It's a pretty good "roguelite" shooter in terms of design, gameplay and presentation.
It's a bit slower paced than most other shooters and enemy variety is based on equipment and enemy size.
Their behaviour does not vary at all, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The nemesis system implementation is kinda fun.

But I gotta mention the cons.

This game is seriously lacking content.
I'm gonna go through a list just to make the point clear:

• There seems to be only 1 unlockable character and not that different anyway.
  
• There's no difficulty selection.
  
• No music, just dark, dreary ambient sound in the background.
  
• I've already unlocked all perks, there's not that many and they don't change that much anyway.
  
• There's not a whole lot of mutations and again, they're not that exciting, but they do help quite a bit.
  
• While I like the selection of weapons, I just end up picking mostly the same stuff everytime and there's not that many.
  
• The game is almost completely linear and all 3 areas are corridors and tend to look the same.
  
• WHERE'S THE UNLOCKABLES?! This is probably its biggest sin. I feel done already. Just thinking about playing this again bores me.

An example on how dull this game ends up feeling:
Completing a run is just super unsatisfying. You beat a boss (it's no Isaac's mom) and then that's it.
A text box pops up and you're done... yay?

Remember how awesome and triumphant it felt to complete Binding of Isaac only to realize that there are many other ways to beat the game and with different bosses.
This game just falls flat on its face and farts in your face with its bare a$$ staring at you.

The gamepad controls are very strange. In this game you move fast if you aim in the direction you're moving, this makes sense for M+KB.
But the controls have clearly not been properly adjusted for gamepads.
You have to constantly be aiming with the right stick. Letting go off it just leaves the aim where you last had it instead of the left stick overriding the right stick if the right stick is in a neutral position so that you can move fast without having to aiming all the freaking time.
Navigating menus is a pain with the gamepad as well. The cursor just never goes where it should.

Do not pay full price for this. In fact, comparing this to Relic Hunters Zero (a totally free roguelike shooter) and the lack of content becomes really embarrasing. Go play that instead, it's a lot better.
Again, this really isn't bad, just kinda pointless as a roguelike for the price you pay.

Seriously, why isn't this game more popular ? It has a great visual style, a very good gameplay that has managed to strike a perfect balance between tactic and mindless slaughter, it has a lot of weapons, and since you can dual-wield every one-handed weapons, there's many, many combo to try !

I love the big splatters of pinkish blood, and the impact of weapons, whether melee, explosive, shotgun-like, laser-like or regulars feels very satisfying. You're not just hiting sprites in a videogame, you can really feel them exploding to bits ... it just feels great, i dunno.

And like i said, it's not a game of mindless slaughter ... entirely. As the game progresses, you have to get better and devellop strategies, either for trapping enemies in a choke hold or near explosive stuff, or to find the best combo of weapon that allows you to deal with every situation.

You're not just blasting mutated tourists, you're thinking, too. It's ... a smart kind of slaughter. If you just go in and blast everything, you will die fast. It's not the hardest isaac-like, but it's not easy.

Ah ! And there's this thing called Nemesises. Nemesiss. Nemeses. Nemesis plural. See when you die, the ex-tourist, now mutated psycho-monster who killed you, takes your stuff, and gets a MASSIVE boost of strenght and possibly, self-confidence, turning him into a ... Nemesis ! STAAAAAARS ! (it don't say Staaaaars. i'm just emotionnaly scarred by RE3)

And The next tourist you play is gonna have to deal with it. It's fun. It turns a game over into something fun. How many games managed to achieve that, huh ?

It's. a. good. Game !! It's smart, it's violent, sound design is great, it has local cool if you happen to have non-digital friends, it's just a good game ! Buy it ! And then publish a review here so it gets more sells because it ♥♥♥♥♥♥ deserve it !

Maybe it doesn't have enough mutations though ... (passives you get for leveling) Wish there was at least a dozen more ... I don't know, companions, satellites, this kind of thing. But it's a minor gripe really.

Thanks for reading. I'm french, doing my best with english. Hope it's alright.

This initially started at the bottom of my twin-stick 'to-get' list. Factors were a poor impression gotten from a more-narrative-than-informative trailer that seemed more interested in showing off a rather half-assed mixed media motion-comic than its gameplay, and vague 'samey' screenshots that seem to sell the vistas more than the main course. It had even put me off looking for lets play videos as a result.

Talk about false advertising....

So I finally got round to this little ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gem which I now consider my favourite twin-stick dual-wieldable experience I've had since hotline miami. And even then I love it alot more in many ways. So it might just be my absolute favourite twin-stick experience EVER. Makes me regret even wasting my time with the 4-5 other more popular titles. Mainly due to the following aspects:

PROS:

1)The GUNPLAY PACING. UNGGGHH. SO ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ REFRESHING. Initial firefight on the landing (scrapyard) zone had my eyebrow raised throughout, uncertain if I was playing in a artificially slowed, slowmo ballet mode. By the time I had to switch hands to blind-fire from behind the benches at the welcome area while using my briefcase to shove the bench against the melee goons I. WAS. SOLD.

2)The tactical pacing! Yes, the players projectiles fire at a faster(normal?) velocity while the enemies seem to suffer a slowdown in theirs for the most part, and in typical arcadey fashion, all their attacks have some sort of wind-up sequence that adds to this intoxicating blend of almost too cheese and easy to predict vs. 'once you get too cocky/adventurous with the gunkata and unsuccessfully failing hard at john wicking due to a microsecond reaction delay, a handful of unforseen tactical parameters changing, and a face full of FAST shotgun pellets you'd find yourself falling onto the landing site once more in your sorry excuse for a tourist transport pod.'

2)Animations are simple, sometimes lazy, definitely clever. Always satisfying. Details like shields getting torn apart and caps getting shot off and faceplates shattering, to the barrels while terribly recycled are easy to gloss over because of the elegant integration with physics. The little things are what also help this shine.

3) Sound of a fleeing mutant getting shot in the back, letting out an adorable shriek, and splattering against the pavement never gets old. Gore, even though visually overdone, somehow doesn't feel overdone as a whole package, very... Artfully balanced. Maybe cause its nice to go all jackson pollock on the muties. Still processing why.

CONS:

1)The nemesis system feels more punishment than encouragement, with the mutie getting super jacked up and somehow spawning with only (1?) of the weapons he seemingly looted instead of 2? Either way on my 8th tourist, I figured it was pretty much the fault of the random generation not being very... Fair? In a game where every scarce healthpoint counts, having such a seemingly diverse and random variety and position of mobs from even the starting zone, felt a bit cheap. I had really simple cheese runs to dying within the first two levels due to (early?) grenadiers... their blast radius... Omfggg

2)Explosive destructibles. Initially, i felt the abundance of damaging props in the surroundings were a lazy attempt at filling the level, but once faced with a random assigned HUGE MOB, kiting them in and around the various destructibles helped thin out their ranks was indispensable to progressing. Sometimes tooo forced, feels like im at a tactical disadvantage for not utilising barrels, after all isnt this meant to reward mano-a-mutant marksmanship? Probably just me? (also.. Fully charged cooking glove and explosive barrels are a bit too imba? !)

2) mutations are sometimes too obviously useful (convert ammo to hp) and becomes a bit game breaking, no encouragement for experimentation and risk/reward play for me as I think dying at the final boss because of a 'telefrag' spawn kinda sucks ass! 55 minutes in, i dont think making myself 'stronger' with a spray matters all that much, if what im building towards in terms of loadout(which lets face it, IS the game), is never certain. Too many layers of such randomness did not encourage me to dial in on the tactics i enjoyed so much of as mentioned above, and since time-to-be-killed especially sucks to fun out of/does not encourage me to try out the vastly unique range of weapons.

I'm sad to have learnt that the devs will no longer be supporting the game for the forseeable future but I look forward to following their work.

Keep it up you two! I love your taste, and thanks for having made this.

If you enjoy Gungeon, Nuclear Throne, or Binding of Isaac this hits many of the same bulletpoints but adds "Couch Co-op Friendly" to the mix, along with a unique inventory, and a mutation system that allows you to do downright stupid builds.
Control is smooth on both keyboard and gamepad, Weapons feel impactful and different, the ragdolling corpses ond debris add to the chaos as your wrench sends a foe skipping across the road splatting bits of him as he slams off of walls and dumpsters. A well placed grenade sends a gaggle of enemies haplessly twirling through the air showering drops soylent and gore. Its got a kitschy retro-futurist vibe going for it too which adds a further layer of absurdity to the action.
The weapon variety is strong, with even two weapons of the same class being totally different. A 4-slot weapon inventory system makes loadouts particularly interesting as you can dual wield any two 1-slot single handed weapons or just lug around 2 2-slot heavy weapons. Painting the alleyways and streets with twin powerfists is pretty hilarious, then again so is dropping a wall of lead with a flak pistol and doublebarreled revolver. You also have slots for different types of wearable armor and an active item slot for various thowable weapons. The item pool is just big enough for particular goodies to be rare, while small enough that nothing is chaff.
Mutations and Creams mix it up further and allow you to "build" a run and pursue synergies rather than reactively coping with whatever comes along. Like Nuclear throne, you are given three choices each level up, allowing you to add effects to weapon classes, gain passive/active abilities, or cause new kinds of stuff to drop. Creams are buffs you choose at the outset of runs to slant your hapless vacationeer into certain playstyles, each coming with a powerful buff, but also one or two fairly serious backdraws right out of the gate.
Co-op tends to be where other watershed games of this type typically end up wanting, here it's a primary focus.
The action while frantic,is much easier to read than its contemporaries, pickups are shared, chests give off more loot per player and it's fairly hard to lose track of your character amid all the explosions particles and gore.

UTOPIA 9 is a procedurally generated rogue-lite with plenty of flavor and excitement. Unique for its take on the nemesis system, this colorful twin-stick shooter provides loads of vengeance seeking fun. Even though the solo experience is praiseworthy, support for local coop with up to 2 total players raises the experience to a new level.

Utopian Travels
Dear Guest,

Take a vacation with Utopian Travels to the best resort in the galaxy, Utopia 9! Filled with unique and exciting experiences, rest assured that our ever evolving staff will take care of you. The only thing you need to bring is a friend. Be prepared to have a blast!

Sincerely,
Utopian Travels

Combat
The traveling protagonist is allowed the use of two sets of primary and secondary attacks. The weapon or item in either hand can be switched with ease, creating a personalized playstyle with constant on-the-spot switching.

Weapons
UTOPIA 9 employs the use of many different melee and projectile weapons, each with a unique style. The classifications are: bullet, energy, explosive, melee and shell weapon types. Some weapons will release a charged-up blast, others will shoot scattered, focused, explosive or rapid projectiles. Depending on the weapon or consumable item, two-hands may be required. This encourages the player to focus and improve on active weapon switching. Upon mouse-over, weapon stats are also provided, such as: cooldowns, damage, spread, etc.

Enemies
The enemies in this game are extremely varied, although many of them will utilize the same character model. Some of the creatures are aggressively fast melee vanguards, while others are focused snipers. Some of them will even retreat to backup if the player is starting to dominate. When an enemy is killed, ammo, health, and soylent will be randomly dropped. These loot items will disappear after a period of time.

UTOPIA 9’s take on the nemesis system is what sets it apart from many other twin-stick shooters. Upon dying, the enemy that landed the death strike will: transform itself into a nemesis enemy, take your gear, and earn itself a place on the wanted list. It will also be given a name and profession to add flavor to the newly promoted target of revenge. Defeating the nemesis will allow the player to reclaim the previously lost gear. It's also possible to have multiple nemesis enemies on the map, but only one can be present in a single level.

Mutations
Mutating is a major form of character progression in this game. Upon collecting soylent from downed enemies, the character may level up and choose a mutation (ability). The mutations are classified below, along with an example. The mutation options are also randomly generated each time/playthrough.

• Physical: Projectile Parry - attack with melee weapons to deflect projectiles.
  
• Utility: Eagle Eyes - 20% more ammo from ammo crates.
  
• Mastery: Painful Payback - when you receive damage, you retaliate with a blast.

Travel Information
Upon clearing a location, the player then chooses where to go next by selecting another location on a map. The map is similar in design to a hopscotch court where travel occurs at specific nodes. The map also provides small bits of information to help the player choose a location, such as: health, weapons, armor, and shield indicators. If the player perishes, the death location is marked on the map and in the level itself. Upon death, statistics are provided – number of discovered items, score comparisons and leaderboard information (most soylent, most points, etc.). Although it is possible to progress by running through the level while bypassing enemies, doing so is not advisable as the character’s mutation level and gear will be severely lacking for future endeavors.

Video Gameplay
https://youtu.be/jrNHWJgIwGM
Graphics
UTOPIA 9 does an outstanding job creating an immersive and colorful alien world. Its use of vibrant purple, blue and green color palettes help sell the extraterrestrial aspect. The aesthetics, art style, and projectile animations are very appealing from a visual standpoint. Taking a laser to the face is less agonizing when it looks so pretty.

Level Design
UTOPIA 9 utilizes procedurally generated levels which help break up any monotony experienced from rogue-lites of lesser quality. A more in-depth explanation of the game’s level generation is explained by the developers here. An important point mentioned within details how a level takes into consideration the time of the day, and generates fauna and lighting effects accordingly.

Controller Support
Although there is full controller support, the game doesn’t seem to favor incorporating it. A few examples of what this means include:

• The beginning introduction presenting key-bindings using a M&K.
  
• Not allowing the selection of travel locations using a controller without first hovering over the map with a mouse.
  
• A & B or X & O, by default on a controller, perform the same action in-menu which is extremely confusing.

Current State of the Game
Even though UTOPIA 9 was only released last month, there seems to be an active player base, as seen in the Discussions board and community content. Despite the lack of reviews, which are all positive at the time of publishing this review, player support seems to be relatively strong. The developers have officially responded in every thread with a directed question, and Whalegun is currently working on multi-lingual support for the game.

Advised Suggestions
There are a few suggestions that may improve gameplay listed below.

• Provide a method to view items/descriptions without using a mouse.
  
• Indicate AOE range or blast radius of an explosive object.
  
• Introduce a currency system - purchase boosts, health, ammo, etc.
  
• Introduce a bonus objective system with rewards for each level (soylent, currency, etc.).

Verdict
UTOPIA 9 is an extremely light-hearted and immersive game, despite the plethora of alien guts spread all over the place. The game’s aesthetics and nemesis system earn it a recommendation for any fan of rogue-lites or twin-stick shooters. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to experience this vibrant game with other couch buddies, but I will say that the solo experience is still a worthwhile one.

Nice game. I enjoyed this more than Forced Showdown and Enter the Gungeon. Not sure why, but it controls well and I like the mechanic where the enemy that kills you gets your old weapons and becomes a boss enemy. Give it a try for yourself, it's inexpensive and worth a play.

https://youtu.be/p14MI37d2ZI
+ I found the gameplay to be surprisingly fun. It's a bit slower paced from what I'm used to, but I found that every small encounter seemed to more intense and gratifying with permadeath.
+ Visually I really enjoyed the art style of this game. Very colorful, lots of nice lighting, large blood splats, particle effects, and you can just tell a lot of time went into creating the detailed level environments.
+ Large weapon variety (loved the Sticky grenade launcher)
+ Lots of skills / perks to unlock
+ Local Co-Op, in my opinion this game would be GREAT to play through with a friend
+ Challenging but not overly so. You really have to be careful as health is hard to come by, but I found it very enjoyable to have to think a little bit before rushing into battle.
+ Active developers who helped address a bug that I encountered

- I feel like a bit more time should have went into the story. The plot isn't bad, you go to a Vacation Planet hoping to relax, but instead find it infested with mutants wanting to kill you. However, this is never really explained in the game, so you have no connection to what your character is expeirencing.
- No save-points / saves in general. After about 30mins, I needed to take a break. I had thought as long as I don't die I could go back to the main menu and resume where I left off....Unfortunetely...I was wrong, and this caused me to lose ALL of my progress even though I never died. (I'm fine with Permadeath, but this game really should allow you to continue where you left off...)

~ Personally I feel like there have been boss fights or mini-boss encounters.


[Edit: Heres another video playing co-op with a friend]
https://youtu.be/9IOPR3K09ns

Bought it at $6 while on sale. 100% worth it.

BIGGEST REASON YOU SHOULD TRY: The difficulty is SO PERFECTLY TUNED. Its only too hard when you're careless and only too easy if you're very lucky.

Second biggest pro: The game works without fault. From bugs to gameplay. Consistent and easy to use.

Third Biggest Pro: CO-OP that works!

I Spent 8 hours of SOLID fun before I finally had beaten every aspect of the game.

Not a single gripe other than they obviously have all their systems set up, yet there aren't more "mutations" and Weapons to use. That being said If they release any DLC (I would be surprised of they dont) it will be a DAY 1 purchase.

There is so much they can pull from this concept, I really hope they keep adding to the game and take it from being just being great to top 3 games of the year (for me)...

8.5/10
If you like twin-stick shooters: Buy it.
If you like Binding Of Isaac: Buy it.
If you like Enter the Gungeon: Buy it.
If you like a ridiculous pretense for mass slaughter: Buy it.

You travel to another planet and you kill the aliens. =)
you can upgrade your gears, etc.
UTOPIA 9 - A Volatile Vacation 8/10
Heisen

Definately one of those smaller scale fun indie games, I don't see this game as becoming a big blockbuster, but I do see it as a passion project and being enjoyable for what it is, which in my opinion, is quick, mindless fun with just enough replay value and interesting elements to keep you invested

Let me break things down with what makes this game (Will call it Utopia 9 for short just to make things easier) an interesting and quite funny game, as it does do some things that are expected/have been done before, but first up it doesn't do those things badly, and secondly, where the game does do different/new things are a tad weird, but in a good/inovative way

Let me just start by explaining the game itself

Utopia 9 is a rogue like twin stick shooter with a cartoony/almost Boarderlands-esque art style where you play as a human in the futue that's getting their vacation ruined by these weird freaky aliens, and you have to stop them with everything from literally your luggage breifcase as a melee weapon to the standard shotguns and smgs to crazy stuff like a chain taser or a shrapnel firing one handed shotgun. On top of that you basically buy gooey/splatoon esque (every powerup you pick at the beggining of the run leaves a pile of goo) drugs/enhancements that can give you bonus abilites/perks at the beggining of a run

As you can plainly see, this game just yells parody and passion project (which isn't a bad thing at all) to me, its silly elements and not being a serious game at all, with a more alien focus, kinda feels like a mash up of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, with the whole alien elements of Destroy All Humans (obviously, your the human here tho)

Now all these elements are fun, fine and dandy and are executed well. But what stuck out to me/what makes the game interesting and have a tad of its own "spices" if you will, is the following elements

Path-Picking-The game allows you to pick a route to go down every time you complete an area, but there's a bit of thinking as well as risks. One area may have explosives in the area and you can go down that route if you want to upgrade your "toys" or another rotue may have a focus on health pickups, but each of these routes may come with problems like melee focused enemies one route, and long range enemies the other route, so not only do you have to pick out which route based on risk, but also based on what you think you might need

Secondly is the way that dying in this game can affect your next run, and lets just say virtual vendettas are a thing for Utopia 9. Why? Let me explain

When you die, an alien nearby picks up all your stuff and also quite literally gets "roided up" and while you may obviously want revenge to go after your old stuff, it also won't be easy and can potentially compromise your run if you get tunnel vision, not to mention that your previous incarnations can "haunt" you during future runs and you may run into the 9th or 12th character you used. In short, you have to wonder if it's best to try and get your stuff back/get revenge, or keep away from these encounters and see how far you can go

This, is what makes Utopia 9 a weird game, but a good kind of werid, and I can definately reccomend this game, but I also see this game as potentially not being everyone's cup of tea with it's different approaches/executions to things, just be sure to keep these things in mind while browsing/reading about or considering buying the game