TxK

PlayStation exclusive

From the acclaimed designer of Tempest 2000 comes the system-shocking shooter TxK. The game draws on the spirit of the classic T2K, extending and enhancing it using the fantastic graphical power of the PS Vita system. TxK brings players new terrains, new bonus rounds, new enemies and weapons, all blazing on your screen with color and light in a graphics display designed to fit the sensory-overload gameplay, and backed by original music by an array of musicians.

Released: 11 February 2014
Platforms: PlayStation Vita
Genres: Arcade Shooter Tube shooter
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action
Country: United Kingdom
Age ratings: PEGI 3 ESRB E

About

TxK is an action video game designed by Jeff Minter. It was released on the PlayStation Vita on February 11, 2014. The game was planned for release on other platforms until Atari made legal threats against Llamasoft due to similarities between TxK and Tempest 2000.

It is a tube shooter based on the classic arcade game Tempest. The gameplay expands upon that of the original by including power-ups which grant the player additional abilities. The option is available to play without power-ups, however.

Keywords

shoot 'em up
abstract
vector graphics
digital distribution
platform exclusive
playstation plus
pax prime 2013
playstation tv support
psn play

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Reception

The game received positive reviews upon release, garnering a score of 84 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic.

IGN found the updated art style "overwhelming at times" but appreciated the "winning soundtrack and forgiving save system". They said "In the end, I simply couldn't put it down." The game was also praised by Edge magazine who noted the "wonderfully crisp" presentation and declared it to be "twitch gaming at its finest." They concluded by stating "Dynamic, thrilling and wholly invigorating, TxK isn't just one of the best games on Vita: it might just be the best Minter's ever made, too."