I think the joys of good co-op often get overlooked in this age of widespread multiplayer deathmatches. The best part of Portal 2 was the co-op mode, for instance, since it took the established gameplay and spun it into something fresh with a reliance on teamwork. PixelJunk Shooter is a fairly obscure game with a fairly terrible name, but it might offer some of the most polished and fun co-op of its generation.

It’s a twin-stick 2D shooter where you control little ships and navigate underground caverns filled with lava, water and other hazards while rescuing colonists and collecting diamonds. The fun comes from how the different elements interact and the inevitable hijinks that ensue when two players try to work together only to end up setting each other on fire. This is one of those games where failing can be utterly hilarious rather than aggravating, especially since most of the challenge comes from the need for teamwork rather than the levels being particularly hard in themselves. So many times we had to restart a checkpoint because one of us managed to kill the colonist we were trying to rescue while clearing an obstacle.

The environmental puzzles in each level start simple and get gradually more complex, effectively teaching you each new mechanic in sequence while still allowing some freedom as to how a level is approached. Then lessons you’ve learned get flipped on you, most obviously when you find the reversal module for your ship that makes you vulnerable to water but safe in lava. The fact that your life bar is a measure of how hot your ship is getting also makes for some nice risk-and-reward gameplay, because firing weapons or getting too close to heat sources will quickly overheat your ship until it crashes to the floor and explodes, but you can save yourself before impact by steering into something cold. Those near-miss moments are another big part of the fun, since your victories are usually snatched from the jaws of defeat.


You need a certain number of diamonds in order to unlock each level, and these are fun to collect because they’re often cunningly hidden under the one pile of rubble you wouldn’t otherwise have bothered shooting, although it is annoying that diamonds can hide under the tiniest pixel of scenery, meaning that you need to thoroughly destroy every last bit of rock to be sure you haven’t missed one of the precious stones. Still, it’s a fun challenge to aim for, and I like these kind of games that cater to both casual and experienced players by offering an optional goal that’s not necessary to enjoy yourself.

I was delighted to find that both PixelJunk Shooter 1 and 2 can be nabbed on Steam for less than a tenner, as part of the confusingly-named PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate, which is even stranger given that you can also buy the original game by itself for the same price. So make sure to only buy PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate, since there doesn’t seem to be any reason whatsoever to buy the first game separately. Just remember that the co-op seems to be local-only, but you’d lose something without the simple pleasure of hitting your friend when they accidentally drown your ship in lava. Or at least, they said it was an accident…

I think the joys of good co-op often get overlooked in this age of widespread multiplayer deathmatches. The best part of Portal 2 was the co-op mode, for instance, since it took the established gameplay and spun it into something fresh with a reliance on teamwork. PixelJunk Shooter is a fairly obscure game with a fairly terrible name, but it might offer some of the most polished and fun co-op of its generation. It’s a twin-stick 2D shooter where you control little ships and navigate underground caverns filled with lava, water and other hazards while rescuing colonists and collecting diamonds. The fun comes from how the different elements interact and the inevitable hijinks that ensue when two players try to work together only to end up setting each other on fire. This is one of those games where failing can be utterly hilarious rather than aggravating, especially since most of the challenge comes from the need for teamwork rather than the levels being particularly hard in themselves. So many times we had to restart a checkpoint because one of us managed to kill the colonist we were trying to rescue while clearing an obstacle. The environmental puzzles in each level start simple and get gradually more complex, effectively teaching you each new mechanic in sequence while still allowing some freedom as to how a level is approached. Then lessons you’ve learned get flipped on you, most obviously when you find the reversal module for your ship that makes you vulnerable to water but safe in lava. The fact that your life bar is a measure of how hot your ship is getting also makes for some nice risk-and-reward gameplay, because firing weapons or getting too close to heat sources will quickly overheat your ship until it crashes to the floor and explodes, but you can save yourself before impact by steering into something cold. Those near-miss moments are another big part of the fun, since your victories are usually snatched from the jaws of defeat. You need a certain number of diamonds in order to unlock each level, and these are fun to collect because they’re often cunningly hidden under the one pile of rubble you wouldn’t otherwise have bothered shooting, although it is annoying that diamonds can hide under the tiniest pixel of scenery, meaning that you need to thoroughly destroy every last bit of rock to be sure you haven’t missed one of the precious stones. Still, it’s a fun challenge to aim for, and I like these kind of games that cater to both casual and experienced players by offering an optional goal that’s not necessary to enjoy yourself. I was delighted to find that both PixelJunk Shooter 1 and 2 can be nabbed on Steam for less than a tenner, as part of the confusingly-named PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate, which is even stranger given that you can also buy the original game by itself for the same price. So make sure to only buy PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate, since there doesn’t seem to be any reason whatsoever to buy the first game separately. Just remember that the co-op seems to be local-only, but you’d lose something without the simple pleasure of hitting your friend when they accidentally drown your ship in lava. Or at least, they said it was an accident…