Super Cane Magic ZERO (PC) Preview

Super Cane Magic ZERO's style of art and humour will appeal to a wide variety of new adults, and those who grew up watching the likes of Adventure Time will feel right at home. Kooky aliens, odd amalgams of different species, and sentient rocks find their way into the sandbox, some helpful, others not. Players have the ability to find items and equip them but, beyond that, most objects on the playing field can be picked up and thrown. Containers like boxes, barrels, lockers, and treasure chests can be slammed against walls to relieve them of their contents, while rocks and fruit and almost anything else can be thrown at enemies - or eaten, sometimes to the players' detriment.

The game features a complex skill tree and special abilities that change depending on which of the dude-themed characters each player chooses (the default, Dude, creates a bacon explosion. Why? Why not?!). Gameplay is a variant of the dual-stick shooter genre, incorporating various melee weapons and items that feature their own abilities. On the whole, it's a fun, unique experience, but it isn't without its flaws. Load times are long, and sometimes the game lags, especially when a lot of moving items appear on-screen at once. Enemy variation is lacking, oftentimes with only one enemy type in an area, but the biggest cause for concern is the game's long development cycle, with it being in Early Access for some two and a half years now. The developer promises a full experience to come, and there's no doubt that it's on the right track.