Pressure Overdrive is a top-down shooter in which you have a custom buggy that is on a track and you must balance your pressure on your buggy and get from checkpoint to checkpoint while shooting enemies on the track.
General Gameplay
Overall Pressure Overdrive is a twin stick racer/shooter – you go from level to level, defeating enemies, collecting credits to use to get better upgrades and fight bosses in between levels. In gameplay, you have a buggy that uses pressure to be used as well as your upgrades, weapon and general movement. During the level there are checkpoints that you pass, while shooting enemies, to gather more credits to purchase upgrades to your buggy, weapons, and add-ons to better your vehicle. The upgrades range from better weapons, attachments to both your front, rear, and top of your buggy that will help with defenses and other power ups that you will need for harder enemies and boss battles. Pressure Overdrive’s Game Visuals are very sharp and easy to see on the screen. The game uses a warmer color palette that helps sets the action that is going on the screen. From your buggy to the background, enemies and other objects are very easy to see and there is no loss of detail while the action is going on the screen. During our playtest, we did not see anything that would be offensive to any gamers in your gaming family… if anything, the game visuals are designed to be more family friendly and more like a cartoon that you would see in prime time. The game does not support a color-blind mode, however, as the colors are very easy to see on the screen there is no need of one. The in-game Audio is also done very well in its presentation. From bullets flying around to the clinking of the enemies’ vehicles and background music, it’s all very clear and easy to hear both on SMART TV speakers, and while using a headset. As the game does not support a 5.1 surround sound, it is not needed as the game sounds fine. In our playtesting, we did not hear anything in the audio that would be anything offensive as the game’s spoken dialogue is mostly gibberish that spoken from the characters during the menu and cut scenes. The background music of Pressure Overdrive is very mellow and flows into the gameplay. As with any game, we would recommend listening to the audio on your television or surround speakers, but if your gamer is using a headset, please take caution of extended usage of the headset on gaming sessions. Controls for Pressure Overdrive are very easy to pick up and play. As the game is a twin stick shooter at heart, the left thumb stick controls the buggy, and the right thumb stick directions the fire of the weapon that you have. The left and right shoulders buttons and triggers are used for any power ups that you have to equip on your buggy. The game controls are very responsive and tight to the action, as racing game controls need to be. As the controls are designed for easy play, during our play testing and special needs game testing we did not run into any issues with the control setup or even playing the game with the standard controllers. Please note that the game does not need a special controller to play it and the console’s standard controller should be fine to use.
“Taking a great shooter, mixing it with a deep upgrade system and you have a great co-op family friendly game that is Pressure Overdrive”
Family Friendly
If you are asking yourself if Pressure Overdrive is a fun game, the answer is yes. If you want to know if it is a challenging game, it’s a “yes” again, and it does offer fun for the whole family. Shooters can be hit or miss, but Pressure Overdrive is a fun game for all ages. It’s very easy to pick up and play, and the upgrades add a layer of more gameplay as you decide which upgrades that best match your play style. Also, as the game can be played with up to two players on the same screen, it makes the game more family friendly as parents/guardians can play with younger children – or it can even a great couples game for people to play! From the artistic design, to audio, and even presentation, this game is well done and very family friendly. As we said before, the game’s cut scenes seem more like a cartoon than anything else. Pressure Overdrive is a game that should be in your digital library, and because it is overall fun for everyone, it makes it a great game for the whole family. In our special needs game testing, we did not run into any game issues that would make the game not playable and, if anything, all of our special needs gamers loved this game.
Closing
Pressure Overdrive is an all-around fun game that should be in your digital library; with its deep combat play, upgrade system and co-op, this is a great game for everyone.
Be sure to listen to our podcast about our real thoughts on Pressure Overdrive!
Also here at Family Gamer Review we are proud to award Pressure Overdrive with our Special Needs Family Favorite award as well as our Family Favorite Game Award!
