Space. The final frontier. Honestly, there’s a shortage of really good space arcade fighter sims out in the gaming world. One of my most anticipated games this year, is Deep Silver FishLabs’ Chorus releasing later in December. So, when I saw a $20 title was releasing on PS5 I thought I’d start the hype train here to prepare me for the hours I’m going to inevitably put into Christmas Chorus Chaos. Does Subdivision Infinity DX fill the gap? Well, Space is an endless void right? Let’s warp speed in.
Subdivision Infinity DX Details
- Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
- Reviewed on: PS5
- Developer: Mistfly Games
- Publisher: Blowfish Studios
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Action
- Modes: Single player
- ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
Distress Signal
The game begins with a rescue mission briefing. This is a nice way to settle into the world of the game and give players clear objective to attach to. It’s short, sweet, and immediately the cockpit awakens to an asteroid field engulfed space station. Blast off, players are into the game immediately. There’s quite a bit of reading in this game, and zero voice acting. While this is fine, voices may have added to the overall experience and immersion.
The music is bumpy and techno filled… but also extremely repetitive. More soundtracks are definitely needed here so the player doesn’t get overly tired of the same space bops. Although one particular song definitely reminded me of the Safety Dance and I could have listened to that one a few more times.
Players are taken immediately into a tutorial. The controls felt smooth and the graphics were decent for a budget title! While the game looks good, the movement seems slow. For an arcade, quick pick up and put down space shooter, movement could have been a lot quicker. Immediately I found myself launching around the asteroid field and seeing what my ship could do. Rolling with the d-pad was the only control gripe I had. I thought clicking the analog stick would have been better suited for this, as it felt weird to stop moving and click an entirely different button.
Space for Improvement
There are 5 locations in the campaign with big open spaces for dog fighting. While open, they really all feel similar and don’t add enough excitement to keep coming back to. There are exploration missions to keep levelling up, but they aren’t playable until each level is completed. The linear system of missions and levels is fine, but without the story, would have been nice to choose what to play and do next.
Fight for the Stars
Stiff movement made fights frustrating. Finding my targets and not feeling fast enough to get away took away the urgency. Customizations don’t really help with this, guns are fun to listen to and shoot but don’t really take away or add enough to the slow feel of space battles. The other problem was finding what needed to be destroyed. Most missions rely on players finding the small ships to shoot, or small signal disrupters. It’s a taxing process and the only reason levels last longer is the lack of clear highlighting from the map.
After battles and levels, players are given an opportunity to customize their ship for the next journey. The story here is engaging and players are given a reason to customize and fight more.
The ships available are unlocked by levelling up and playing more while guns are purchased with coins gained after defeating enemies and levels. It’s a pretty simplistic progression system and the ships don’t feel all that different to play with, but their looks are sleek!
Mine Your Business
Mining and grinding for levels is a key feature here. Levels are super short and objectives can be completed in minutes. So going back to explore and find more materials is both rewarding but also futile. If you care about your ships look and weapon load out this is a fun experience. If you’re looking to keep playing, the game is over rather quickly.
For a budget title, Subdivision Infinity DX is okay and definitely gives players taste for space shooters. But, it feels like exactly what it is; a mobile title ported to consoles.
Pros
- Good atmosphere and graphics
- Variety of good looking spaceships
- Great pick up and play presentation
Cons
- Slow movement
- Very short levels and objectives
- Very hard to see what you need to shoot
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