Bullet hell survival games are something I’ve never had much experience with. While I played Galaga growing up, it wasn’t a game that I was great at, and I always died within a minute. So, when I started Project Clean Earth, I was skeptical if I would enjoy it or not.
After spending multiple days shooting down enemies, upgrading my character, and progressing through the game’s story, I can say that I had a decent time with Project Clean Earth but not an amazing one.
An Adventure Through A Ruined Earth
Published by 1N1, Project Clean Earth is a hasty action game. You play as Bernard, a robot known as humanity’s ultimate weapon and tasked with eliminating mutants who have infested Earth. Throughout the game, Bernard gets access to various weapons and upgrades that allow him to be stronger against the mutant forces. Bernard’s kit is expansive, from rocket launchers and rifles to missile turrets and flamethrowers.
Furthermore, you can upgrade these weapons and make them more robust against tougher enemies you’ll encounter. Access to many weapon types diversified the gameplay and kept it from growing stale.
A Thrilling Escapade That Turns Chaotic Quickly
The main gameplay of Project Clean Earth is relatively simple. Bernard has to clear ten waves of enemies and defeat the boss to complete the stage. You control Bernard by moving your finger across the screen in the direction you want him to go. While you control him, Bernard will automatically fire his weapons at enemies approaching him. When you kill enough enemies, Bernard will level up and can choose to increase the level of one of his weapons.
It starts easy at first but quickly grows chaotic as the waves increase. More enemies start filling the screen and pursue you relentlessly, barely giving you any breathing room. The difficulty is appreciated, but sometimes I felt it got too overbearing and even unfair sometimes.
Without going into too much detail, there is a boss in Chapter Eight that gave me considerable trouble because his attacks were completely unavoidable. I died numerous times, and no matter how hard I tried to dodge his attacks, he would always hit me and do a ton of damage, killing me in the process. It was annoying because another similar boss appeared earlier in the game, and his attacks were brutal but fair to avoid.
I only managed to win because I got fortunate on one of my attempts and had enough health to survive the damage he was dealing. However, it shouldn’t have to be like that. I should be able to beat the boss with my own skill instead of relying on sheer luck.
Give Yourself A Boost With Chipsets
To assist players in building up Bernard, Project Clean Earth gives you chips to spend on enhancing equipment and stats. Players are also given gems used to revive themselves after dying and energy batteries that allow them to continue playing the game.
You use up ten batteries every time you start a level, including if you die and have to restart. If you use up all the batteries, you won’t be able to play the levels, preventing you from proceeding through the game. The only way to earn more is to purchase them from the in-game store or watch ten ads in a row.
This isn’t too big of an issue at first, as the game gives you plenty of batteries, alongside gems and chips, from logging in every day and accomplishing achievements. However, Project Clean Earth has a high difficulty spike relatively early in the game, and you’ll die pretty often, draining your batteries quickly. This makes having to sit through countless ads cumbersome as it slows the gameplay down.
I understand wanting to make the game challenging so players can stay engaged, but I believe the rise in difficulty could have been handled much better. Sometimes I died so quickly that I couldn’t even process what happened. Powerful mobs of enemies shouldn’t jump you in only level five. There needs to be better progression than that.
A Fun But Unbalanced Journey
While I may not be a fan of some gameplay decisions with Project Clean Earth, I can’t deny that the graphics aren’t appealing. The game goes for a retro pixel style, and it works very well with the direction the game is going with its story. As Earth is set in an apocalyptic state, the game successfully conveys that through its art style. The mutants look unsettling while also giving off a playful vibe through their animations. It gives off the feeling that they relish destroying life on Earth and see it as nothing more than a game.
If you enjoy this genre and are looking for a game to scratch that itch, I recommend giving Project Clean Earth a shot. The game looks great, controls well and it’s fun mowing down crowds of enemies. However, the game’s extreme difficulty spike and some poorly designed boss battles did bring the experience down for me.
