Take a cast of characters culled from some of the all-time classic, old-school difficulty action games. Throw them into a vertically scrolling bullet hell. Make them progress by doing the one thing that’s totally counterintuitive in normal SHMUPS: run backwards. That’s the formula for I Hate Running Backwards, and it works shockingly well.
Devolver Digital isn’t known for publishing easy games. The publisher behind Serious Sam and Hotline Miami has made their reputation by working with indie developers who put out quality, difficult games with old-school sensibilities. I Hate Running Backwards (IHRB) is not an exception to this ethos.
The big hook of IHRB is to stand the classic vertical shooter mechanic on its head. Players maneuver their characters backwards through each level, while enemies approach from the bottom. This sounds simple in explanation, but in practice, it adds a whole new element of difficulty to the typical SHMUP gameplay. Needing to keep an eye on the terrain coming down from the top of the screen, while simultaneously battling the enemies coming up from the bottom of the screen increases the game’s difficulty by a surprising amount. Adding to the complexity is IHRB’s procedurally generated levels.
No two runs are ever quite the same. That’s great for replayability, but it also removes any chance of memorizing the terrain to make navigation easier. In between runs, credits and experience can be used to unlock additional characters.
During my hands-on with the game at PAX East, I was able to partner up with one of the developers from Binx Interactive who has poured time into getting I Hate Running Backwards working and fun. I’m not too proud to admit that he’s far better at the game than I was. IHRB supports local co-op, which makes for a lot more fun, and will scale the difficulty to deal with two players instead of one.
In actually running through the game, controls are responsive and uncomplicated. Player movement is one stick, with each player having a primary ranged attack, a melee attack which can destroy both enemies and terrain objects. Destroying terrain is the way to reveal new power-ups and gain a temporary edge on the incoming enemies. Environmental hazards drop from the top and sides of the screen, and then the level boss arrives and everything goes completely crazy. Well, crazier anyway.
I Hate Running Backwards is scheduled for a May 22nd, 2018 release on Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, and Steam PCs. Devolver Digital also plans to release the game on the Nintendo Switch later this summer. Players interested in more information about the game should check out the official website, or follow @BinxInteractive on Twitter.
