PS5

Published on August 5th, 2024 | by Nay Clark

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing Review (PS5)

Bring the heat as mankind’s safeguard and last line of defense up against an army of outer space outsiders! CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is an arcade-style twin-stick shoot’em up developed by KeelWorks Ltd., published by Konami, and released on August 6th of 2024. CYGNI revolutionizes the genre by mixing its over the top action with stellar visuals and exhilarating gameplay. Use an assortment of weapons to efficiently evaporate the opposition from the darkened skies. Swerve between enemy units as mammoth mechanisms block your field of view and destroy everything in sight for the sake of the human race.

You are stationed on the planet CYGNI Prime researching a lost civilization. After using found machines as resources to continue to make technological breakthroughs, the Earthlings are taken aback by a surprise attack. A slew of biomechanical aliens start relentlessly bombarding Earth’s forces on planet CYGNI Prime. As one of the last remaining pilots, you must become humanity’s vanguard to put a stop to this invading ambush. Hop in your Orca ship and try to exterminate this near never ending onslaught that has cursed your people.

Being humanity’s solitary bastion of hope, your ship is pretty decked out with awesome features. You have your primary weapons that you will eventually be able to switch between on the fly, adding some overlap to strategy when conquering these airborne crooks, ground weapons, which allows you to attack enemies on the ground layer of the battlefield, and missiles that can destroy both air and ground units. You can also switch your weapons to home in on your foes. Collecting dropped energy from the downed machines will allow you to use that energy to boost your weapon damage or to harness your advantageous shield ability. You can switch how you want to use your energy at any time, creating a creative flow to the gameplay where you have to decide what would be of more use practically depending on your specific playstyle.

Juggling between the air and ground units is one of the unique ingredients that makes CYGNI: All Guns Blazing stimulating. The enemy air patrol shoots at you directly, but their ground units may shoot slow-releasing bombs or mines that may cause you more trouble in the long run. Saving up and firing your missiles at hectic times may prove to be tactically adept, but sometimes you may just need to let them go to get a bunch of enemies off of you, leaving you exposed later on in the level. A large part of the game’s identity is creating large combos for big highscores. The HUD is practically designed specifically to cater to the thrill of getting chain kills and maneuvering between bullet hell barrages and environmental structures really gets your blood pumping and manufactures a drive to see how high of a number you can get.

The game sounds pretty simple on the surface level, but the simplicity of what needs to be done and the complexity of everything in between is what makes this game a blast to play. There is always a lot happening on the screen from missiles being launched, drones of enemies by the hundreds constantly flying into your bullet path, or beautiful particles exploding on top of the dazzling scenery. The game could get confusing, but it never does thanks to the bright and purposefully distinct design of the yellow Orca ship up against the brash, crude, muddy veneer of the alien assault. The Orca is very fragile and if you don’t have any energy attached to your shield, it can go down with ease, especially on the more challenging difficulties.

The levels in the game are all high-speed and hardly let off the inertia. The game continues to elevate with faster moving levels which makes the risk-reward mechanic within the gameplay of giving up your shield for weapon power and vice versa that much more paramount. There is also a grand sense of scale as colossal enginery rises from the depth of the abyss to face off against your minuscule aircraft. I did have my game freeze a couple of times due to the overabundance of incredible happenings on screen which was a bit aggravating having to replay these long levels to work my way up to where I was again, but it never grinded my gears.

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing has some pleasant additions. You can upgrade the Orca’s weapons, add weapons, create drones to accompany you, and even design your own bullet patterns to a preset that you can switch between allowing a nice function of customization. I thought the optional tutorial was a cute and inventive way in creating something informational as well as artistically inspired. There is a cooperative mode so you won’t have to be alone against the pummeling polish of the enemies punches. The cutscenes are gorgeous, but a large majority of them are just slideshows of art with decent voiceover work on top of them. There is also a small database which is pretty interesting if you want to dive into the lore of the narrative more, but it is infuriating trying to read anything in the game because the text is atrociously irritating to look at. The text font is hardly readable and the font size is way too small. The design parallels the sci-fi design of everything accurately, but it’s annoying if I have to get up from my spot and plant my face on my television screen to read anything.

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is definitely geared toward the hardcore players, but allows newcomers to have their fun as well. The game is demanding and has a high entry level for the normal and hard difficulty settings. Playing on easy creates a smooth sailing playing field where you can enjoy the rambunctious experience and opposing nature the game presents without being deterred. There are 7 missions in the game, but they last around 15 minutes each and the obvious design of replayability fashioned into the mix with being able to upgrade your ship and all will have you continuously coming back for more to gain those Air Supremacies to show that you are the master of the skies.

The graphics in this game are remarkable. The best I’ve ever seen in a shmup. The futuristic design of the enemies, ships, and environments are clean and meticulously intricate. Smoke billowing up from a fallen metal giant is jaw dropping. The loads of particle effects create an alluring spectacle that is hard to match with any type of game. The audio work is equally incredible. The alien ships explode in a grand fashion that delivers sounds that release just enough dopamine that makes you want to keep blasting. The music matches the games high octane fervor while also having some more serene musical scores dedicated to the more emotionally gripping moments in gameplay.

Final Thoughts?

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is a graphical showpiece. The game is relentless in its action and over the top gameplay. The intricacies of strategy between dealing with the forefront and background enemies simultaneously while also having to steer clear of any environmental hazards is a rocking time. The game remains intense and satisfying with all of its immense explosions and sounds. Some game freezes, weirdly sized text font, and vigorous difficulty can stunt your experience, but the overall design and awe-inspiring package will delineate this game as spectacular. CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is one of a kind and pioneers this genre into a new era.

About the Author

Nay Clark Gaming holds a special place in my heart and I never stop talking about video games. I really love all types of games and have an interest in games that have complicated stories and lore because I enjoy untangling the mystery of it all. When I'm not gaming, I unsuccessfully try to control three amazing and incredibly bright kids.

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