PALADIN

Paladin from Pumpkin Games, not to be confused with Hi-Rez Paladins, is a 2D Twin-stick shooter that doesn’t scare away newcomers. Unlike other Shmup games the difficulty is pretty scalable so everyone can enjoy it. As Earth’s last hero I saved mankind, will you? Let’s find out in this review if it’s worth your time. 

THE GOOD

• For retro-fans this refreshing take on the known shoot ’em up genre is pretty interesting. Protecting cities and blasting your way through alien ships is an addictive thing to do.  The gameplay is easy or hard enough to your liking. The game uses a clever checkpoint mechanic so you never have to restart too much, again making sure that everyone will enjoy Paladin.
• Leveling up your ship or gaining more levels is done by collecting cash from destroyed alien ships. The cash disappears pretty fast so you need to take some risks, combined with some blind shooting and you could face some serious trouble.  A very clever gameplay mechanic that makes sure that you always need to play a little bit smart.
• Tight controls and a clear visual presentation with great use of color makes Paladin fun to play. Don’t expect state-of-the-art graphics but it’s better than most other retro-experiences.
• (Doesn’t affect score) For Achievement hunters Paladin is a great game to get a fast 905 Gamerscore, the last Achievement is currently glitched/impossible but the developer is trying to fix it as soon as possible.  That said, Paul (developer) is a clear and open guy so I’m confident that he trying to fix it.

MIXED FEELINGS

• Paladin is made to be played for leaderboard scores but I was expecting a longer mode, the game ends at wave 40 with no other game modes in sight that prolong replay value. You do have five playable ships that play a little different, so that was really welcome but that doesn’t really spice up things enough.
• Although it misses some variation the soundtrack is perfect for Paladin, with addictive electronic music (with some good bass) it manages to get your adrenaline even higher while playing.

THE BAD

• I was pretty disappointed to see that wave bosses  are visually exactly the same. Higher wave bosses shoot more bullets but that’s the only difference. Especially the end boss should have been a little different. Luckily the other enemy variation (alien ships) is decent so the game doesn’t really get repetitive.

[7.8/10] Paladin is a short but fun game experience that is a perfect entry game for the Shmup genre. Made by just one person (Paul) it is extra remarkable that the game came out so strong and decent.

Dev: Pumpkin Games  Publisher: Pumpkin Games
Played on: Xbox One X   | LifeisXbox received a digital review code,  provided by Pumpkin Games. Dae Jim played it 2 hours and 58 mins and earned 905 Gamerscore.