Project X: Light Years review

Between reissues of Toaplan, G. Rev, and Irem’s efforts, there’s plenty of reverence for shoot ‘em ups that emerged in Japan across the ‘90s. But European shmups haven’t received the same kind of admiration. MK Game’s release of Project X: Light Years aims to change that.

Originally a 1992 Amiga title by Worms-creator Team17, Project X gained attention for its bold visuals and lofty difficulty level, with many players unable to beat the game’s second stage. Wisely, Project X: Light Years isn’t just a straightforward port.

Instead, it’s a modernized remaster that preserves the integrity of the original while making observant adjustments to ensure today’s players don’t fling their controllers in frustration. Pleasingly, this is an opportunity for newcomers to discover a cult classic Euroshmup, while veterans can determine if their reflexes have deteriorated across the last 33 years.

A Commodore-era Comeback

One of the most fascinating aspects of Project X: Light Years is how distinctly it represents Euroshooter ethos. Japanese shoot ’em ups like Gradius or R-Type embraced smooth pacing, flashy weapon power-ups, and paring back a shooter to its barest elements. But European developers frequently doubled down on maximalism, with a multitude of play mechanics.

Uncompromising, atmospheric, and often masochistically tough, titles like X-Out, Disposable Hero, and Datastorm would establish new benchmarks for difficulty, at least until danmaku started showing up. Juggling multiple weapons systems, Gradius-esque power-ups, an overdrive weapon, EMT bombs, in-stage warps, and end of stage, fly-though stores, Light Years tosses a lot of concepts at players. And while I have my preferences, the world is a better place for having shooters that offer either streamlined or bounteous play systems.

33 Years On, Sanity is Spared

Thankfully, Light Years doesn’t sand down every rough edge from the original game (or the new Arcade or Modern play modes), but it does make several welcome concessions. Now, five difficulty settings, an option for auto-fire, and a more lenient checkpoint system that doesn’t always confiscate your loadout helps to offset the notorious difficulty. It’s still challenging on anything but the Rookie setting, but the remake acknowledges that today’s players might not want to spend an entire afternoon just trying to clear the first stage.

With mid-stage warp portals and an array of thirty-five different power-ups that provide randomized effects, Project X: Light Years eschews stage memorization. The latter provide everything from a squadron of allied fighters, supply you with rail gun ammo, or generate a blitzkrieg of on-screen explosions. But not all power-ups are beneficial. Roughly half of them emit negative effects, requiring players to quickly assess whether grabbing one of the question mark icons is worth a risk. Design decisions like this amplify the game’s already high level of tension.

Another core highlight is the ship selection system. Players can choose from three different spacecraft, each with distinct movement characteristics, weapon loadouts, and maximum speed adjustments. The remaster balances these choices by increasing the base speed of all ships, with the lightest craft getting a substantial upgrade. Weapon systems are also fully revamped in Modern mode: pilots can equip two weapons at once, switching between them on the fly, with each offensive technique suited to different kinds of threats.

Skilled Subordinate Formations, Lackluster Bosses

But Light Years isn’t without a handful of blemishes. The horizontally-scrolling playfield is bit larger than the height of the screen, concealing enemies or obscuring some of the A-R-M-O-U-R-Y letters that need to be collected to open the mid-stage store. Boss fights aren’t always showcase moments, relying on simple projectile dodging evasion too often. As present, when you’re playing offline, the game’s notification overlaps with the menuing. Yes, it’s minor detail, and so far, developer MK Games has been quick with patching. But hey, I have to mention it.

The remaster boasts vibrant, high-definition visuals that preserve Team17’s art style while increasing the game’s fidelity to modern standards. There’s an effective use of depth-of-field, where backgrounds and foregrounds are deliberately softened to not be a distraction. Meanwhile, the action layer is filled with floods of enemies, detailed backdrops, and exposition. Small flourishes, the on-screen bullet holes when you take damage, provide graphical distinction.

Revisiting Paula

Light Years’ soundtrack honors its roots, enlisting original composer Allister Brimble with Chris Huelsbeck to continue the collaboration began with 2013’s The Amiga Works. Their partnership takes the synth textures of the original and layers of new instrumentation. The result honors the Commodore soundship without sounding too antiquated.

Project X: Light Years is the kind of remaster that takes the best elements of its source material while adding a healthy amount of modernization. The original title was notorious for resetting a player’s progress after each death and offering few defensive assists. But Light Year’s difficulty setting, better checkpointing, cooperative play mode, and a forgiving damage system allow for accessibility, letting a new generation of players to enjoy a gem from the Amiga library.

Project X: Light Years was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.