Paranautical Activity is an old school shooter with a new school twist. While it may look like your average shooter from the 90s, the roguelike procedural dungeon generation keeps the game fresh playthrough after playthrough. After receiving an initial somewhat controversial release on PC, Digerati Distribution is once again reviving the game – this time on the Switch.
Like all roguelike games, Paranautical Activity also implements permadeath. Every time that you die the game starts over and you start a new journey – like previously released titles on the Switch such as The Binding of Isaac.
Paranautical Activity starts each game off with you exiting an elevator and exploring as many floors as you can until you meet your demise. With each level being procedurally generated you never know exactly what is in store for you. Doors that you enter can lead you to basic rooms filled with normal enemies, boss rooms, and even supply rooms where you can buy new weapons and abilities. Upon completing each room, you move on to the next until the floor is complete. Once you complete each room you then hop back on the elevator and head to the next floor…. wash, rinse, repeat.
What makes Paranautical Activity so much fun, along with the ever-changing level design, is the zany enemies that you’ll encounter. If you can imagine it, you’ll probably face it at some point while you’re clearing each floor. Flying skulls, floating sharks and blood thirsty demons are just a few of the enemies that await you. Their attacks can differ from ranged attacks to quick melee attacks that will knock you back and have you running in circles to evade them.
You’ll be equipped with all different types of weapons from swords to an actual canon… that’s right an actual canon shooting single canon balls at your foes. You have two primary weapons that you can switch between. The load-out with the canon, for instance, also gives you a shotgun. While the shotgun can fire more rapidly, it also causes less damage. When picking a character, keep in mind that not only will some cause more damage or take longer to fire, but each has a different amount of health associated with them. The crossbow may send shots in rapid succession, but you have limited health as well – thereby making slower shooting gun characters possibly fit your play-style better. These are all factors to consider as you select your character load-out and start your adventure.
The difficulty level may seem high at first and there is a learning curve like any roguelike. You will die… a lot, and that is okay. The more you die, the more you’ll learn about each character and the enemies that you’ll face. In time, you’ll find yourself going deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.
Paranautical Activity is all about the action. The ending and story take a backseat to the action and each time that you die you’ll find yourself hungry for more and ready to go back in, maybe this time as a different character.
The biggest issues the game has stem from the controls on the Switch. For some reason, you shoot with the R bumper button instead of the more trigger like ZR button – which just feels off. You’ll find yourself hitting the wrong trigger and wishing that you could change the control settings. Balancing feels off at times too, especially when it comes to heavier weapons. Canons and grenades can feel like they explode at random and will feel that luck rather than skill plays the biggest factor in destroying larger enemies.
If you can get a handle on the controls and enjoy roguelike games or old school first person shooters, you’ll find a lot to like here. The ever-changing levels will keep the experience fresh as well, so you’ll keep coming back to die over and over again.
*Paranautical Activity was provided to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion*
Check out our Review Guide to see what we criteria we use to score games as well as our recent review of INK, also from Digerati Distribution.
