1917 - The Alien Invasion DX Review Summary

Beautiful retro visuals and a praised soundtrack accompany solid shoot em up action, though underwhelming power shots, uninspired gameplay, and poor visual clarity hold it back.

Graphics are beautiful and retro: The graphics are widely praised for being beautiful, colorful, and eye-catching, with a strong retro arcade aesthetic. The pixel art is also specifically commended.

Excellent shoot 'em up gameplay: The game is recognized as a great shoot 'em up, with addictive bullet hell mechanics and a good tribute to retro arcade shooters. Players find it very enjoyable.

Soundtrack and music praised: The soundtrack and music are frequently highlighted as a strong point, with many calling it superb or very good. Sound effects also receive positive mentions.

Game is fun and exciting: Players consistently praise the game for being fun, exciting, and worth playing. The gameplay feel and overall design are highly appreciated.

Challenging but fair difficulty: The game offers a challenging experience that is not too hard or too easy, striking a good balance. Players find the difficulty fair and enjoyable.

Power shots and weapons are underwhelming: The power shots of the planes feel weak and ineffective, with poor bullet patterns that make them hard to use. The weapon system is basic and lacks variety, with only a few power-up levels and no different weapons.

Gameplay is mediocre and uninspired: Many players find the gameplay to be mediocre, lacking innovation and failing to capture the addictive quality of the genre. The game feels like a dated shooter with no new ideas.

Poor graphics and visual clarity: The graphics are often criticized as cheap, amateurish, and lacking animation. Visual clutter from busy backgrounds, HUDs, and particle effects makes it hard to read the action, leading to unfair hits.

Repetitive and forgettable music: The soundtrack is often described as repetitive, forgettable, and sometimes mediocre. Some players also note that music volume cannot be lowered enough, and there is no boss battle music.

Unfair death and restart system: Dying sends the player back to the start of the level, losing all power-ups, which is disheartening and frustrating. The lack of checkpoints and unlimited lives with stage restarts create a negative loop.

Bullet hell shmup genre: Players consistently describe the game as a bullet hell shoot 'em up, with some noting it blends classic and bullet hell elements. This genre classification is central to player expectations.

Retro arcade shooter style: Many reviews highlight the game's old-school, arcade-style vertical shooting gameplay, appealing to fans of traditional shmups. This retro feel is a key positive aspect.

Power-ups and shields: The game includes power-ups that upgrade weapons and shields, with shield items providing one-hit protection. These mechanics add strategic depth to the shooting action.

Eight levels with bosses: The game features eight levels, each ending with a boss fight. This structure provides a clear progression and variety in challenges.

Infinite lives with death counter: The game provides unlimited lives, with no game over, but tracks deaths with a counter. This design reduces frustration while still encouraging skillful play.

Game runs smoothly on some systems: Several reviewers report that the game runs perfectly on their setups, with no errors, crashes, or frame drops even during intense battles. This indicates performance issues are hardware-specific.

Performance issues cause unplayable stuttering: Multiple clusters report severe stuttering on various graphics cards, making the game unplayable. This is a high-impact issue affecting core gameplay experience.

Controller input unresponsive and laggy: Players using an Xbox One controller experience unresponsive controls and input lag, which hampers gameplay precision. This is a common issue affecting control responsiveness.

Worth it for price: The game is frequently described as a great value for its cost, especially when compared to a cheap meal or when on sale.

Recommended for shmup fans: Multiple clusters highlight the game as a must-have for hardcore and traditional shmup/STG enthusiasts, emphasizing its appeal to genre veterans.

Best bought on sale: Several reviewers advise waiting for a seasonal sale or price drop, noting the game is often heavily discounted and worth picking up at a lower price point.

Avoid the game: Some reviewers strongly advise against purchasing or even accepting the game as a gift, citing overall dissatisfaction or lack of appeal.

General positive recommendation: Several clusters simply give a thumbs up or recommend the game without specific caveats, indicating overall satisfaction.

Community fair range: $1.00 - $3.00.

Game completion: 0.5h.

Session length: 0.3h.

The game is fun during its first four easy levels, but enjoyment drops sharply at level 5 due to a tedious auto-scroller and later due to repetitive enemy attacks.

Friction: learning curve to get good; level 5 auto-scroller with cramped corridors and many enemies.

Unlock drivers: learning set attack patterns.

Retro Shmup Purist: Focuses on core shooting mechanics, appreciates pixel art and classic design, may prefer main shot over options. Motivation: Nostalgia for classic arcade shooters and authentic retro gameplay. Stance: buy.

Casual Bite-Sized Player: Plays in short sessions, may need guidance on controls and mechanics, values accessibility. Motivation: Quick, low-commitment entertainment. Stance: buy.

Hardcore Bullet Hell Veteran: Reflex-intensive, seeks high scores, engages with achievements and difficulty settings. Motivation: Challenge and mastery of bullet hell mechanics. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: User feedback highlights excellent controller support with no configuration needed, and no reports of technical issues like crashes, launchers, or unreadable text. The only minor complaint is about music volume adjustment, which is not a Steam Deck specific barrier.

Broad controller support: The game supports a wide range of input methods, including Steam Controller, gamepad, keyboard, and arcade sticks. This flexibility is appreciated by players using various setups.

Retro pixel art style: The game uses a retro pixel art style with fitting chiptune BGM, evoking classic 16-bit era shoot 'em ups. This nostalgic presentation is a major draw for fans of the genre.

Bizarre protagonist and theme: The game features a Nazi-style old woman protagonist, Dr. Brunhild Stahlmüller, flying a red triplane, with a satanic BDSM theme. This bizarre and satirical style is a major point of interest for many players.

Language support and options: The game supports multiple languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, with options to change them in the menu. However, some translations have noted flaws.

Unique WWI alien premise: The game is set in an alternate World War I where humanity fights alien invaders, combining historical and sci-fi elements. This unique aesthetic is frequently highlighted as a key selling point.