FANTAVISION 202X It’ll blow you away
ETA 22 FEB / PUB COSMO MACHIA DEV COSMO MACHIA / PLAYERS 1
Thanks to all the fireworks it features, this isn’t a game your dog will enjoy – all the more reason to experience it strapped to your face. (Just the headset, mind; it’d be very dangerous to try wearing an actual catherine wheel.) This sequel to the PS2 cult classic combines rhythmic shoot-’emup-like precision with heaps of creativity, challenging you to pull off the firework show to end all firework shows.
As fireworks fly through the air, you need to capture them in colour-coded groups of three or more, holding them and then releasing them so they all explode together, racking up points for you. Wild fireworks can be used to jump between colours in a sequence and create an explosive Daisy Chain. Time pressure means you’ll need to make quick decisions, and you’ll find yourself seeing how many you can hold together at once while more and more of the
rockets whizz by to make the ultimate explosion.
Whereas the original game had you locked to a single static screen, the simple addition of a headset really adds to the fireworks display vibe. You’ll have to tilt your head to take it all in (for extra challenge, try holding a mediocre, overpriced hotdog in one hand while you play).
IT’S A BLAST
Using the Sense controllers you literally aim at the colours you want to nab, squeezing in the trigger to keep them still before tapping e to let them blow. Once you’re satisfied, a replay mode allows you to ditch the pressure and just take in the display you just made. Naturally, as you’d expect from a game all about things going bang, you’ll feel the crackle of the fireworks through haptics. And if you want to lean back on the couch to play, the game comes with a traditional PS5 mode too. Talk about getting plenty of bang for your buck.