This is not the type of game I enjoy really. I don't play arcade shooters, not really into the type of music on display, nor do I really care that much about getting a high score in something. However, Arena 3D has created a strong desire to play the game. Fortunately, you can try out a demo of it, as I did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0eNV5HMSFQ Arena 3D will eventually, it seems, feature three different game modes. The first you can see in the trailer above, which is also the gameplay that you will experience in the currently available demo. Right now the demo and the game itself is in the very early stages of developments with basically just a proof of concept.
A shoot 'em up with relatively simple ideas going into it so far, Arena 3D seems to have a great deal of promise to me, as well as ambition. As said, the basic concept is there with the developer promising a great deal of new features in the future from customizable ships and weapons to varied enemies and new game modes.
The three game modes discussed on the Greenlight page are likely the most worrying. A top down shoot 'em up arcadey game, full 3D third-person space combat, and some sort "missile and turrent" defense sort of mode is incredibly ambitious. Not only are those three incredibly different types of games, they are all three extremely difficult to do correctly. Each are conceptually easy to understand, but more than a handful in attempting to create something fun and interesting to play.
A little more worry thrown into the mix is the fact that the developer now plans to start from scratch for the new build of the game. Granted, there was not a ton of stuff there to begin with, but adding on more development time and work into something is always worrying, especially considering he is likely going to be trying new, different things. Depending on what sort of feedback he has received from the community, which the developer cites as the reason for starting over, it could be a really great thing.
The two greatest things Arena 3D has going for it at the moment are its style and music. It has an incredibly good looking retrostyle that fits the shoot 'em up game perfectly, as well as the theme it is going for. Paired with that is the great music that I personally enjoyed.
Maybe I am just an outsider to the world of shoot 'em ups, but Arena 3D looks like some great fun. Maybe I just need to try Geometry Wars again. In the end, I hope the ambition works out and that the developer has the drive to fulfill that ambition.
If Arena 3D is something that interests you, make sure to check out its Steam Greenlight page. If you think it is deserving of a vote, give it one.