What if the awesome, legendary Star Fox series didn’t necessarily force you to travel through on-rails space levels? What if you could freely control your ship and, at least to a certain degree, do a bit of exploration? What if you had more choices at your disposal as far as weapons and ships were concerned? Well, you’d probably get something along the lines of Kromaia, an upcoming arcade space shoot ’em up from developer Kraken Empire.

The studio’s attempt with this project is clear: effectively modernize the arcade shooter in a way that’s still reminiscent of exactly why people love the genre. After going hands-on with the game at a recent press tour hosted by publisher Rising Star Games, I can certainly see a bit of both the modern and retro worlds, and the result is an exciting space shooter that’s not afraid to take some risks with the tried and tested formula.

The way Kromaia mixes both styles is by offering what the developer calls a mix of “3D worlds” and “2D enemies.” What this means is that even though you’re traversing an explorable 3D map and utilizing a rear-view camera shot of your ship, enemies follow a straight-forward path right ahead of you rather than above or below you. This makes it so that the game plays a lot like what a 3D version of something like R-Type would be like — you’re constantly moving and attacking enemies that pop up in front of you.

Exploring the immersive space setting of Kromaia is a total blast, and flying by space stations and other landmarks while fighting off the game’s solid variety of enemies is a thrill. Some baddies are craftier than others, dishing out unpredictable offense while flying in frenetic patterns. There are also boss characters that truly test your space shmup mettle. Things are constantly kept interesting thanks to the way the levels’ goals are spread out. An indicator on the screen always points you in the right direction, but along the way you’re treated to a slew of surprises.

One of the most interesting aspects of Kromaia is the way you control your ship. You have forward, vertical, and lateral movement, but you can also turn upside-down. This adds a nice exploratory openness to the game that’s otherwise absent in these sorts of linear experiences. It’s a nice touch that takes some getting acclimated to, but being able to have full control of your ship makes the ride even more enjoyable even despite the slight learning curve.

There are four ships for you to choose from, each with their own sets of stages and special abilities. Every ship also has a secondary weapon, allowing you to drastically alter your plan of attack. One ship lets you use a shotgun with a large spread to take down multiple enemy fighters. Another lets you lock-on to other ships. There’s even a melee-style ship that allows you to launch a massive shuriken. In case you were wondering, yes, using the melee ship is as much fun as it sounds, as it also lets you swing a giant sword-like weapon to defeat enemies.

True to its arcade inspiration, Kromaia is heavily rooted in score-based play. You can perform crazy combos and be rewarded with special bonuses to up your point total. If you’re worried about high scores taking away from the fun of the experience, though, rest assured that you can simply play the game and enjoy it without having to worry about being a leaderboard chaser if that’s not exactly your thing.

If you really want to dig deep into the space-tastic world of Kromaia, you’ll be pleased to know that Kraken Empire has thrown in a few extras for good measure. Aside from a score attack mode and online leaderboards, you can also unlock a feature that lets you play any of the game’s levels as whichever ship you desire. All you have to do is complete all of the stages, which is most certainly easier said than done.

Kromaia is quite a lovely game to behold, employing a clean, minimalistic look that’s largely reliant on bold colors and polygonal shapes. Once again, I was instantly reminded of the original SNES version of Star Fox. Obviously, this particular game benefits from modern tech, which ensures that the whole thing looks a lot smoother and just better overall. Even the HUD is simple and non-intrusive, ensuring that your field of view isn’t obstructed by unnecessary onscreen clutter.

Developers seem to always want to evolve the space shmup. Given that it’s such an old school genre with absolutely pure roots and a very basic formula, that can be a massive untertaking. With Kromaia, Kraken Empire seems to be taking the genre in a nice, fresh direction. The game obviously borrows elements from its predecessors but adds a noticeable newness thanks to the exploration element and ship variety. If you’ve ever wondered what Star Fox would be like if you had more control over your ship, perhaps you’d best watch out for Kromaia when the game lands on Steam on October 23.

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