Polybius

Polybius for PC and PS4 is a rail shooter developed by Llamasoft. In similarity to the team's previous game – TxK, Polybius borrows from the mechanics of the classic Tempest. The game debuted on PlayStation 4, but over time it received a PC release as well.

Mechanics

The player is placed in control over a combat ship; the craft goes forward incessantly and the game is played from the third-person perspective. No matter if the ship is over a surface or inside a tunnel, the player's task is to maneuver to the sides, perform dodges, as well as to attack opponents and destroy countless obstacles. Contrary to most games of this kind, the player does not encounter bosses here – instead, one faces smaller and larger adversaries coming in large numbers. The game offers fifty levels differing in terms of colors and kinds of enemies the player is required to deal with.

A score system constantly evaluates the player's actions. The number of points can be increased through eliminating enemies quickly, but also through collecting power-ups scattered throughout the tracks – those give large speed boosts to the player's ship.

Technical aspects

Polybius for PC and PS4 catches one's attention with its simple, though incredibly original visuals and a pleasant trance soundtrack comprised of 25 tracks composed by those who had created the soundtrack for the aforementioned TxK. Although the game was created specifically for VR goggles, such a piece of hardware is not mandatory. Also, Polybius supports 3D screens.

Misc.

The game's title constitutes a direct reference to an urban legend from the 1980s, according to which, the US government was conducting secret experiments on humans, using an arcade machine with a mysterious game entitled ''Polybius''. It was said that a person who tried out that game not only would get addicted to it, but would also gradually go insane. The circumstances of that enigmatic slot machine entering game rooms and leaving them remain a mystery. Despite numerous efforts made, nobody was able to verify this information on the launch of Llamasoft's Polybius.

Last updated on 21 August 2017