Resogun Defenders Review - Blastin' Fools (PS4)

Resogun launched as a free PS+ download with the PlayStation 4, and was the console’s best arcade game when the system launched. Two DLC expansions have since released, Heroes and Defenders. Heroes released in 2014, and Defenders has just now come online this week. Is it worth your $5? Let’s find out.

Much like the Heroes expansion before it, Defenders introduces two new game modes. The first is Protector. Here, your goal is to save humans as usual. But as you deliver enough of them to safety, the world in the center of the playfield flips a full 180 degrees, and the landscape changes dramatically depending on what the new level is. Not even the bottom of the map is safe anymore, as occasionally the environment will pose a hazard there, such as turning the ground into lava. This new mode can get very hectic very quickly. It can often be a challenge just to keep track of your ship.

Ever dream you could not only save the humans as before, but BE one of those pixelated humans? Well, if so, you have some weird dreams. Might want to talk to someone about that. But also, your strange dream has come true! Defenders’ other new mode is dubbed Commando. It tasks you with taking control of a single human, who is defending his home until the bitter end. Controls are similar compared to the main game – move with the left stick, shoot with the right, boost with L1, fire a bomb with R2. But you’re playing as a ground-based human. So R1 replaces overdrive mode with a jump, and you still only take one hit to die unless you have a shield. Asteroids bombard the landscape, some of them coming within inches of hitting your house, which has a healthbar placed above it. The game ends if your human dies, the house’s health drops to zero, or if by some miracle you survive through all 20 stages. This will not be an easy victory, you’ll have to keep your reaction speed incredibly fast.

Alongside these two new premium modes is the latest title update, called Challengers. Available free of charge to all Resogun players, this includes 50 challenges that place certain constraints on you, such as rescuing 200 humans when all enemies spawn one upon destruction, or saving 120 humans when your carry capacity is set to 10. Each challenge has three different medals to collect, which grant varying levels of Challenge Points. Earn enough points, level your player up, and unlock more challenges. It should be noted that while most of these challenges are unlockable, some require that you’ve purchased the applicable game mode, whether Heroes or Defenders.

When you consider that the above Challengers content is free, is the Defenders DLC worth it? For the new perspective that the Commando mode offers veteran players of the game, absolutely. At $5 (or nothing more if you’re a Season Pass subscriber), this expansion easily represents more value than a cup of coffee or small popcorn at the movies. It’s something you can come back to time and time again in an attempt to achieve a spot on the global leaderboard, or to earn gold medals on all the challenges. This is a much-welcomed expansion of Resogun, and considering many of us likely got this game for free with our PS4, it’s a nice way to throw a couple of dollars to the fastidious developers at Housemarque.

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