I grew up playing the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and spending hours pushing quarters into the local Arcade. I’ll admit that I spent more time with Mario, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter than anything else but I was no stranger to Centipede. I played Centipede even more at the nickel arcade at college. Something about the games, and many of the other 80s classics, just do it for me. That’s why I was so excited to see Radiant from Hexage.
Radiant is an OS X game that at first look will make you feel like you’re back at the local arcade. The graphics have the feel of an 80s game but packs much more into it. Like the games of the past, Radiant focuses on great gameplay and an entertaining story line. As you advance through the game you’ll come across more and more challenging enemies and win more and more weapons to combat the “bad guys”.
At the end of each level, after you’ve fought off a collection of enemies, you’ll find yourself in a difficult bossfight where you’ll use the weapons you’ve collected to battle a challenging enemy. I really enjoyed each of the bossfights in the game as they were unique enough to add entertainment at each battle.
Radiant leverages the keyboard and mouse for its main controls. Switching weapons requires a click and hold from the mouse on your ship. Your weapon arsenal will display and allow you to select the weapon of choice. Personally, I feel this interface slows down the game play a bit and would prefer the ability to quickly switch weapons.
If you’re looking for a flash to the past with modern gaming feel then Radiant is definitely a Mac Game you should check out. It’s available in the app store and just a few clicks away. You can also find Radiant on the iPhone and iPad so you can battle 1980 style enemies everywhere you go.
