Inspired by “bullet hell”-styled shooters from Japanese arcades, Score Rush Extended boasts a four-player co-op mode, along with an array of new gameplay additions.
Originally released for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Indie Games service, Score Rush earned a following thanks to its vibrant graphics and twitch gameplay that traded complexity for all-out action. Developer Xona Games notes that the upcoming PlayStation 4 edition will follow suit, promising that the finished product will deliver “no gimmicks, no hidden points, [and] no puzzles.”
Rather than overhauling Score Rush‘s underlying gameplay, Xona Games chose to add new features for the upcoming PS4 port, including multiple difficulty settings and a Boss Rush mode. Score Rush Extended will also serve up a dual play mode that allows a single player to control two ships at once — an unusual mechanic that promises to add a new degree of challenge for expert players.
“The original Score Rush was an experimental game,” co-creator Matthew Doucette admits. “Despite critical and commercial success, the game never felt complete. To that end, Score Rush Extended offers online scoreboards, unlockable trophies, and even DualShock audio that helps distinguish events happening to you as opposed to your friends during a 4-player game.”
Emphasizing the game’s frenetic action, Xona Games notes that it has reduced the size of the player’s hit box and added a “slow down” button for Score Rush‘s PlayStation 4 debut. The game’s trademark multiplayer mode has also been upgraded, and on-screen power-ups will now drift toward the weakest player in the pack in order to bring them up to speed with their squad mates.
Score Rush Extended launches digitally via the PlayStation Network on Tuesday.
