Reviews from

in the past


This game was made when Takumi took the phrase "I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you" too seriously.

A reflect bomb is such a crazy idea but Takumi took that idea and ran with it. This game is a bullet hell, but that twist allowed them to create bullet patterns where using your reflect was extremely advised. The best part of it is that this game has been cleared without using the reflect, so they even took self-imposed challenges into account when designing this monster of a shoot 'em up.

If you're unaware, you have a special sort of bomb in this game that allows you to reflect bullets and gives you a few seconds of invulnerability. It's on a cooldown, but it's pretty short, and you'll be using that reflect a lot during your play through. As the stages get harder, due to the ranking system where bullets get faster and the distance between them gets shorter, the density of the bullet patterns become harder and harder to micrododge, further reinforcing the use of your reflect. You'd want to anyway. Do you have any idea how good it feels to send hundreds of bullets hurdling back at your enemies?!

Your choice of four characters comes down to preference since all of them are pretty strong, except for that one guy who's really bad, but even he's good enough to get a clear with. The first 3 stages are random based on that selection and, much like ESP Ra.De., Strikers 1945, and several other shmups, have different difficulties based on the order of the stages.

The real game starts at Stage 5, however, which was the bane of my existence. Routing it was difficult, as a small mistake could easily extinguish one of your lives. I saved almost all my bombs for that stage, as I felt the penultimate boss and the final boss (only accessible if you're going for a 1CC), were easier to route. That stage has fast bullets, and tons of enemies. It's a big step up in difficulty. But man, is it fun to play.

I could go on, but a game to me has to play well to even be considered a 5/5, and this one plays too well. The music is probably a sticking point for some as I felt it was samey, the artwork is really nice on the eyes, and the visibility of the bullets is clear. I never felt like one snuck up on me, unless I just was not paying attention. If you care about presentation, you'll still get your fill, with some big explosions and spectacles coming from the bosses. The final pattern in this game is just hundreds of bullets that create an excellent feeling of slowdown and you ram them up the final boss's ass for stalking you the entire game.

Fuck you, man, I got a reflect bomb, and it makes reflect noises. 5/5. 10/10. Capcom, why the hell did you stop funding shoot 'em ups?!

My 1CC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aBpaB7r5S0