JoyJoy Review

Radiangames is back with another dual-stick shooter. JoyJoy is a fast-paced, arena-based, dual-stick shooter that's going to be satisfying for those who fancy the genre.

The setup is familiar: there are waves of enemies, and players must control their ship that can fire in 360 degrees, to take out everything shooting at them. Enemy bullets can be destroyed with the player's bullets, so it's not just a game of frantic dodging but one where it's possible to cancel out threats with the immense firepower that the player has. The upgrade system is much simpler than what it was in Ballistic SE, Inferno+, and other Radiangames titles, as players just pick up powerups in the main Waves mode that have permanent effects like more health or more powerful weapons. As well as the 24-level Waves mode, there's a Challenges mode where players can try to last as long as possible against particular enemy setups. All of the modes have seven difficulties available.

The game is very fast and frantic, and while the visuals are simple abstractions that Radiangames is known for, the game is incredibly smooth in motion - even with all the bullets flying about. While the game is squarely for fans of dual-stick shooters and action games and doesn't really bring a whole lot new to the table, it's still a worthwhile experience for those who play it.

JoyJoy uses a familiar control scheme of dual virtual sticks that do a solid job. There's auto-firing that aims at nearby threats so that players only have to move, really. As well, there are buttons to switch weapons and unleash Ultra powers. Switching weapons is on the right side with fire and Ultra on the left: it is designed this way because Ultra weapons are meant to be used while standing still, not while moving. The game is one of the few dual-stick shooters that supports MFi gamepads, so those who have a dual-analog controller like the SteelSeries Stratus would do well to check this out because the game works well with it.

However, there are just too many weapons. While each of the six weapons has their own Ultra uses that can help, trying to find the proper weapon to use in the heat of battle is too hectic with six weapons that only have slight differences. It feels like they could be pared down to three and the game would feel a bit better.

While there's perhaps not a lot of ground that hasn't been trod over before by Radiangames, JoyJoy is still a solid dual-stick shooter for fans of the genre - especially ones with MFi gamepads.