Let’s not mince our words: Geometry Survivor is exactly what you think it is based on the title before you. It’s the fusion of two things: a faux-retro arcade blaster and the auto-shooter mechanics that we’ve all been enjoying since Vampire Survivors popularised them.
Geometry Wars meets Vampire Survivors
As far as elevator pitches go, the headline above is pretty compelling if you ask me. I remember enjoying Geometry Wars when the game debuted as an arcade distraction in the Project Gotham Racing series. That being thus, I welcomed the arrival of this particular exploration of the survivors-like formula, and I enjoyed my first taste of the game during Steam Next Fest.
That first taste did a good job of presenting the game as it truly is. While I’m sure there are abilities in this build that weren’t in the demo, the gameplay loop remains largely the same. In this regard, Geometry Survivor wins no points for originality, as pretty much everything it does has been done before elsewhere.
It might sound like I’m being neggy, but I’m not trying to be. However, it does need mentioning because I’ve got a friend who has played the game and it didn’t click for them as it did for me. No matter how crisp the graphics nor how euphoric the soundtrack, this is still the sum of its parts and not much more. It’s a good thing they’re solid parts, then!
How does Geometry Survivor work, then?
In the spirit of the genre it represents, Geometry Survivor offers intuitive one-handed controls where you must weave your little hexagonal avatar through an increasingly chaotic screen filled with crisply animated wireframe enemies.
Your avatar fires automatically, spitting out a range of different attacks. Some fire at the nearest enemy, others are area of effect circles with various… effects, and there are others that zip about the arena doing damage all on their own. As you take down enemies, some of them drop credits or XP; the credits can be spent between runs while the XP allows you to level up during play.
As per the genre, you get three options to choose from every time you level up. You’ll be able to select different attacks as well as improve those already chosen. Geometry Survivor doesn’t reinvent the wheel in this respect, although there are some cool visual effects and one or two attack-types that feel unique to this genre-mash (my personal favourite being the black hole that sucks your enemies into its core and destroys them).
I think it’s also fair to say that Geometry Survivor doesn’t rock the boat with its meta-progression either. You have a series of core abilities that you can improve by spending the credits you picked up while playing. As you’ve probably already experienced in other auto-shooters, you start off weak and feeble and eventually you’ll have levelled your avatar into the henchest super hexagon (speaking of which, if you’ve never played Super Hexagon, do yourself a favour).
Alternatively, that are several other avatars that can be unlocked once you’ve completed various in-game objectives and earned enough credits. There’s one that gives you random abilities while levelling up, and another that has more ability slots but no incremental upgrades. The new avatars I’ve tried don’t change things up drastically, but they do add a bit of flavour to a new run.
Where can I play Geometry Survivor?
Geometry Survivor has been developed by Brain Seal (which didn’t have anything to do with the original Geometry Wars games, as far as I can tell). This UK-based indie studio is putting the game out on PC, PlayStation, Switch and Xbox platforms; I played it on PC (desktop and Steam Deck) and for the most part, I had a good time.
In terms of presentation, I think Brain Seal has nailed it. Not only are the visuals crisp and clean, but they’ve managed to make the animations and explosions satisfying to behold. Coupled with a hypnotic soundtrack, the intent is to get you into the groove during each 20-minute run – and for a while I think that aim is achieved.
My only real concern is the limited range of interactions between your weapons and the environment, which I think will stop this being an experience you will want to return to again and again. Geometry Survivor doesn’t have interesting level designs to fall back on, nor does your avatar have much of a personality. If there are interesting secrets hidden around the place, I’ve yet to find them. The lack of online leaderboards feels like a strange omission, too.
Geometry Survivor does feel somewhat spartan at launch, and I think the game would benefit from more game modes, new levels, and different ways to synergise each loadout with your weapons. That said, there is still a lot to like thanks to the game’s bold audio-visual design and the solid implementation of auto-shooter staples. Rather than offering an RPG-esque experience full of depth and lore, this one is all about the arcade thrills and spills. What’s currently in the box does enough to provide a few hours of solid entertainment, in my humble opinion, and for the price I think it’s worth a shot.
