Speed Limit

Bought this game purely because it was on sale, and the GIFs looked very exciting. The truth is, the gameplay is a pretty bad example of trial and error where you can never predict what happens next, you just have to try over and over until you perfect this specific 20-minute segment. Then the entire game changes and you have to learn how it works again. Whenever I died, it almost always felt like the game's fault. None of the individual mini-games are very polished, and the game is NOT greater than the sum of its parts. The good thing about Speed Limit is that it does indeed have a cool art style, and it's so short that you won't have the time to get too frustrated with it. (also for some reason the motorcycle segment was really laggy, despite this being a minimalist pixel-art type of game...)

If you're a fan of any 2D shoot em up such as Metal Slug and the like, this should wet your whistle fine. I love the premise that you're just some random dude on a train who has been handed a gun then the whole world has mistaken you for some secret agent or something. Good visuals, music is fine and the game-play is fun enough. Each level changes things up enough to get the ball rolling. Good for a cheap price.

For a game that can be finished in under 30 minutes (if your reflexes are particularly good), ‘Speed Limit’ delivers virtually non-stop exhilarating fun. This multi-genre shoot ’em up title, presented in neo retro graphics reminiscent of those in 1980s and 1990s video games, combines several popular action video game genres from that era into one seamless experience. Transitions from side-scrolling shooter to racing/shooting to aerial combat are done with insane stunts that only a video game character can pull off. Seeing and playing crazy, cool stuff like this make me feel like a kid who just discovered violent games. Similar to games I’ve played in the ’80s and ’90s, this game is challenging enough at normal difficulty, with me feeling relieved and accomplished once I’ve figured out the winning strategy. ‘Speed Limit’ wastes no time in getting and keeping you moving. Even resuming from the last checkpoint upon dying doesn’t take long, and you’ll be back up and shooting enemies almost right away. You’ll probably die a lot in this game the first time you play because the action does get too frantic, and your view may be obscured. I wished that there were more checkpoints so I didn’t have to repeat certain portions so many times. I’m not very good at games that put my reflexes to the test, but I managed to finish this game in about 3 hours at normal difficulty, and in about an hour or so at easy. There are also the Arcade, as well as unlockable Infinite and Neon modes that you can play should you want to improve your skills, beat your scores, and seek further challenges. If you’re the type who just plays a game once for the story, you probably won’t get much mileage out of this title. ‘Speed Limit’ is a very easy game to recommend. It tests your skills and patience, and will be rewarded with achievements that you’ve (sometimes obliviously) worked for. This game deserves a place in your game collection, and it has become one of my favourite titles in mine.