Okay almost every other review of the game that’s almost a remake but not quite, Hurrican, has used a line from the famous Scorpions song. I had to do it myself even. Because when I think of the name I think of that. In any case, I’ve played the original Turrican only briefly.
Hurrican is a ‘jump’n’run’ platform shooter, from a German group called Poke53280 (note, it’s in German). You play a cyborg who goes to a planet that’s the source of an attack on planet earth. Apparently you’re shooting like robots and stuff because I couldn’t get a clear idea of what they were. The graphics and music is really nice, but the control scheme makes it hard to play.
I had to constantly change my keys in the tutorial mode thus not really learning the current key configuration well. For instance you can move left or right, jump, crouch, but then also look up and down. When firing you can’t really move but simply switch from side-to-side. You can also shoot up by looking up and shooting. You can also jump left and right but can only shoot diagonally when looking up or down as well. Then you have power lines which are vertical energy lines that go from the middle (where your character is) outward, and this happens to be another key. You also have grenades, and smart bombs. And “razor wheel” mode, which you can’t really do anything but place bombs by hitting space while “rolling”. You have three modes of firing your weapon, spread shot, bounce, and laser. All in all you have a lot of weapons at your disposal. Unfortunately it means a lot of complexity one that I couldn’t quite get the hang of. Even the tutorial mode couldn’t save me.
I pretty much got toasted when I started. I did, however, start at the hardest skill level. Basically when I play games I find playing on easier levels aren’t any fun because there’s no challenge. So I try the hardest first.
If you’re a hardcore platform/shooter player then this game will definitely be for you and you’ll have no problems with the controls. I, on the other hand, am not quite as adept. If they had maybe tried mouse aim and fire and then walking with the keyboard, it might have made it a little smoother to play. I will try the tutorial again in the near future with the same controls as i started with, and maybe play at a lower skill level. If I find I can play this well enough, I may revisit this review, or even write a better review.
Name: Hurrican
Final analysis: For hardcore jump’n’run platform shooter players.
Where you can get it: The Hurrican Website
Tags: Freeware, game, games, Hurrican, jump'n'run, Platformer, retro, retro styled, Shooter, Turrican