbox One today, sitting at a price of $9.99. The game excels in every box I would be looking to check in a title like this. It shouldn’t matter, but the price point is actually a bit lower than I’d put for the value of the title. For $20, I’d be comfortable buying the game as well. That’s because there’s a lot to unpack, and a ton of hours of gameplay in this crisp arcade shooter.

What is Hovership Havoc About?

Like a lot of arcade shooters, there’s not much of a story here. When playing a game like Hovership Havoc, the premise just needs to be shoot the enemy, nothing more, nothing less. As a pilot of a hovership, you make your way through a robotics factory taking down robotic enemies. That’s going to immediately make the game more aesthetic and presentation-focused than story-driven, so how does Hovership Havoc actually play when you’re behind the controller?

Controls and Graphics in Hovership Havoc – Futuristic and Fine Tuned

The game features a rouge-like presentation where each time you play the game, new arrays of enemies, power-up drops, and other elements are completely randomized. The game features 100s of different combinations, making it incredibly replayable. With a well-tuned control system of steering with the left stick and aiming with the right, the game is immediately accessible to players familiar with the twin-stick shooter design.

The visuals in the game are wonderful. I didn’t experience any frame rate drops, even in moments when my ship was surrounded by total destruction and explosions. With four ships to choose from and in-game stat boosts and fun weapons upgrades, no playthrough is the same.

Fun Boss Battle Camera Change

Something I love about the game is the switch in camera angles for boss battles. It’s a slight adjustment, but it makes the focus of a boss battle much more fun. The regular gameplay takes place in a top-down camera style, and for boss battles, the camera switches to an over-the-shoulder view. Such a small change feels like the stakes are really rising in these boss battles.

Final Thoughts

With more than 15 enemy types and over 30 different ship upgrades that are all randomized each playthrough, Hovership Havoc is a treasure chest of replayable, high throttle action. At $10, it’s a no-brainer for fans of stick shooters, arcade shooters, and great looking games. The title releases today, January 17th, for $9.99 on the Xbox Store.

An Xbox One review copy of Hovership Havoc was provided by Snowday Software for this review.

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Hovership Havoc

$9.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Great Arcade Shooter
• Wonderful Graphics
• Randomized Items and Enemies Make for a Ton of Replayability
• Wonderful Camera Style Changes for Boss Battles

Cons

• Same Sort of Gameplay Every Match