The gaming world is always saying hello and goodbye to creators. Whether they are monolithic giants in the AAA space, or small creators in the indie space, as gamers we are not unfamiliar with the trials and tribulations of being a developer. When talking about newcomers to the gaming world, we would be remiss to not mention the creators of some of the most interesting games of the last 20 years, Housemarque.
Housemarque are a Finnish videogame developer founded by Illari Kuittinen and Harri Tikkanen. Originally hitting the videogame space in 1995 through a merger of previous companies, Bloodhouse and Terramarque, Housemarque is the oldest developer in Finland to still be active. It has 110 employees as of 2023 and was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2021, officially joining the PlayStation Studios family.
Their journey did not start off as a gentle one however as many of their earlier games were largely lambasted or ignored by critics, but upon landing on the PlayStation format in 2007 with Super Stardust HD (a remake of an earlier title) they hit their stride and have been – largely – praised for their approach to developing. So what are their best games to date on PlayStation?
9. Furmins (PSVita)
The PS Vita was a weird console, wasn’t it? it was the perfect experimental place however for things like PixelJunk and Housemarque’s own Furmins.
Furmins is a physics-based puzzle game, which is a wonderful combination of “set-up-and-go”. In the game, you must deliver eggs safely. There are two phases that must be completed: a setup phase and an action phase. In setup, players place platforms and objects around the playfield in order to attempt do deliver eggs to their nest safely.
Furmins is a very well-developed puzzle game. The feeling of delivering the eggs safely is satisfying and you will find more hours than you care to admit being sucked into this relatively simple puzzle, even if it isn’t the best-looking puzzle game available. It typifies everything we know now about Housemarque: it’s charming, fun, and looks like it was developed with a large amount of love.
8. Dead Nation (PS4)
Dead Nation came into being in 2010. At this time, the zombie craze was at its peak due to the popularity of The Walking Dead and every developer and their dog was betting on it making them big bucks. Housemarque were no different.
Dead Nation is a largely enjoyable title – especially with a friend – for what it is. Dead Nation is fun, gritty zombie shooter that rewards you with money and multipliers for every zombie killed. It is a true throwback to arcade shooters like House of the Dead, just from a slightly different perspective.
Zombies are attracted to noises and lights caused by flares, car alarms and vending machines etc. The gameplay is reminiscent of the Dead Ops arcade seen in the Call of Duty Black Ops game – especially the top-down view from which play is done.
The game does feature a narrative which centres around society’s collapse and the survival of 2 protagonists who are immune to the current strain of the virus which has ravaged the world. The goal is to kill your way across the game, in hopes of finding a mysterious doctor by the name of Doctor Morton who tells him he has found a cure – tell me if you’ve heard this one before.
While it isn’t going to win any awards for story anytime soon, Dead Nation capitalises beautifully on the 2010 zombie craze with an enjoyable zombie-filled adventure that even has me returning today.
7. Super Stardust HD (PS3)
Often a developer will make a game, feel that the game failed because either it; failed to capture the imagination of the playerbase, was too far ahead of its time or could just have been done better with better technology. In this instance, the case could be made for all three.
Super Stardust HD is a remake of one of Housemarque’s earliest entries into the medium. Its original release was on the Amiga platform, and while it earns its place in history as proven by Amiga Power ranking it 26th Best Game of All Time, it failed to capture the minds of most critics; many calling it a “asteroids clone.” While it certainly does share some visual DNA with the seminal asteroid-blasting game, Super Stardust was a great game in its own right – and even holds up today for many.
Super Stardust HD is a simple game, but that doesn’t take away from the fun that can be had. The weapons are punchy, the screen becomes a chaotic mess as the game progresses – as many Housemarque games do – and, even now, it looks supremely sharp – especially when comparing it to some other games of the same era.
The game is played with twin-sticks – another Housemarque signature – and this makes for responsive and intuitive gameplay. Unfortunately this doesn’t translate well onto the PSP due to the lack of the aforementioned twin-sticks. It does, however, feel fantastic on PSVR. Super Stardust HD is just another fun bullet-hell chaotic cacophony that grips you and doesn’t let you go. Definitely worth a go if you haven’t tried it yet.
6. Alienation (PS4)
Dead Nation was a valiant effort at making a competent isometric shooter, and for the most part, it succeeded. So it follows that Housemarque would build this game on the skeleton of Dead Nation. Everything from Dead Nation is here; armory, responsive gameplay and a fantastic multiplayer.
The multiplayer allows up to four players to take on the roles of three separate classes, each with their own unique weapons and abilities.
Ranging from the brutish Tank, which is able to generate shields and decimate enemies, to the saboteur, who is able to become invisible and call down airstrikes on enemy positions.
As with many of Housemarque’s games, Alienation is better played with others, but that is not to say that a fair amount of fun can’t be had blowing aliens away on your own. Another gem worth checking out if you haven’t yet.
5. Nex Machina (PS4)
Take one pot, throw in Resogun and smash it together with Alienation, and you have Nex Machina.
In Nex Machina, you move through rooms as you shoot enemies and attempt to save the humans that have been captured. As with almost all Housemarque games, upgrade and power-ups pepper the levels in comfortable intervals.
Developed with Eugene Jarvis – creative consultant – famous for Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV, the game was created and inspired by the Defender game, which Jarvis also worked on.
The game is powered by a far-more enhanced version of the game engine and Voxel technology which had previously been used for Resogun.
This allows for smoother transitions between 3D complex meshes in 3D space and the aforementioned Voxel particles. This, in turn, allows more flexibility in how objects ultimately appear on-screen.
Nex Machina is nowhere near as well-paced as previous entries, but with its neon chaos and the pace of a runaway rollercoaster, it really is treat for all of your senses.
Nex Machina is the ultimate culmination of the process that begun with alienation and is one of the best twin-stick shooter arcade experiences available on console.
4. Outland (PS3)
Okay, straight out of the gate, Outland is a beautiful game. Its art style is one that lends itself to allow more efficient readability of the enemies and surroundings in game. This is very important as this puzzle/hack-and-slasher is the perfect combination of Super Metroid and Ikaruga in equal parts.
The basis is that you can only damage one colour of enemies, while in the opposite colour; namely, blue and red. This is also incorporated into the platforming sections which are delightfully satisfying.
The story features elements of magic, visions of the past and ancestral control. Another Housemarque game that does something entirely different to most of what we have seen, the game garnered mostly favorable reviews averaging a Metacritic score of 83/100.
It will test your skill, patience and staying-power, but delivers a beautiful game with a wonderful narrative, definitely one of the Housemarque standouts.
3. Resogun (PS4)
Resogun is probably one of the simplest games on this list, however it is in that simplicity where the replayability and sheer amount of fun lies.
In the first release cycle of the PS4, good games were relatively sparse. There were a few titles that could also be picked up on other consoles, but exclusively, the PS4 hadn’t yet given anything noteworthy. Resogun changed all of that very quickly.
Resogun is an extremely playable and addictive arcade-esque title. The graphics are beautiful, the controls are as intuitive as we have come to expect from Housemarque, and the fact that the game is so small in size and scope, means that there really is no excuse to not have it installed, even if just to load up while you decide what next big epic single-player game you are going to get engrossed in next.
It’s eminently replayable, charmingly funny in places and simplistic in scope, and that’s where it likes to be. Slap bang in the middle of comfortable replayability.
2. Matterfall (PS4)
Releasing exclusively for PlayStation 4, Matterfall is a 2017 side-scroll arcade shooter/platformer that follows a character called Avalon Darrow, who dons an armoured suit and blasts her way through each level. She can create platforms to explore the environments and generate shields to deflect enemy attacks and weaken enemies by stunning them.
Matterfall is typical Housemarque, it combines old school arcade shooting with platforming and light puzzling sections. Each level is a chrome-plated sci-fi joy to look at and every new encounter with the opposing aliens, is a treat with the twin-stick controls and the jump/slide functions being relegated to the shoulder buttons.
The game feels responsive, is fast-paced and hectic in many places. Matterfall received largely positive praise upon release and was nominated for “Best Sony Game” and “Best Action Game” – coming in fourth place in both instances.
Overall, Matterfall is a beautiful love letter to the science-fiction world and another wonderfully weird entry into this iconic developer’s repertoire.
1. Returnal (PS5)
The PS5 release schedule hasn’t been nearly as iconic as previous generations. This is largely due to many people only just managing to get their hands on the console, the prohibitive price tag at launch, and the fact that many developers stopped creating games during the COVID-19 outbreak. Needless to say, it hasn’t been a good time for the PlayStation. That isn’t to say that the console doesn’t have some standouts, but it is nowhere near as impressive as it should have been.
First announced at Sony’s PlayStation 5 reveal stream, Returnal was exclusively developed with the PS5 being the only console on which it would be able to be played – this changed in 2023, however, when the game was ported to PC.
The game follows the protagonist Selene as she attempts to discover the mystery behind her current predicament. The predicament in question is that she seems to be locked in a time-loop, wherein when she dies, she is resurrected. Selene can dash and – later – grapple to pre-defined points in the level. She is armed to the teeth and each of her weapons has a unique ability. These weapons can be levelled with perks. An updated was also released to allow for co-operative multiplayer. This extension allows the entire campaign to be completed by two players simultaneously.
The game runs at 4K resolution which was achieved by using temporal upsampling to reach 1440p then checkerboard rendering to accomplish 4K. The game is heavily reliant on visual effects built in-house as extensions to the existing Unreal Engine.
Marking the first time that Housemarque has decided to heavily implement a story into their wonderful – often – geometric shooter games. Returnal is a rogue-like that will keep you coming back, time and time, and time, and time and… well you get the picture.
Housemarque have proven to be a creative and excellent developer with an eye for visual flair throughout all of their entries, and – I for one – am excited at what their next game, Saros, will bring to the well-established developer’s back catalogue.
