Hopeless: Space Shooting Review

In Hopeless: Space Shooting, the glowing Blobs have ventured out of the The Dark Cave and onto an abandoned new planet. Unfortunately it's just as dark as the cave, and yes, there are big ugly monsters lurking in the shadows. Of all the luck, right?

Players will take control of this ever-expanding team of Blobs as they ward off the oncoming threat by blasting them with laser rifles. It will feel instantly familiar to anyone who has played the original because it is essentially the same game, only this time set in space. While it does allow for some lovely neon lighting effects, a few new monsters wouldn't go amiss.

Hopeless: Space Shooting is essentially a game of reaction times and quick reflexes. The monsters have the Blobs surrounded, so they can attack from any angle at any time - which they often do all at once to really keep players on edge. A quick (and often inaccurate) tap will dispatch them with a satisfactory squelch, often slicing them in half in process. Lovely stuff. Unfortunately, the other lost Blobs work in this way too, so they'll come shuffling out of the darkness only to be struck by a wayward blast.

If players can hold off on the their itchy trigger fingers, they'll recruit that Blob and expand their little outfit into a well-oiled killing machine (while still looking adorable, obviously). This is a must, because if one Blob is left alone for too long, he'll kill himself out of sheer hopelessness anyway. There are emergency Blobs that are mercifully dished out every so often (or purchased for silly money), as well certain upgrades such as deadlier weapons and utilities that are a big help.

It's a minimalistic little shooter, but that's ultimately what makes it so infectious. It's easy to put down, but even easier to pick up and play thanks to its super-quick start-up time. While the 2 game modes might be too similar for my liking, it isn't the depth that's under scrutiny here, because the sheer replayability more than makes up for it.