In general, losing in a game is not ideal. But sometimes a game comes along that prioritizes a good time whether you win or lose. SpiderHeck delivers that exact experience. Swinging around a 2D stage over a lava pit, players control spiders that battle it out with each other while trying not to perish. It is a game that is easy to learn and hard to master, offering real strategy for those who want to learn the game and a good laugh for those who want to cause spider chaos. Oh, and these spiders can wield laser swords.
Game Name: SpiderHeck
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Publisher: tinyBuild
Developer: Neverjam
Release date: September 22, 2022
Price: $14.99
Startup SpiderHeck, the menu itself serves diegetic as part of the game. This means that if you want to select a game mode, you have to wave to it when you spin. It’s an unconventional choice. Once again, SpiderHeck is an unconventional game. But it serves a purpose, onboarding players into the game. This framework ensures that everyone knows how to play before a round starts. As such, the menu lobby exists as a tutorial and practice round, as do the individual lobbies for each game mode.
There’s Quick Game, and that’s exactly what it sounds like. This allows players to quickly jump into one of the other modes. There is Versus Battle, to fight against other players. You can play these offline and online, with the option for ‘friends only’ if desired. The next mode is Wave Survival, for fighting waves of NPC insects with friends or alone. Between rounds, you can get three options to choose a useful modifier, such as a temporary shield or slower enemy spawns. And the final mode, Tiers of Heck, offers a series of single-player challenges.
The challenges of Tiers of Heck consist of fighting off three waves of enemies, each with a premise, such as using a specific weapon or modifier. Unlike Wave Survival, where you have a certain number of lives, Tiers of Heck will restart you from the start of the round if you lose. It offers arguably the most challenging game mode, with six levels of three challenges each unlocking as you complete previous ones. Even the first layer presents quite a challenge. This mode proves the central web of single player content for SpiderHeck. There’s a surprising amount of variety for the cockiness of each challenge, with everything from having to crowd out explosive enemies to blasting armored bugs at their weak spots.
There is a saying, “limitations are the mother of innovation.” That’s true here, as the limited options for each challenge force players to become resourceful and adept at using the given circumstances. At the same time, these restrictions make Tiers of Heck feel like they are training for the other modes, highlighting that SpiderHeck is a party game meant for multiplayer at its core. Wave Survival offers the option for both single player and multiplayer, but again, it’s more fun with friends.
The multiplayer modes of Versus Battle for competitive play and Wave Survival for cooperative play will be what most players are looking for. I liked switching back and forth with friends, fighting with all fours – or webs and legs – in the battles and then see how long we could reasonably survive against the waves of enemies. Much of the fun comes from the wild laser weapons that you can use as you make your way around the screen with your webs. The weapons consist of types of laser swords, including basic and double-sided a la Darth Maul, types of ray guns and launchers, and various grenades and mines. The laser swords, or particle blades, shorten as you use them, balancing them against weapons that only have a certain number of uses.
As it stands, SpiderHeck has 32 cards, 20 weapons and 18 modifiers. It’s a solid amount to play with friends for a few sessions at a time, although it may not last long enough to keep people hooked indefinitely. Various cosmetics are unlocked through play, many of which are tied to trophies or by completing multiple rounds of survival.
SpiderHeck put all this spin on the pulsating music of electronic music artist Professor Kliq. Between the sharp designs and bright neon colors, the soundtrack connects the electronic aesthetic. And in turn, the style of SpiderHeck increases the high octane energy imparted to gameplay. There’s so much going on and so many tiny spiders and weapons, especially in multiplayer, that a big screen is best for soaking up all of this title’s spidery mayhem.
View Disclosure Statement: SpiderHeck was provided to us by tinyBuild for review purposes. For more information on how we rate video games and other media/technology, please see our Review Guideline/Score Policy for more information.
SpiderHeck Review
SpiderHeck Review
SpiderHeck can definitely bring out the competitive spirit in people. But its natural charm lies in bringing laughter when the chaos unleashes and someone swings straight into a laser sword or accidentally blows up a piece of the map. It would benefit from a bit more variety in game modes and content, but as it stands, it offers a fun and unique spin on the couch brawler genre.
Pros
- Gameplay that rewards both skill mastery and goofiness.
- Stylish design supported by a dynamic soundtrack.
- Unique challenges of the levels and types of enemies.
- Swinging around on a web while swinging around a laser sword.
cons
- Could use more content variety, especially for single player.
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