Beyond Galaxyland Review

Modern sci-fi has lost the magic that made the classic 80’s era such a unique moment in time. It’s darker, more realistic now, and there’s nothing wrong with that per se, but the stories I grew up with felt otherworldly. They threw colour at the screen, came up with ridiculous alien designs, and weren’t shy about their low budgets. It was cheesy, and that’s what made it entertaining. Turn-based RPG Beyond Galaxyland comes from that same era­­— a Saturday morning cartoon story with plenty of silly creatures and retro vibes, combined with modern gameplay sensibilities. More importantly, it’s a hoot.

The plot could have easily been written for the 80’s, full of dastardly villains, a teenager lost in space, and a plan to save Earth from untold disaster. Doug is our heroic lead, taken from his family and told of Earth’s apparent demise from an entity known as ‘The End’. It’s up to Doug, his trusty guinea pig turned humanoid Boom Boom and a cast of colourful personalities to discover the truth. It’s a tale both dark and amusing, pulling on a few familiar tropes but maintaining a sense of originality all the same.

Beyond Galaxyland combines a few simple ideas across its 2D, pixelated landscapes. Overworldly locations had me reminiscing over Another World, with some light platforming and puzzle solving amongst neon drenched cityscapes, ancient ruins, and alien environments. Creatures you come across in the open can be attacked ahead of time, leading into traditional turn-based combat scenarios where every turn is dictated by the speed of your party member and opponent.

That Kong be crazy

You’ll have the usual attack and defend options an RPG normally incorporates, with every successful attack you land building up an ability meter to the right of the screen that allows you to perform unique abilities per character, some more important than others. Doug will eventually unlock the opportunity to scan enemies to reveal health bars and track any strengths or weaknesses, while Boom Boom will send some tender love to the party for a quick heal. These moves can be vital later on, though you’ll have to balance your attacks and time your blocks to ensure your AP meter is constantly full for when it’s needed.

There’s no traditional levelling of your squad, as the game handles any upgrade automatically, but you will come across useful items that can buff key stats. Your party will chop and change depending on what the story dictates, but most of your time will be spent with Doug and Boom Boom as your key members, meaning highly useful items will be split between the pair.  You’ll find most scattered around the world, though eventually you’ll have the chance to craft some extras at save points. I rarely used the crafting function, but it’s nice to have if you’re wallet is a little threadbare.

An extra element Doug can unlock is the chance of catching certain creatures you may come across. Think of it as capturing Pokémon then using whatever monsters you assign to each party member as summons from Final Fantasy, with useful magic spells that can increase defence or simply deal massive ice or lightning damage. It’s a nice mechanic that plays exactly how it sounds, chipping away at an enemy’s health until it’s low enough to increase the chances of capturing it, though don’t expect hundreds of creatures rambling around each area. Casting any summons will use up the SP meter below the health bar, and I found myself deploying them as a last resort for bonus healing instead of using up any items.

Now this is pod racing (sorry, don’t hurt me Disney)

The combat itself is smooth, though compared to last year’s stellar RPG Sea of Stars it isn’t quite as dynamic or fast. None of the mechanics feel underdone, it’s fulfilling to pull off a big mass heal or block an enemy attack into a counter, but I never felt greatly challenged or under threat from wiping. Some RPGs like to throw you under the bus at times with their boss battles, but Beyond Galaxyland has a fair balance across its general encounters and larger battles.

There are a few moments where the pace of the game slows to a crawl. The opening hour could have been a tad faster in getting the plot up and running, though it still sets a mysterious tone that pulls you in all the same. The platforming puzzles are easy enough, but only manage to stretch the game time out instead of pushing the plot forwards. I could have done with a little less of them and a little more world building or more varied enemy encounters, but that’s a minor complaint in an otherwise impressive package that tells a compelling story.

Beyond Galaxyland takes plenty of twist and turns, some more obvious than others, but it never falls into monotony and lightens the mood with plenty of humorous dialogue. Boom Boom is the clear standout, its relationship with Doug a driving force behind some of the better scenes as it slowly evolves into a more complex being. The rest of the cast play their parts well, though it’s a shame there’s no voiced dialogue as I would have cherished the thought of hearing someone adding even more life to Boom Boom.

I hate sand (really, I’m so so sorry)

Visually, Beyond Galaxyland shines, its pixelated world brimming with creativity at every corner. There are moments where the lens feels like it’s covered in Vaseline, an odd blur that seems like a creative choice but takes away from the highly detailed animations and dynamic camera movements. I nonetheless enjoyed watching everything in action, and there are some stunning vistas and background details amongst the battle sequences that make for an engaging world. There’s magic in the musical score too, though I found some tracks to be a little overused in places.

Final Thoughts

There’s a lot to like about Beyond Galaxyland, from its 80’s-vibe story full of vibrant characters to its enjoyable turn-based combat. It manages to pull together a number of different mechanics into a level of coherence (though some work better than others) in a package that impresses with visual flair and an identity wholly its own. This is the kind of sci-fi I love, the fish out of water tale where the impossible becomes possible and the characters all manage to feel unique to each other amongst a sea of weird designs. Come for the action, stay for the Boom Boom.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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