Nova Swarm is a delightfully cozy hybrid of modern-day features and retro spirit. The gameplay is very simple, like any classic arcade game. In fact, it very much flaunts the inspiration of several longtime favorites.

In this way, Nova Swarm hardly breaks any new ground, and probably won’t surprise you much. Fortunately, it’s clear that Tiny Foundry put tremendous effort into this!

Enemy behavior is challenging, interesting, and varied enough to keep you on your toes as you progress. Although, the bosses didn’t feel quite so different, to me.

But the Threat Codex is a superb resource for those who want a deep dive, and there are countless relevant details that you wouldn’t expect in a game of this scope!

The range of hero ships made a particularly strong impression on me. The hangar is a terrific way to open up different playstyles, and offer progression without succumbing to basic roguelike mechanisms.

Discovering a new ship is always satisfying, and seriously increases replay value. Unlocked ships encourage you to try another run, not only to see if the different stats help you get farther, but also to test your abilities in unique ways! It’s neat how much mileage Nova Swarm musters out of just a few small stats and abilities.

Visually, the arcade influence is fun, and everything looks highly polished—surely tough to accomplish from an indie dev. To agree with everyone else, Nova Swarm’s wise combination of selected colors and patterns did make the bullet hell easier to discern.

This way, you’re spending more time on strategy and building good habits rather than losing due to a messy screen!

While I did like the simple soundtrack, I felt the sense of humor in the voiceovers was hit and miss. I think Nova Swarm could’ve benefited from sillier gameplay to match the narration, or toned down the humor instead.

Either direction would give the game a bit more personality, but for the time being, I find the voice overs a little intrusive.

The different modes were an excellent choice, balancing the game for casual players and try-hards alike. I appreciate that Scout also works to help the latter fine tune their habits and learn the enemy.

Final Thoughts

Nova Swarm successfully gives you that nostalgic feeling of walking past a flashy cabinet, doubling back, and throwing in a quarter. It has streamlined gameplay, functions well in its current state, and the vibrant art design is both polished and easily discernable. Definitely an achievement!

However, aside from a great range of compelling ships and enemies, I don’t feel this ultimately added much to the genre. A solid outing with the promise for much more ahead, though I’m sure to revisit this from time to time.

Score: 7/10