Picked this up immediately after getting my PS5, then went on to immediately 1cc Super Easy mode? Maybe I am godlike at games??
Ketsui is shmup perfection - Cave firing at all cylinders. On its face its quite accessible - one button to fire, one button to auto-fire, one button for limited use bombs (which clear the screen of any bullet patterns and do damage to enemies) and the option to hold the fire button to shoot homing fire with an extra laser beam (at the expense of shot spread and speed). From the simple controls, Ketsui shines through its excellent enemy arrangements, bullet patterns, and upgrade/scoring mechanics. The art is incredible, pulling inspiration from mecha anime like NGE mixed with a sort of Metal Slug-esque military vibe that looks great in pixel art form. Paired with some really excellent techno / d'n'b in the score, Ketsui just feels really satisfying to look at and fall into.
I joked about being super good at games at the top after 1cc'ing Super Easy mode but I have to say Super Easy mode is really accessible and surprisingly clearable for newcomers - the biggest two draws here are more reasonable bullet patterns and the auto-bomb feature. On super-easy you start with six bombs per life (and three lives) - auto-bombs will automatically deploy one of these bombs if you are hit - meaning that you essentially have seven hits per life, with six of those clearing the board for you. Paired with additional bombs on stages and extra lives stemming from score rollover and hidden in stages, you can easily take 20-30 hits in one credit. Compared to arcade mode with no auto-bombs where you have 3 hits per credit, it feels like a great way to begin your journey into shmups without feeling like you need to enter the matrix.
M2 did a sublime job with this remastered port - adding some great additional modes (super easy as well as a rearranged "Deathtiny mode), challenge modes where you practice stages in chunks, and Bonds of Growth where you can practice areas you specifically have struggled with (based on your gameplay data). The packaging of all of this is really clean and accessible with some great art and additional stats and resources.
I can't wait to see how the DoDonPachi DaiOuJou remaster turns out later this year - M2 has shown that they're well equipped to knock it out of the park.
Ketsui is shmup perfection - Cave firing at all cylinders. On its face its quite accessible - one button to fire, one button to auto-fire, one button for limited use bombs (which clear the screen of any bullet patterns and do damage to enemies) and the option to hold the fire button to shoot homing fire with an extra laser beam (at the expense of shot spread and speed). From the simple controls, Ketsui shines through its excellent enemy arrangements, bullet patterns, and upgrade/scoring mechanics. The art is incredible, pulling inspiration from mecha anime like NGE mixed with a sort of Metal Slug-esque military vibe that looks great in pixel art form. Paired with some really excellent techno / d'n'b in the score, Ketsui just feels really satisfying to look at and fall into.
I joked about being super good at games at the top after 1cc'ing Super Easy mode but I have to say Super Easy mode is really accessible and surprisingly clearable for newcomers - the biggest two draws here are more reasonable bullet patterns and the auto-bomb feature. On super-easy you start with six bombs per life (and three lives) - auto-bombs will automatically deploy one of these bombs if you are hit - meaning that you essentially have seven hits per life, with six of those clearing the board for you. Paired with additional bombs on stages and extra lives stemming from score rollover and hidden in stages, you can easily take 20-30 hits in one credit. Compared to arcade mode with no auto-bombs where you have 3 hits per credit, it feels like a great way to begin your journey into shmups without feeling like you need to enter the matrix.
M2 did a sublime job with this remastered port - adding some great additional modes (super easy as well as a rearranged "Deathtiny mode), challenge modes where you practice stages in chunks, and Bonds of Growth where you can practice areas you specifically have struggled with (based on your gameplay data). The packaging of all of this is really clean and accessible with some great art and additional stats and resources.
I can't wait to see how the DoDonPachi DaiOuJou remaster turns out later this year - M2 has shown that they're well equipped to knock it out of the park.