The 1980s and 90s were home to numerous cartoons that existed primarily to sell toys to kids. Shows like Dino Riders and Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors featured bizarre/creative premises and plenty of merchandizing potential. WayForward draws from that legacy with Spidersaurs, a run-and-gun shooter with a goofy concept (genetically engineered spider-dinosaur hybrids on a rampage!), colorful, cartoon-like sprites, and ample humor. What the game occasionally lacks in polish, it makes up for in enthusiasm and charm.
Spidersaurs opens with a beautifully animated introduction from Powerhouse Animation and a rocking theme song. After that, the story comes to life between levels via fully voiced cut scenes with minimal animation. At the start of the game, we learn that the InGest Corp has genetically engineered the gigantic Spidersaurs as a cheap food source for humanity. When the 'saurs mysteriously escape from captivity and rampage across the InGest facility, only a pair of surviving volunteers who have gained superhuman abilities from eating the dino-bug meat can fight the beasties and save the day.
The main mode is Story Mode, completion of which will also unlock the linear Arcade Mode and the story-free Speed Run Mode. All three modes support 2-player local co-op and offer three difficulties. The difficulties are amusingly named (Well Done, Medium, and Rare), but they’re the basic difficulty levels that would be found in any other game. Players can choose from two lovable characters who each gain slightly different weapons from power-ups. The different armaments are welcome, but choosing between only two playable characters feels a bit scant in a 2-player game. A third hero would have been even better.
In Story Mode, players begin with only the most basic of run-and-gun abilities: shoot, jump, swap between two weapons, and lock in place for aiming (an ability we desperately wished for in Pocky & Rocky Reshrined). After completing each level, though, players gain a new ability from eating the meat of the defeated boss. These abilities include double-jumping, wall climbing, a grappling line, a ground-pound, and a dash. The ground-pound is pretty much only useful for breaking specific platforms, but dashing is great for dodging. Story Mode levels can be replayed after gaining new abilities. However, there are no collectibles or alternate paths that I’m aware of, so players have little incentive to revisit old stages.
Spidersaurs’ run-and-gun gameplay draws clear inspiration from Contra III, one of the best run-and-guns of the 16-bit era. That should come as no surprise since director Tomm Hullet worked on Contra 4 for Konami. Weapon drones float across levels at specific points, dropping weapons like spread shot, explosive shots, and even a rechargeable shield. Collecting duplicates of a specific weapon can raise the weapon’s tier up to three levels. However, taking a hit will reduce the weapon’s level, which happens a lot, so the average player won’t get to carry beefed up weapons for very long.
One new mechanic that Spidersaurs adds to the mix is pods. When selecting a level, players will choose from three different pods (see screenshot above). Oddly, the game doesn’t explain why we select pods or how they differ, so the selection is rather arbitrary at first. Experience reveals that the selected pod will appear when players have racked up enough kills during a level. Shooting the pod before it floats away will then provide a beneficial effect. Not a bad system, but it should have had an in-game explanation.
Several of Spidersaurs’ 7-ish levels take place in unique environments like a forest and volcano, though more than one happens in a laboratory setting. Most have a mid-level checkpoint which proves extremely handy as the game gets tougher. The easy (“Well Done”) difficulty would probably benefit from adding checkpoints at boss fights as well. Starting with level 4, the game gets a lot harder and more hectic, regardless of difficulty. Enemies start respawning annoyingly quickly, and an obnoxious white enemy (who also appears earlier) will spawn and kill stationary players after a few seconds.
The early part of the game can easily be enjoyed by novice players, but the later levels will likely prove frustrating for less-skilled players and co-op partners. Is this uneven difficulty curve deliberate? Spidersaurs was originally released on Apple Arcade, with new levels added over time. My guess is that due to this unique release schedule, the developers spent more time polishing the first half of the game than the last half.
Each level ends with a big boss fight against a gigantic Spidersaur or other monster. The T-Rex Spidersaur is absolutely massive, whereas another battle involves a pair of burrowing insectoid baddies. These battles are truly highlights of the game, so much so that a boss rush mode would have been a welcome inclusion.
Having played through Spidersaurs both solo and in co-op, I can easily recommend the multiplayer experience. Bringing along a partner definitely makes the game easier, allowing the team to mix up weapons more and cover more of the screen with fire. A mid-boss fight in the lava level that goes much more smoothly with a partner, too.
A few levels have vertical segments in which it’s possible to inadvertently kill a partner by scrolling the screen too fast, though, a longstanding problem with the genre that I wish these developers had solved. On the plus side, when a player runs out of lives, he or she can take a life from the surviving player. Teaming up with a friend is the best way for less-skilled players to reach the end of the game.
Spidersaurs is a charming and colorful take on the run-and-gun shooter. The premise is good and silly, and the story and characters are delightful. Sure, the game is a bit on the short side, and the unforgiving second half feels like a result of the game’s unusual origin as a piecemeal Apple Arcade release. Still, the smooth gameplay, cool weapons, and fun premise provide more than enough meat for a few playthroughs. Half the reason people play WayForward games is for the personality, and Spidersaurs definitely won’t disappoint on that front.
Spidersaurs costs $19.99 on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. For more information, be sure to read our developer interview!
A Steam preview code and an Xbox review code were provided by the developer.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Two players choose from the two available characters, each wielding slightly different weapons. When one player runs out of lives, that player can take a spare life from the surviving player if available.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.