Quantum: Recharged is the latest entry in the series to land on PlayStation 5. Are you ready? Then check out our Quantum: Recharged review!

 

Quantum: Recharged is the latest entry in the series to land on PlayStation 5. This time around, Atari and SneakyBox are bringing us a revamped take on Quantum, the color vector arcade game that was released way back in 1982. The premise is simple: you need to take control of a spaceship as you use it to encircle atomic particles to create dead zones to collect them as you boost your score as high as possible. While doing this, you need to avoid crashing into other particles, or else you’ll lose one of your lives.

You’ll use the left analog stick to control your spaceship as you fly around each area. The X button can be pressed to activate a turbo boost to speed things up. The R1 button can be pressed to activate a dash function that, if timed right, will allow you to avoid hazards and enemy attacks as needed. Dashing will use up some of your energy bar, which you can check on the left side of the screen. Create a dead zone, and any particle that comes near it will be absorbed. The bigger the dead zone, the easier it will be to trap particles, but you do need to remember that each dead zone will only exist for a short bit.

 

The game can be played in one of two modes: Arcade Mode or Missions Mode. Arcade Mode will have you choosing between playing on your own or in local multiplayer, offering you the chance to select between some modifiers to boost your score. Choose Iron Man, and you can boost your final score by 100%, but you will start with a single life. Select Extreme, and you can take on more enemies at once while being rewarded with a 100% boost to your final score. Activate Zen, and you’ll have a 4-minute timer during which losing lives will only reset the combo meter, but your final score will be slashed in half.

Missions Mode will present you with 25 hand-crafted levels, during which you’ll need to complete some very specific challenges that will test your skills. And yes, you can also play Missions Mode in local multiplayer! You’ll need to defeat all enemies in each Mission, and some of them ask that you do so within a very strict time limit. Sometimes you’ll need to reach a specific score before running out of enemies to destroy, which means you’ll have to make the most of your combos.

As you play the game, you’ll end up collecting different power-ups that will make it possible for you to extend your run and survive for a bit longer. You can grab a shield to protect you, which will be very useful in case you end up making a mistake. Another one is shock, which will freeze all enemies on the screen in place for a few seconds, which will allow you to create dead zones to absorb a bunch of them. There’s also the overcharge power-up which will considerably boost your energy so that you can dash like crazy.

The game has a short list with only 12 trophies to work on before making the Platinum trophy pop. Said list is split into 2 Silver trophies and 10 Gold trophies. What will you need to do to add that shiny Platinum trophy to your collection? You’ll need to collect 25 power-ups, collect each power-up type at least once, survive for 5 minutes in Arcade Mode, revive a co-op partner in Arcade Mode or in a Mission, reach 100,000 and 250,000 points in Arcade Mode, complete all Missions, reach a maximum 10x combo, defeat more than 10 enemies with a single dead zone, defeat 15 enemies with a single dead zone, and defeat 50 electron enemies.

Quantum: Recharged gives us a revamped take on a classic from Atari’s long history. It’s been more than 40 years since the original Quantum released in arcades, and this new version we get to play on Sony’s console will have you dodging enemies and encircling them as they’re sucked into the dead zones you create, all while you boost your overall score. Quantum: Recharged is out on PlayStation 5 with a $9.99 price tag. There’s also a PS4 version of the game available for the same price as a separate purchase.

Disclaimer
This Quantum: Recharged review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Atari.