Out later in May, Glitch Busters: Stuck On You is an over-the-top, cartoon-styled third-person shooter that fuses teamwork and competition.
Set in a digital world, the ‘net has found itself under attack by mysterious viruses. As a glitch buster – a small emoji-looking character with a magnet for legs – it’s your job to battle against these bugs and bots to save every corner of the world. And with a crew of fellow glitch busters by your side, it should be a piece of cake.
It’s hard not to be drawn in by Glitch Busters: Stuck on You‘s loud and brash presentation. It’s super-colourful, with its 2D characters, boldly outlined in black, standing out against the game’s 3D environments. This isn’t the most technically impressive game, but it doesn’t really matter; there’s something endearing about its presentation all the same.
Although Glitch Busters: Stuck On You has been heavily advertised as a co-op shooter, we’ve been having a jolly good time trying it out in single-player. Without real players assisting (and challenging) you, you’re accompanied by three other computer-controlled busters who you can command at any time. With the tap of a button, you can assemble your team of glitch busters, standing on top of each other to allow you to reach high places. When you’re assembled, you can also co-ordinate your attacks in the same direction. And whenever you need or want, you can take control of another member of your team.
When you’re playing with real players, you’ve got an additional barrier: communication. Sure, you can ask for other players to come over to you so you can stack up together. But perhaps they’re too busy going off doing their own thing, trying to shoot all the enemies before you can in order to claim MVP glory. That’s all part of the fun: while Glitch Busters: Stuck on You is co-operative, there’s also a competitive element. In single player, the screens of player ratings after you’ve finished a level are rather redundant. But when you’re playing co-op with your mates, there’s undoubtedly going to be some competitiveness.
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We’ve had a great time running around Glitch Busters: Stuck on You‘s technicolour levels. There’s an element of platforming and some basic puzzle-solving, needing to use your team of busters to reach new places, push switches and so on. Explore the area and you’ll be rewarded with things like extra coins, which will come in handy over the course of your adventure.
Despite being a third-person shooter, though, the shooting mechanics here feel a little basic and underbaked. The camera can often be awkward as you’re aiming at an enemy. It sometimes feels far too close to the action, making aiming a little difficult. Facing off against bosses, we’ve found it easier to stack ourselves up with our computer-controlled glitch busters, choosing the viewpoint of the topmost character. At least that way we have a better view across the battlefield.
Its chaotic gameplay might be a bit too scrappy for some, but if you’re looking for fun, we’re pretty confident that Glitch Busters: Stuck On You is going to deliver. It’s colourful, it’s loud, and whether you’re playing alone or with friends, it’s the sort of thing that’s going to put a smile on your face.
Glitch Busters: Stuck On You is coming to PS4, Switch and PC on 23rd May.
