Nuclear Throne - We have to reach.. the Nuclear Throne!
Ever wanted an arcade twist towards your usual post-apocalyptic games? A game that keeps the action while not having to invest in too much of the world. What about a twist of Soul Knight that doesn’t heat up 2010s phones? A game that you can carry around for when PLDT doesn’t make your money’s worth.
Look no further with Nuclear Throne, an indie roguelite shoot-em’-up game that comes in just megabytes, but keeps you aiming for more. It was created by Vlambeer, a Dutch studio consisting of Jan Willem Nijman and Rami Ismail, with major contributors like Paul Veer for readable character design, Justin Chan for engaging promotional art and Jukio Kallio for the world-building music. Opening its gameplay to the world in March 2013, it slowly reached its way to becoming a staple indie, living long enough to be recognized and ported for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, and the XBox One in 2021.
The game starts off after an apocalypse that changed the world more than ended 99.99% of it. Let’s start with the original five characters of its Beta version, who I’ll have to introduce to give you a taste of how much more Nuclear Throne and its fans have.
Before his mutation, Fish was a normal cop of the Inter-Dimensional Police Department; an agency and opposition that fears the Nuclear Throne’s power.
A sentient Crystal surpasses her ancestors. Being family-oriented, she wants the Throne for her kind to flourish.
Eyes can’t really speak, not even with the universe’s fictional language ‘Trashtalk’, so no-one really knows him. He seems to be an avid fan of movies, though.
A pessimistic skeleton of Melting flesh that can explode dead enemies in compensation for his measly health.
And lastly, there is Plant, a genocidal venus flytrap that keeps a primal sense of carnage on its way to the Throne.
These characters join up and gather around a campfire, queuing for their attempt of reaching what everyone in the roster perceives as salvation from the post-apocalyptic wicked. They find new survivors, taking them in to have them wait in refuge, or cooperate through the wasteland. And maybe sometimes, taking further steps with Crowns filled with various misfortunes to weigh them down for the brag. All these and more, with cursed weapons, golden ones, malformed mutants, and allied ones. Simple, right?
As a game made from GameMaker Studio, modding the game to seemingly extend this lore is relatively easier than most games you know. The only catch is, it’s not as popular as most games you know. But it’s not all bad! There is a plethora of mods to indulge in, solo or with friends. Within itch.io’s collection stands out ‘Nuclear Throne Together’, a mod that integrates mod-loading and local and network multiplayer. With Vlambeer’s peaceful shutdown during their 10th anniversary on September 2, 2020, modders have slowly continued adding content for you to check back in every once in a while.
Personally, this game was my kickstarter to applying game sense into real life, such as starting from scratch to thinking between game-changing abilities (yes, college). It got me into my own zone and even stayed with me in old doodles and a soap sculpting assignment from 2019. It kept me up my feet with how each character held diversity, the right way, and fought adversity, going for broke for what is and is no longer at stake.
With all that said, I suggest you grab your Shovel and dig through the relic of roguelite instead of a mere article. Who knows? Maybe you will also feel like ‘Kings and Queens of Wasteland’ (by Jukio Kallio.)
Happy trails and salads, from Angelo!
Wanna give Nuclear Throne a chance? It's up on Steam for gamers to play with! YOOO!!!
Nuclear Throne is a post-apocalyptic roguelike-like top-down shooter. Not 'the final hope of humanity' post-apocalyptic, but 'humanity is ex
Post by Angelo M. Biscarra