Save the Reactor is a hilarious, point-n-click style game that involves managing multiple panels each with their own minigames that you must keep track of in order to prevent the reactor from killing you.
Story(?)
So the game begins with a visit to a veterinarian to treat your kitten. The bill comes out to be a whopping $10,000 which you obviously can’t pay off at all. This leads to the vet threatening to kill your kitten unless you can pay off the bill which seems to be a reasonable deal. Now you get a job as a janitor at a nuclear plant and you get to meet a wonderful cast of characters and totally not be held responsible for the chaos that will ensue.
The characters are absolutely wacky and nonsensical in a fun and cartoonish way. We have the demanding boss who disregards his employees and asks for outrageous things like increasing power because the people screaming more quietly at an amusement park. There is also your senior janitor who’s obsessed with cookies and not afraid of putting you in your place. My favorite character so far would have to be the scientist wearing the Rasta hat and being so chill like a stoner.
Gameplay
Now this is where the fun begins. You’re tasked with keeping the reactor from overheating which is done by not letting the panels go “red”. Each panel is its own little minigame and they often require you to use your mouse to point and click on some. There are some that need you to use your keyboard buttons such as the num keys, control, and alt which is pretty cool to add spice to the game.
The minigames can be simple as clicking switches on to calculating algebraic values of variables
Most of them are distinguishable from each other even if they’re functionally similar such as clicking switches on. There can be a panel that does the same thing except you must click on nodes of the same line to turn them both on. You can have a panel that has you mashing to keep a bar fully down while another needs you to mash to keep a line in a middle. I appreciate this design because it keeps you needing to be focused while not having to learn something completely new. One thing I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ love about this game is that the developer added a help icon next to each panel so you can read what you need to do for those panels. An amazing decision that helps the game so much for quality of life.
This game heavily encourages you to pay attention and respond quickly because each level gets progressively harder. Soon you’ll need to fill an energy quota as well as having level modifiers that can prove to be extremely distracting. I won’t lie in saying that you’ll most likely fail because the pressure does add up, even going as far as to say that bacon falling from the sky can mess up inputting numbers.
Art
Simply put, the pixel art is well done. The graphics are clear so you can complete those puzzles and see what you’re doing and what’s wrong. I’ll admit that the game is able to balance out making the panels clear while intentionally making things “clustered”. Of course, the character sprites and the background art is great too. There’s not much else I can say that your eyes don’t already tell you.
Verdict
This game is challenging, demands strategic management, encourages accurate responsiveness, adapting to the environment, and mastering minigames.
It is extremely fun to try again and learning each minigame while keeping composure. So I recommend it for those who enjoy a challenge and interested in minigame-oriented management.
You can purchase Save the Rector through the Steam store page HERE!
I just want to share my impressions of a video game so people can see if they want it or not.
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