In the future, evil aliens have taken over a space base and it’s up to you to stop them.  Orion Haste is a 16-bit style 2-D run and gun that plays similar to Contra.  It’s available on all current consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.

Your mercenary can run and jump, and fire by holding down the X button.  Hold down the L1 button and he’ll stand in one place and you can aim in any direction.  Sometimes you can shoot boxes that have new weapons inside them, and you can switch them using the L2 buttons.  You start with a rapid fire shot, but can get a laser, piercing shots, and a homing missile.  Make it to the end of each level and fight a boss to move onto the next.  You can take a few hits before you die, and if you run out of lives, it’s Game Over but you can continue on the last level you were on.

Aside from the difficulty, my main problem with this game is your character moves too slow and clunky.  The game this is trying to imitate most is Contra, but the heroes in that game moved and jumped more quickly and nimbly.  If this game had selectable difficulty and characters who moved a little better, I might’ve enjoyed the game more.

Kid Factor:

Orion Haste is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Fantasy Violence and Mild Blood.  You shoot baddies that explode when defeated, and when you run out of energy, you just fall over and say “argh.”  I didn’t notice any blood, though.  I grew up playing games like this and I turned out OK.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers may find it too difficult, though.

Tags: Game Reviews