Game review
Radius Raid
7.9 / 10
- Developer
- Jack Rugile
- Publisher
- Jack Rugile
- Released
- 1 January 2013
- Platforms
- desktop
- Genre
- arcade
- Monetisation
- free
- Players
- false
The short version
A polished, good-looking twin-stick-style arena shooter for js13k 2013, with WASD/arrows for movement and mouse for aim and fire, both confirmed genuinely working through real held-key movement and a visible fired-projectile trail streaking toward the mouse cursor. Correctly and honestly shipped desktop-only, since the control scheme is keyboard-plus-mouse throughout with no touch alternative anywhere.
Biggest strengths
- Controls confirmed genuinely correct through direct testing - a real held "D" key press visibly moved and rotated the ship, and a real mouse aim-and-click produced a clearly visible trail of fired projectiles streaking toward the exact aimed cursor position
- Clean, legible presentation with a live HUD tracking health, progress, score, and best score, plus an in-game legend explaining pickups (health packs, slow enemies, fast/triple/pierce shot)
- The title screen's own control instructions (WASD/arrows to move, mouse to aim/fire, F for autofire) matched exactly what was tested, with no discrepancy between what's promised and what actually works
Biggest weaknesses
- No touch support of any kind, so it is unavailable to phone visitors by design rather than through an oversight
- A short js13k jam entry (13KB size limit) rather than a game with deep progression, though it includes a stats screen and best-score tracking for replay value
- Sound wasn't deeply exercised in this pass beyond confirming a mute option exists
Who it's for: Fans of tight, score-chasing arena shooters who want a polished free browser game on a real keyboard and mouse.
Our recommendation: play
7.9 / 10
Opening
Radius Raid is a tight, polished arena shooter built for the 2013 js13k competition (13KB size limit) - move a small ship around an open field, dodge and shoot approaching enemies, and chase a high score, all wrapped in a clean, legible dark HUD.
Correctly desktop-only, and confirmed why
The title screen's own control legend states it plainly: WASD/arrows to move, mouse to aim and fire, F for autofire. That's exactly what the input code does - keyboard for movement, mouse for aim and shooting, with no touch handling anywhere. It's correctly and honestly shipped here under the desktop-only tier rather than being forced onto a touch shelf it was never built for.
Controls, confirmed with a real shot fired
Rather than trust the title screen's promise alone, both halves of the control scheme were tested directly. A real held "D" key press moved the ship to the right and visibly rotated it in transit - genuine movement, not a static demo. A real mouse aim followed by a held click produced a clearly visible trail of small projectiles streaking from the ship directly toward the aimed cursor position, with the ship's turret rotated to match. That's the whole control scheme working correctly and exactly as promised.
A clean, focused package
The HUD tracks health, level progress, current score, and a persistent best score, and an in-game legend explains the pickups you'll encounter (health packs, enemy-slowing effects, and weapon upgrades like triple and piercing shots) - a genuinely complete little package for a 13KB jam entry.
Final Verdict
A well-made, honestly-labelled arena shooter whose keyboard-and-mouse controls are proven to work exactly as the title screen describes. A solid pick for desktop players who want a quick, score-chasing session.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Controls confirmed genuinely correct through direct testing - a real held "D" key press visibly moved and rotated the ship, and a real mouse aim-and-click produced a clearly visible trail of fired projectiles streaking toward the exact aimed cursor position
- Clean, legible presentation with a live HUD tracking health, progress, score, and best score, plus an in-game legend explaining pickups (health packs, slow enemies, fast/triple/pierce shot)
- The title screen's own control instructions (WASD/arrows to move, mouse to aim/fire, F for autofire) matched exactly what was tested, with no discrepancy between what's promised and what actually works
- Confirmed desktop-only correctly and honestly - the control scheme is keyboard-plus-mouse throughout, with no touch handling found anywhere in the input code
- MIT licensed, no third-party analytics found in the shipped files, no build step required
Cons
- No touch support of any kind, so it is unavailable to phone visitors by design rather than through an oversight
- A short js13k jam entry (13KB size limit) rather than a game with deep progression, though it includes a stats screen and best-score tracking for replay value
- Sound wasn't deeply exercised in this pass beyond confirming a mute option exists