Once a PC and console staple, recent years have seen a decline in the number of third-person shooters as FPS titles have grown to dominate the market. Bucking this trend, Toylogic’s Glitch Busters: Stuck On You offers players a kid-friendly, co-op-focused alternative to traditional third-person shooters. Created by industry veterans who’ve worked on titles ranging from Super Smash Bros. Brawl to NieR Replicant, Glitch Busters: Stuck On You features some original gameplay mechanics that ensure it has something to offer both fans of the genre and those new to third-person shooters.
Glitch Busters: Stuck on You puts players in the shoes of an AI that helps run the internet and deliver the social media content its users depend on. After coming under attack by viruses, players are recruited by the human Ana to join the Glitch Busters, where they’ll use their magnetic abilities and a variety of creative weapons to take back control of stages ranging from volcanoes to futuristic cities. Glitch Busters: Stuck On You features a unique art style with colorful character sprites that Toylogic describes as “designed to appear as moving illustrations.”
A Kid-Friendly Take on the Third-Person Shooter
The core gameplay loop of Glitch Busters: Stuck On You is familiar, tasking players with making their way through levels and eliminating enemies with a wide variety of weapons. What keeps it feeling fresh is how Toylogic has placed co-op squarely at the center of the game, letting gamers play with friends using local or online co-op. While co-op third-person shooters are nothing new, Glitch Busters: Stuck On You introduces some unique gameplay mechanics that keep it feeling fresh.
Throughout Glitch Busters: Stuck On You, players can unlock over 15 weapons, ranging from the rapid-fire Tab Machine Gun to a DC-Shock Blaster capable of pushing back mobs of enemies. As players unlock these weapons using coins scattered throughout the levels, they’ll become accessible either by purchasing them at vending machines or opening weapon crates. Similar to games like Nintendo’s Splatoon 3, players use analog sticks to aim and move while firing with the triggers.
Glitch Busters: Stuck On You Offers More Than Just Shooting
When not blasting viruses, players will make use of unique magnetic powers to survive Glitch Busters: Stuck On You’s obstacle-and-enemy-filled levels. The magnets on players’ feet let them walk up specially-marked walls and climb on top of the three other Glitch Busters, controlled either by AI or human players, to unleash fire on enemies or overcome tall obstacles. Players can also use a Magnet Dash that will rapidly draw them toward their allies to avoid danger and break some enemies’ defenses.
Glitch Busters: Stuck On You also incorporates other styles of gameplay throughout its runtime. Some stages feature vehicles that can be used to destroy barriers or cross obstacles, while others switch to a side-scrolling perspective that requires players to carefully coordinate their movements as they jump and shoot to take down foes and avoid hazards. One challenging set of stages sees Glitch Busters: Stuck On You switch to a mad-dash mashup of shooting and obstacle avoidance in the style of the game show Hole in the Wall.
Glitch Busters: Stuck On You also offers two other gameplay modes in addition to the story mode. Patrol Mode lets players select one of the game’s six worlds and choose a difficulty level before setting off on a run a remixed version of the stage featuring randomized obstacles, items, and enemies. Players looking for an extra challenge can also choose Simulation Mode, which features the original missions but lets players adjust time limits, enemy density, difficulty, and more.
A Unique Sense of Style Helps Glitch Busters: Stuck On You Stand Out
Glitch Busters: Stuck On You’s unique style permeates everything from the graphics to the story. The characters and enemies have an almost cel-shaded art style influenced by Manga and internet culture, while levels feature traditional 3D geometry designed with a painted look. Players can also customize their character by purchasing accessories to suit their tastes.
This unique sense of style carries on into the game’s story and overall tone, as well. Glitch Busters: Stuck On You makes use of its setting to poke fun at all aspects of online culture, from clickbait video thumbnails to Twitter trolls, and this gentle ribbing of social media and the internet in general is sure to get at least a few chuckles out of most players.
A Well-Rounded Game With a Few Rough Edges
Despite some genuinely enjoyable mechanics, Glitch Busters: Stuck On You still has some rough edges at this stage. The game’s difficulty when playing solo could be overwhelming for younger gamers, with the AI-controlled allies offering little assistance against enemies unless stacked together under the player’s control. This can prove particularly frustrating during boss fights, leaving even seasoned shooter fans dying repeatedly as their allies run around aimlessly.
Even when playing with friends, the difficulty level in Glitch Busters: Stuck On You can feel higher than would be expected for a kid-focused shooter. While eliminating enemies is definitely easier in co-op mode, coordinating everyone’s movements on side-scrolling stages can be an exercise in frustration. Another early stage, which requires players to fit through gaps in approaching walls, took several tries to complete in co-op mode even with a group of seasoned gamers due to difficulty in coordinating the split-second movements required.
Despite an occasionally uneven level of difficulty, Glitch Busters: Stuck On You looks set to provide players with a silly and stylish spin on the third-person shooter genre when it releases for PC and consoles on May 23. With its simple but charming art style and varied gameplay mechanics, the kid-friendly title could be a good choice for families seeking something different from the standard shooter. And while the aim of the game’s AI allies could still use a bit of work before release, Glitch Busters: Stuck On You should have plenty to offer younger gamers whether they’re going it alone or playing with friends.
Glitch Busters: Stuck On You releases on May 23 for PC, Switch, and PS4.