Fueled Up
Review
Repairing one ship at a time
by Isabella
reviewed on PC
Family co-op
I love co-op games such as Overcooked, they give me a chance to play with my sisters and family. There is always lots of arguing and yelling at people to get tasks completed, but it is enjoyable as we complete each level. So when I heard about Fueled Up, I jumped at the chance to review it, as it had a similar vibe but with a space theme.
Fueled Up is a fun co-op game with a colourful cartoon style similar to Overcooked. Players take on the role of space rescuers tasked with rescuing spaceships from an evil space Octopus hell-bent on demolishing them. Players are tasked with keeping the spaceship moving by collecting blue space crystals, turning them into fuel and putting the magical fuel into the engines. Players must also keep track of the integrity of their spaceship because if it gets to 0% the spaceship will explode. Repairing the ship and keeping it fueled is a never-ending cycle, with the trick being to work out when to do each.
New mechanics
As teams progress through the levels, new mechanics are added to keep things fresh. New distractions include smoke, moving platforms, portals and annoying asteroids that slow you down. Smoke comes out of vents blocking your vision, and while you can still navigate your way through, it might take a little longer to find where to place things. In many levels there is also an airlock, which when opened, sucks out anything that is nearby. This further complicates things when players are required to collect objects from within the closed airlock which can suddenly open. You need to keep the door closed with green batteries otherwise there is a good chance you will go into the black abyss.
The controls can be somewhat counter-intuitive at first because instead of your main button being "A", Fueled Up has it as "X". Once you get the hang of it though, this becomes less of a problem. Otherwise the controls are quite simple as players only really need two buttons and the thumbstick during the game.
Fueled Up can be played locally or online so you don't have to travel to your friends house just to play with them. You can play with up to 4 people, and from experience, I recommend having more than two people. Having three players makes the game easier to play, as players can each have specific roles, but more points are required to earn the rewards.
Level design
The maps are reasonably well laid out and offer some variety due to the changing mechanics. Some of the levels are quite confined which makes them suitable for just a couple of players, but when three or four players are running around, things can get hectic. The UI is fairly straightforward with the ship's integrity easy to see at any time, however the current engine power is less obvious. There is also a bar that indicates your progress towards the end zone. As the space Octopus starts catching your spaceship, several space squid begin surrounding your ship to indicate that you don't have much time left.
Fuel Up and get moving
Co-op games are generally fun to play with friends and family, and Fueled Up is no different. There is little in the way of a story, but that doesn’t matter so much as you and your friends try and complete their tasks on the spaceship before the evil space octopus catches you. The tasks aren’t overly varied, but the level design and the added mechanics give the game a challenging feel. The fun cartoon style visuals make the game suitable for all ages. Unlocking new characters as you progress through the levels adds a degree of replayability and the fact that you can play with friends online is a bonus. Fueled Up is a worthy addition to the co-op genre.
6.8
fun score
Pros
Loads of variation in level design
Cons
Engine levels can be difficult to monitor
