Which Way Up: Galaxy Games Review — Galactic Parade

Australian developers, Turtle Flip Studio, have just released their debut title, Which Way Up: Galaxy Games, a party game that fuses the gravity-defying feeling and aesthetic of Super Mario Galaxy and the exhilirating and competitive nature of the mini-games found in Mario Party.

Which Way Up: Galaxy Games is split up into two modes: single-player and multiplayer, which gives you two different spins on the game’s mechanics. Starting with the single-player mode, you are given a choice of playing one of several adorable characters. Each character has you play a different minigame. Throughout all mini-campaigns, you follow their stories, which always centre around saving your friends. The storylines are fairly simple and usually involve character-building, which is honestly a nice touch. As this game is predominantly a party game, there is not much else to expect, so no complaints from here.

First of all, the overall feel of the game is very intuitive. For example, analog stick controls are highly responsive and smooth. Hopping between planetoids and other space-like platforms feels swift. Power moves are useful for a mid-air boost or a correction move and are fun when launching objects and your opponents.

The multiplayer aspect of this game is the standout and where I found the most enjoyment. There is a great diverse range of different minigames, which are really fun and genuinely evoke competitiveness amongst the group of players. My personal favourites include Event Horizon, Constellation Catch, and Gravapult. In contrast, some of the mini-games, like Comet Collect and Hole in One, didn’t quite hit the mark in the solo campaign. However, Nebula Nab is fairly decent because it has sensible-level designs that are fun and replayable.

When you think of a game that successfully sets a tone, Which Way Up: Galaxy Games can be a great example. When booting up the menu, you are greeted with lo-fi music and a pleasant space background mixed with a simple and satisfying UI. This tone is carried out throughout the game, except more music tracks would’ve added more diversity to the soundtrack.

I would love to see some quality-of-life improvements in future updates to create a more streamlined experience, such as all dialogue being skippable and being able to restart the level from all points of a level. I did encounter a few minor bugs that impacted gameplay but I have no doubt these can be remedied with a few updates.