ENGO is an Indie game shooter developed by t0my where you compete against 3 CPU opponents in 6 different arenas to attain the highest score before the time runs out. You earn points by collecting stars that either appear on the map or are left behind from destroying your opponents. The stars you collect from destroying opponents are worth 50 points and the stars that appear randomly on the map are only worth 10. There is no limit to how many times your robot character or your opponents can respawn either. There are temporary power up weapons you can collect in the arenas to give you an advantage as well as health items. But you have to pay attention because there are mines, missiles and other environmental hazards you have to avoid in addition to your opponents.

The premise is simple and I purchased this game hoping it would be an enjoyable game to pass the time complete with power-ups and bonuses and then add 6 different arenas and it was worth a try. And the images for the game showed the graphics looked pretty good for what it was. However the actual experience wasn’t what I hoped. You can select any arena from the start so there are no levels to complete but that was already understood. The first problem was there was no information given about what was in the arena so it was trial and error to identify the different power-ups or even the items that could destroy you. A simple screen before the match starts that showed the items with a quick description to help you identify them during the match would have been suffice. There is a help section you can select from the main screen but it doesn’t show you what the items look like at all. And the font used makes it difficult to read. It’s the same font used in the game. A bigger problem, which prevented me from overlooking the first one, was the actual gameplay.

The controls are simple enough. The left stick is used for movement and the right stick is used to fire in any direction. The controls are responsive however the angles in which I could fire aren’t optimal. I found myself right next to an opponent but unable to hit with the standard shot because it the shots don’t line up with how opponents are able to move. During my initial playthrough there was so much happening in the first arena it was hard to see what was going on. I couldn’t tell if an item I picked up was helpful or hurt me and by the time I did I was destroyed. It moves very fast. And even when I adjusted to the speed it was very difficult to destroy opponents with the standard weapon because it packed very little power. The CPU opponents weapons were stronger than mine and since the only way to win is by collecting stars from destroying them I couldn’t just dodge their shots at me and stay alive. And apparently the CPU opponents are destroying each other out of view and collecting the stars because their points skyrocketed in comparison to mine. And there were occassions where I would have to drive over a star or power-up more than once. And in a game that moves as fast as this one does that only makes things even more difficult.

The 6 arenas are different in some ways and even though there is no difficulty setting for the arenas the differences aren’t cosmetic. Even when I did get the hang of the controls and was doing much better on certain arenas, opponents spawn anywhere. It was frustrating to be on a roll and using the environment as cover only to have another opponent appear right next to you and destroy you.

Summary
Overall this game just wasn’t fun. It lacked polish that would have made it more enjoyable. There was no screen anywhere that identified the items in the arenas ahead of time. Opponents weapons are ridiculously stronger than yours even though they’re supposed to be the same weapons. Enemies don’t have health bars, which would have at least helped in determining if you’re close to destroying one and should risk continuing to attack. The controls were responsive but it doesn’t considering the interaction with objects or opponents are off. Even if you have ALOT of patience and get better I still can’t recommend this game. There was a moment I found myself into the game but it was only to win and not because I was enjoying it. Avoid it and save yourself unnecessary frustration.