Tango Fiesta Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Tango Fiesta
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Tango Fiesta review on PC

The last few months have seen a lot of different twin-stick shooters arrive on the PC platform via the Steam service. We've already covered some interesting ones and now a fresh one promises to combine the mechanics seen in old-school top-down twin-stick shooters with a 1980s theme and procedurally generated levels.

The title, named Tango Fiesta, arrives from independent studio Spilt Milk Studios and publisher Mastertronic. It's already been available via Early Access since the beginning of June, and during all these months, a lot of fresh content has been added to the game, not to mention tweaks based on user feedback.

Does the final version of Tango Fiesta manage to pull off a solid showing or should we just go for a siesta instead? Let's find out.

Story

Tango Fiesta brings back the myriad of tropes seen in 1980s action movies. The main protagonist, John Strong, is a former special forces veteran who's sent on a series of quirky missions that take him through classic environments like jungles, beaches, or urban ones.

Each "world" has a generic movie theme, complete with a hilarious title, and includes several regular levels, culminating with an outlandish boss encounter. The adventures are stringed together by the memories of an older version of John, and ties together the many other playable characters, from allies, to love interests, and much more.

The whole plot is filled with references to old movies but the dialog exchanges at the beginning and end of a stage get a bit tedious, especially some that are relatively lengthy. You can skip them, so that's not a major downside if you just want to get to the action.

Battle waves of foes in Tango Fiesta
Battle waves of foes in Tango Fiesta

Gameplay and Multiplayer

Tango Fiesta is a twin-stick shooter, but there's a bit of a caveat here, as you can only shoot in eight directions, from up and down to left and right and four points in-between these cardinal directions. You don't have full 360-degree targeting, so you'll have to line up your shots by moving the gun as well as the character so that your bullets actually reach your targets.

This proves a bit of a problem when using weapons that fire in a straight line, like the assault rifle, but things like shotguns fire in a cone so you might want to use them if you're having problems at first. Even with this caveat, playing the game is quite fun as the environments are big, varied, and host all sorts of buildings, obstacles, and, of course, enemies.

Besides using a main and secondary weapon, you can also employ a knife for up-close combat, not to mention a number of grenades. Throwing the actual explosives takes a bit of practice but soon enough you'll be using them to eliminate clumped up foes or major objectives.

Speaking of objectives, each stage has a number of them. These range from trivial, like destroying a building, to a few trickier ones, like eliminating a chopper that moves around the level as it takes damage, or hacking communications towers, while trying to survive enemy assaults. Of course, major boss enemies that chase you and can employ some devastating attacks are also present.

Regular enemies are also included, ranging from normal soldiers to tougher veterans that drop upon death things like health and ammo packs. All enemies also drop coins that can be used to buy new weapons from the in-game shop.

As mentioned above, there are several worlds based on cheesy 1980s movies. You get several regular stages with varied objectives and must then take down a big boss enemy. Environments change from movie to movie so you won't get tired of the scenery. Enemies aren't that varied at least in the first couple of worlds, although they do increase their numbers, damage, and surprises as you keep on surviving.

Of course, trial and error is a part of the experience. Upon death, you restart the level and here the procedurally generated layout, which also shuffles around the location of the objectives, keeps things from getting repetitive. It's important to spot enemies that can drop health packs, as returning to them to get replenished can be the key to winning latter stages in the campaign.

Besides managing your health, you should also make sure that you have enough ammo and consumables, preferably before you run out. You can try to be a real hero and kite around enemies while using the knife, but the odds of survival are stacked against you.

Playing Tango Fiesta alone can be pretty fun, but once you add up to three other friends, both locally or online, things get much more impressive. Choosing from new characters, equipping wacky loadouts, and just rampaging through a level is a memorable experience.

Explosions in Tango Fiesta
Explosions in Tango Fiesta

Visuals and Sound

While Tango Fiesta could have easily gone the pixelated route, it instead uses a cartoonish visual style that looks great and boasts sharp colors and good animations. Explosions, of course, are glorified, but everything fits the pulpy tone of the overall experience.

The soundtrack is also quite good and evokes the tunes head in classic 1980s movies. Sound effects are good and manage to refrain from becoming too repetitive.


The Good

  • Fun twin-stick shooter action
  • Procedurally-generated levels keep things fresh
  • Tongue-in-cheek 1980s action movie story
  • Good visuals and effects

The Bad

  • Some dialog sections can be a bit too long
  • Enemies get quite difficult and numerous in the latter stages
  • Shooting mechanics take a bit of time to get used to

Conclusion

Tango Fiesta is a blast to play, both solo as well as with friends. The tongue-in-cheek tone, plus the slick mechanics make for an enjoyable time, while the procedurally-generated level layouts ensure that coming back to it is never dull. It does take a while to get used to its twin-stick shooting, as well as its enemies that get quite aggressive as you progress through the movies.
story 7
gameplay 8
concept 8
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 9
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 

Tango Fiesta screenshots (16 Images)

Tango Fiesta review on PCChoose your character in Tango FiestaBuy new guns in Tango FiestaSelect a movie tape/stage in Tango FiestaPretty fun dialog in Tango Fiesta
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