A member of a rock band turns evil and infects all the other players with viruses so he can take over the world.  It’s up to Bimmy and a talking octopus to shrink down and fight the viruses to save the day.  Viral Reload EX is an arcade 16 bit styled 2D vertically scrolling shooter with an ‘inside the body’ theme.  It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

In each stage you’ll face waves of enemy formations and you must clear them out to move onto the next stage.  So it’s kind of like Galaga in a way.  After a number of waves you’ll fight a boss.  Defeat it to move onto the next level.  Hold down the fire button to shoot rapid fire and another button lets you dash in different directions to avoid bullets and lasers.  They really make you use this dash move so you’ll have to master it early on.  There are achievements and plenty of unlockables, too.  My only problem is this game is way too hard.  You get three lives to finish each stage and one hit kills you.  Granted I’m not very good at shooters, but still.  At least you can save your progress after every level.

Kid Factor:

Viral Reload EX is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.  You shoot spaceships and microscopic blobs that explode when defeated and that’s it.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, and younger gamers may find it too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews