Nova-111 Review: A Short, Challenging Sci-Fi Adventure

Nova-111 is a strategic sci-fi adventure developed and published by Funktronic Labs and Curve Games that mixes nontraditional turn-based combat and real-time strategy. Players will take control of a ship that is on a mission to fix space-time and rescue scientists along the way. There are a variety of enemies to face, but the ship will also gain new powers and increase its abilities throughout the journey.

There are three worlds in Nova-111 made up of six levels. Each level has three sections to complete, except for the last level in each world, which is a boss fight. The levels become increasingly difficult and continue to present new challenges over the course of this fast-paced game. As players complete levels, they will need to find secrets and rescue scientists in order to increase their total score and an overall grade for that level.

Every move made, whether it be actual movement or an attack, counts as a turn. A player’s total number of moves is tracked throughout each section and added up at the end of a level to help determine the grade they receive in this enjoyable turn-based game. Movements need to be strategic in order to get a high grade, but that can mean a number of things. For example, sometimes when fighting an enemy, it’s smarter to wait a turn and let the enemy move or attack. Doing so can avoid being hit or wasting movements to line up an attack of the player’s own.

Most of the enemies in Nova-111 will chase down the ship, so it’s necessary to quickly kill them before they’re in range to attack, or dodge and then kill them while they’re charging up again. Some enemies will also attack in real-time, so it’s important to move with speed and precision. Along with the various types of enemies, there are hazards to watch out for or destroy. Players may need to break rocks to progress or dodge falling debris and indestructible bots called Bouncers. Occasionally, it’s possible to use these hazards along with stopping time to complete a section.

Players will find a few different weapons and abilities as they play through the sci-fi story in Nova-111. The ship will be able to use bomb and laser attacks along with bumping its enemies to defeat them. The ship will also be upgraded with more health, shields, and the ability to stop time or phase through objects. Every skill needs to be used at various points for players to get past obstacles, lasers, or enemies so they can reach the goal in each section.

There are a few minor issues with gameplay in Nova-111. The controls are very sensitive and players may find they are banging into walls a lot. Every move counts as a turn which can make Nova-111 a frustrating game to deal with. Extra moves can lead to some low grades for each level, especially if players are taking a lot of accidental turns when trying to quickly move around corners or avoid enemies. The alternative is to move more methodically, which can drastically slow the pace of the game.

At its core, Nova-111 is a strategy adventure game about a small ship, its amusing guide, and the pair’s mission to fix space-time. Players can find secrets hidden behind suspicious rocks to get upgrades and rescue their fellow scientists in each area. There are a few minor issues that players may face when trying to move quickly in certain levels, but there aren’t any major problems with gameplay. Nova-111 is short but fun to play, and it offers some difficult puzzles for players to solve.

Nova-111 is available now for Nintendo Switch, PS3, PS Vita, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, and PC. Screen Rant was provided a digital Nintendo Switch download code for the purpose of this review.

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