Galak-Z: The Dimensional
By Paul Semel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Engaging but frustrating old-school space shooter.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Galak-Z: The Dimensional
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
Set during an intergalactic war, GALAK-Z: THE DIMENSIONAL casts you as a young but cocky space pilot with an itchy trigger finger. Armed with lasers, guided missiles, and a nimble ship, you go on missions that have you exploring asteroid fields where you have to grab salvage that can be used to upgrade your ship, collect crates of food, and help win this war once and for all. But though the asteroids do provide cover, you still have to contend with both enemy fighters as well as the space bugs who call the asteroids home. Or at least their summer home.
Is It Any Good?
Though it has some unnecessarily frustrating aspects, this old-school, 2-D, side-scrolling space shooter also is engaging. On the plus side, the action is nonstop, and setting it all in a wide-open asteroid field not only makes it challenging to get around, but it also means you're not limited to a linear flight path and can actually do some exploring. You can even, in a limited way, use the asteroids as cover so you can sneak up on your enemies (though they'll notice you when you start shooting at them). It also has plenty of challenge, as there are numerous missions, and the game randomly selects which one you'll go on next. Unfortunately, the game can be unnecessarily rough on you. If you don't survive five missions in a row, you don't unlock the next five missions. And not only does your ship not get repaired between missions (even though you always go back to home base), dying causes you to lose all the upgrades you've bought since the last time you died. But if you're up for the challenge, Galak-Z: The Dimensional is an engaging, old-school-flavored shooter.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about working together as a team. Why is it important to work well with other people?
Talk about self-sacrifice. Why is it sometimes important to put the needs of the many over the needs of the few or the one, especially if you're the one? When was the last time you put someone else's needs first?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: 17-Bit
- Release date: August 10, 2015
- Genre: Arcade
- Topics: Adventures, Space and Aliens
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Last updated: September 30, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Play
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate