Final Form Games is a small developer based out of Philadelphia, and they originally released Jamestown, a vertically-scrolling “neoclassical” shooter, for the PC in 2011. Three years later, they brought their game to the PS4 as Jamestown+, adding a pair of bonus levels and several new ships.
But here we are in 2019 and it looks like the game is finally ready to reach its “final form” (or rather, how the developer “originally intended” to release it). That’s because the development team will bring Jamestown+ to the Switch this week with even more updates and improvements.
Platforms: PC, PS4, Switch (Version Played)
Publisher: Final Form Games
Developer: Final Form Games
Genre: Retro-Styled Steampunk Shooter
Release Date: June 8, 2011 (PC), March 17, 2015 (PS4), December 12, 2019 (Switch)
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Though it’s been available in various forms for more than eight years, all I really knew about Jamestown going into this review was that it was a vertically-scrolling shooter that took place during the 1600s… on Mars for some reason. Instead of setting sail for “The New World,” global superpowers like the British and the Spanish took to the stars and colonized the Red Planet, which was apparently crawling with “Betentacled Martians.”
As in our timeline, the British established the Roanoke Colony in the late 1500s and it was abandoned sometime between 1589 and 1590. But in this futuristic past, all these events took place on Mars, and the search for the Roanoke Colony was spearheaded by Sir Walter Raleigh in a “Conveyance” that’s armed to the teeth with a spread gun and a laser cannon (and other toys once it’s upgraded). Raleigh’s search will eventually put him face-to-face with a deranged Spanish Conquistador who has augmented his body with ancient Martian artifacts.
The bizarre tale that Final Form has crafted for Jamestown tasks players with protecting the British colony from crablike monsters and steampunk-style spaceships piloted by Spanish troops. It also manages to rope in other historical figures such as John Smith, Virginia Dare, and Guy Fawkes. Thankfully, Jamestown’s between-level comic panels and great writing make it all work. Not a lot of people look to shooters for a strong story, but Jamestown’s plot only gets more absurd if you enable the optional (and hysterical) Farce Mode. Also, I’m now convinced that most games absolutely need a Farce Mode.
Final Form did their homework for Jamestown and recreated the simple, yet difficult to master, style of shooter that was very common on the NES and Super NES. Each of the game’s seven levels are well-balanced between small skirmishes with lots of little aliens and larger setpieces featuring their betentacled overlords. While Jamestown is on the lighter side of the bullet hell subgenre, there’s plenty of challenge to be found in Raleigh’s quest (and the final level is downright brutal). I especially loved the way that many of the game’s levels force you to use the entire screen when evading enemy fire, which is something of a rarity for the vertically-scrolling shooter genre.
In addition to a main gun and an always-available Special Weapon, each Conveyance in Jamestown’s fleet also comes equipped with the ability to Vaunt, which creates a large bubble that repels enemy fire and overpowers your main weapon for a short period of time. Grabbing enough Gold to keep the Vaunt Bar filled, and knowing when to deploy a small emergency bubble, are critical to your survival on Mars.
This simple three-button setup helps make Jamestown feel very approachable, as does the co-op multiplayer option for up to four players. Though I was a bit annoyed that I had to rebind the controller layout every time I started a new session. Throughout the course of your quest, you’ll be able to change up how you play the game by unlocking a dozen different Conveyances, each with their own unique arsenal. Some of these ships are even fully customizable with “experimental” weapons, so every player will be able to play they want to play.
While Jamestown can be as difficult as any other shooter you’ll find on store shelves today, it does include several different playstyles to give you an easier time (or alternately, make it so much harder). The game’s levels can be tackled one at a time in up to five difficulty settings, each more devious than the last (and true masochists can stack an unlockable Hardcore Mode on top of that). Taking on the entire game in one sitting in Gauntlet Mode is also an option for those looking for a tougher fight.
Jamestown features large and colorful spritework, and the multi-stage bosses look amazing. Like other “neoclassical” games such as Shovel Knight, or the more recent Blazing Chrome, Jamestown could easily have been pulled through a time machine straight from the mid 90s and you’d barely know the difference. The game’s cartoony style will likely remind you of stuff like Metal Slug and Gunstar Heroes, but the level design seems heavily inspired by Treasure’s Ikaruga.
Jamestown is an excellent shooter that manages to resurrect some of that Super NES magic. Retro gaming fans should absolutely give it a shot (especially if they haven’t already sometime in the last eight years), and everyone else will find another quality indie to further bolster the Switch’s library. It’s customization options can’t be beat, and it’s a great entry point for anyone looking to dip their toe into the bullet hell subgenre.
Review Disclosure: A review copy of Jamestown+ was provided by Final Form Games for the purposes of this review.
