The story of Popcorn Rocket is that you play as Colonel Kernel and his rag tag crew in an attempt to defend the galaxy from the nefarious Nebula Empire. This villainous cast of characters consists of Dr. Nebula, the Cholesterol Commander, General Gluten, and Major Metabolism. The entire adventure is wrapped in a thick layer of food related humor that doesn’t take itself seriously for a single second! The story of this game is really something that is hilarious and fun, especially given all the dialogue is voice acted.
At its core, the game is an arcade shmup that emphasizes high scores and chaotic screen clearing. Players pilot the Popcorn Rocket ship against waves of enemies that are themed after food like “Pie Fighters” and “Cupcake Crushers”; truly a wonderful concept when it comes to enemy names and enemy types. Much like the enemies, your weapons are food themed as well; specifically after popcorn. You could get rapid-fire butter, homing caramel, and explosive cheddar. The “Popcorn Combo” system is the game’s signature mechanic. By firing special kernel shots to tag enemies, you can trigger explosive chain reactions that clear the screen while racking up necessary point multipliers and extra lives. It offers a genuine challenge that will test veteran arcade fans without feeling unfair. I appreciate that the game is very beginner friendly and caters to all types of gamers.
Visually, the game features colorful 2D pixel graphics with a cartoon look that really sets it apart from other games in its genre. The enemy ship designs are distinct and charmingly literal, meaning you always know exactly what kind of desert or junk food is throwing projectiles at you. The animation in this game is buttery smooth (pun totally intended) and is a real visual treat! When it comes to performance…PS4 games played on PS5, as this game was; run with zero issues. The performance is what you would come to expect on a powerhouse like the PlayStation 5.
The sound design in this game is just as awesome as the graphics. It does a wonderful job at capturing the feel of an old school arcade title. The music is very high energy and up beat, fits the game like a glove. Some might say the sound effects sound repetitive and they might be right. But that is intentional as it’s meant to sound like popping corn as you rack up combos and take out your enemies. This is rather genius given the theming of the game and the games namesake.
As I briefly touched on before, the game is fully voice acted which is another real highlight to the game and its audio. Plenty of emotion reflected in the characters, the puns, jokes, it all just works so well. Sure it’s a bit repetitive if you’re trying to get through the game in one run, but that’s really part of the game’s overall charm.
Popcorn Rocket on the PlayStation 4 is one of those shooters that is an incredibly fun tribute to a golden era of gaming. Battle Geek Plus successfully matches a silly, pun and joke filled aesthetic with highly responsive and mechanically impressive shooter gameplay. While its narrative brevity and repetitive voice lines might make it best enjoyed in short bursts, the addictive combo tracking provides excellent replay value for those that seek to chase high scores.
If you are looking for a colorful, affordable indie shooter that packs a nostalgic punch, this title is well worth adding to your digital or physical PS4 library!
Disclaimer: A review copy was provided
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.