REVIEW : B.I.O.T.A. (PC)
The Metroid-Vania style remains one of the most popular game genres, recognised for fast-paced action and a healthy dose of nostalgia. B.I.O.T.A successfully delivers on these cliches, and while it doesn’t do anything innovative, it’s a pleasant, adequately unique introduction.
The most noticeable aspect of B.I.O.T.A is without a doubt its visuals. Biot looks so good that every retro fan should like it, especially due to the extensive system of personalization of the appearance. The diverse colour palette on the following screens adorning the review is not so much a matter of different locations, but the ability to change the colour set at any time. The game offers a total of 54 display modes, each consisting of four colours. The game’s graphics are earnestly drawn for maximum nostalgic effect, evoking the 8-bit, dot-matrix style graphics of the original Gameboy and combined with the essentialized colour pallet of the NES. When I look back at vintage games, I’m always impressed at how much detail artists could squeeze out of the most basic of hardware, and this game is no exception.
B.I.O.T.A convincingly expresses the depth, shadow, and light with only a few distinct shades of the basic and secondary colours and a rough approximation of size and dimension, and it’s fantastic to see such intricate work actualized with such spartan visuals.
There are three modes of play in the game: story, arcade, and time trial. Naturally, the big event is the story mode: a very traditional tale about a bunch of mercenaries who face a biological danger. B.I.O.T.A. has a variety of characters, each with their own set of weapons and powers, and each is a loving tribute to the characters featured in great 1980s action films.
Story
Biot puts us in the shoes of the soldiers of the special unit, whose task is to free the mining colony from the power of a mysterious parasite. The alien from outer space likes to jump on people’s faces and turn them into dangerous monsters, although fortunately they do not spit acid and are susceptible to lead poisoning. The use of the plural of the word “soldier” is not a coincidence – at any time we can switch in the base between several thugs who wield a slightly different weapon, both basic and special. However, they do not differ significantly from each other, hence the mentioned function can be quickly forgotten.
Despite its paper-thin narrative and typical writing, I admired the effort that had gone into creating at least some semblance of a story. The game had a well-done vintage 8-bit video beginning, and the story frame itself did serve to consolidate the game within a unified world beyond merely running and shooting on an exotic planet. As a result, the game’s universe has the appearance of a long-running series from the era.
The gameplay is excellent.
The old-school nature of the game results in more from the aesthetics and simple rules of the game than from overwhelming the recipient with an insurmountable challenge. Biot is accessible even to newbies, in part due to the very responsive controls. Only the first two hours can be a bit confusing when we don’t quite know where to go and how everything works. The controls are, predictably, evocative of the original Metroid, but with modern touches like the wall jump. Shooting is tight and gratifying, and I had a lot of fun trying out each weapon; usually, different weapons barely operate differently, but in this case, each required a different approach to the game’s level.
One of my biggest complaints about Metroid Vania’s environments is that they can be difficult to travel. Sometimes the map design is overly complicated: a maze of corridors and mazes that becomes tedious in the absence of the third dimension. Fortunately, B.I.O.T.A does not have this issue.
The game’s stages are not just beautifully designed and easy to follow, but the option to teleport to the surface to restore your health and change characters on the fly is a very handy feature. Each level even has its teleportation system to return you to the beginning. Also alleviates the fear of becoming lost in a cave and unable to retrace your steps, and it helps the player to avoid the accompanying excessive retracing.
The game also openly states when you have the item required to progress. Gone are the days of collecting something and having no idea what to do with it or how to use it.
It’s quality of life features, such as those mentioned above, distinguish B.I.O.T.
It’s a lot of fun to play because it takes the mystery out of Metroid-Vania while still allowing the player to progress and enjoy the game.
The soundtrack deserves special mention since it is a well constructed chip-tune overture with a running theme and a distinct style. Retro music, like the images, might be difficult to duplicate convincingly, but the crew succeeded in this case.
I can’t explain the quality of the music in a written review, so go listen for yourself. It’s not often that I want to listen to a game soundtrack outside of the game, but the tracks in B.I.O.T.A standout.
Finally, whether through the aesthetics, gameplay, or music, the major impression you get from the game is that the team thoroughly grasped what makes the Metroid-Vania style work. It gives enough nostalgia without becoming repetitive, and it tightens mechanics that may get boring with contemporary comforts.
I largely played through the story mode, but the inclusion of an Arcade and Time Trials mode is something I believe all games of this genre would benefit from. These games are ideally designed for fast runs and high scores, and given that the arcades from whence they grew are long gone, it’s fantastic to see this competitive element alive and well. In conclusion, there is nothing else for me to do but sincerely recommend this title to all of you. You can feel the author’s love for the subject in it, the time of the game passes pleasantly, and a little over PLN 30 is a very good price in times of galloping inflation for a few hours of fun.
