''Assault Android Cactus'' is a
twin-stick shooter developed and published by
Witch Beam. The game was released for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
, and
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
in 2015,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
in 2016,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
in 2017 and
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
in 2019. An enhanced version for the Switch was released in 2019 as ''Assault Android Cactus+''.
Gameplay
''Assault Android Cactus'' is a twin-stick shooter played primarily from a quarter-down perspective.
The Player takes control of one of nine Androids, the first of which being Cactus, an Interplanetary Police Department (IPPD) junior constable, who crashes her ship into a space freighter 'Genki Star'. The player must fight through hordes of rogue robots to take back control of the Genki Star.
The game can be played in
single-player
A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...
or in
local cooperative play with up to four players.
The game features four game modes: a story, campaign, a challenging 50 layer mode, Infinity Drive, daily challenges, Daily Drive, and
boss rush
In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player has faced up to that ...
mode.
The game has nine playable androids to choose from,
each of which have a different combination of primary and secondary weapons.
The game includes 25 stages which morph and transform as the level progresses.
Development
''Assault Android Cactus'' was developed and published by Brisbane-based video game development studio Witch Beam.
One of the game's developers, Sanatana Mishra noted that the team's decision to not launch the game on
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...
was due to the
ID@Xbox
ID@Xbox (Independent Developers @ Xbox) is a program by Microsoft allowing independent video game developers to self-publish titles for Windows, and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S home video game consoles.
Overview
ID@Xbox was anno ...
parity clause which required developers to launch their games on Xbox One the same day as other platforms.
Release
The development team were originally targeting a January 2014 release for ''Assault Android Cactus''.
However the game was officially released for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
, and
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
on 23 September 2015, after launching from
early access.
A
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
version was released on 8 March 2016.
The game was initially in development for the
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
and
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
but did not release on those platforms.
The game, with
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
X enhancements which include native
4K 60fps support and an optional developer commentary, was released on 7 November 2017.
Announced in February 2019, an expanded port for the
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
known as ''Assault Android Cactus+'' was released on 8 March 2019.
Reception
''Assault Android Cactus'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics according to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.assaultandroidcactus.com/
2015 video games
Cancelled Wii U games
Cancelled PlayStation Vita games
Linux games
MacOS games
Twin-stick shooters
Nintendo Switch games
Video games developed in Australia
Video games scored by Jeff van Dyck
Windows games
PlayStation 4 games
Xbox One games
Xbox One X enhanced games
Video games about police officers
Video games featuring female protagonists
Witch Beam Games