Paranautical Activity is an odd game. It’s a victim of timing rather than any flaws with the basic foundations of the title. Had I not known about Gunscape, Tower of Guns or Ziggurat on Xbox One, I would’ve loved this game. Unfortunately, it pales in comparison to other roguelike shooters out there. Success in the console market requires your game to stand out from others in a substantial manner. Paranautical Activity offers a generic shooting experience that lacks the charm found in other titles.
Paranautical Activity’s premise is simple. There is no story but you go around shooting supernatural creatures. Well, the supernatural creatures in this case are flying whales and other aquatic ghosts. That’s basically it when it comes to the originality baked into this game. The title would’ve benefited from a basic plot. For example, if you look at Ziggurat, the premise of the roguelike procedurally-generated environment revolves around a rite of passage and desire to become a sorcerer. Why couldn’t the developers have given a basic purpose to the game? When I first launched Paranautical Activity, I was expecting a hilarious exposition but was disappointed when none was provided.
As alluded to earlier, Paranautical Activity is procedurally-generated and the more you play, the better weapons and abilities you acquire. For example, while exploring some of the random rooms, you gain the ability to double jump and much more. The longer you survive, the stronger and more agile you become. You also have to collect coins that various enemies drop in order to purchase better weapons. It’s an addictive cycle but it’s not unique to this game. Many other roguelike titles employ this technique. It works well and this cycle of upgrades keeps the player coming back for more.
Another aspect of the game that stands out is the graphics. Paranautical Activity employs a voxel-based art style that is rather striking to look at. My only complaint would be how the weapons look rather bland and adding a few extra details on there would’ve made them pop. As good as the graphics are, the shooting mechanics could use a little tightening. For some odd reason I always had trouble aiming and I’m not sure if this was a result of just controller input lag or the fact that the title is probably optimized to be played with a mouse and keyboard. It doesn’t even have vibration. Had the shooting mechanics been as tight as other roguelike games out there, I would’ve been hooked, unfortunately, they feel rather clunky. When it comes to shooters, that’s the most important feature you have to nail and it seems like Paranautical Activity misses the mark here.
Apart from the graphics and premise of shooting aquatic paranormal creatures, there really isn’t much here. This is a shame because the concept is so unique that it just feels like a wasted opportunity. The developers had the choice of creating something more than just a basic shooter and sadly it doesn’t even have such tight mechanics. Paranautical Activity is a game which I can’t see many players experiencing for hours on end. It’s a passing fancy which many may regret buying especially when games like Ziggurat are on Xbox One. It does have great boss battles though, I’ll have to give it that. Unfortunately the game also stutters on many occasions.
Summary
The only way I can think of improving this game would be to add some sort of backstory and the ability to play with your friends in online co-op. That would make the game more thrilling and allow players to create their own memories. I’m surprised the developers didn’t include aspects of their next title, Arkshot, into Paranautical Activity when they brought it over to Xbox One. Arkshot seems much more engaging than Paranautical Activity. It also seems to have better mechanics. I really hope the game is updated and builds upon its solid foundations and concepts. Incorporating the elements mentioned here will greatly enhance the experience in my opinion and I hope the makers implement this advice.
Adam was a community contributor to ICXM, writing 1 article in 2016 covering game reviews. ICXM operated as an independent Xbox and Windows gaming outlet through the run-up to Xbox One S and Project Scorpio, plus the broader Windows 10 gaming push, drawing from a rotating bench of editorial volunteers.