ScrambledPawn
2014
I've decided to start working on a decade retrospective kind of thing for a while in which I tackle games from 2014 (and eventually 1984, 1994 and 2004) in light of the rewind awards; this was one I was eager to come back to because I hated it so much that I even as a shmup fan I abandoned it after about 4 or so levels. I think my main gripe at the time was both the ground bombing gameplay (I've always hated it even in Arcade games as far back as Xevious, just my own personal gripe) and the fact that it doesn't necessarily allow you to blitz through the campaign like a normal shmup would.
Coming back to it now it's still very rough around the edges (especially in the early game) but actually really fun. The levelling system being tied to an actual rank you earn experience toward, as well as the scrap system to build the perfect fighter for your playstyle works surprisingly well; you really do feel like going from a feeble wreck to a absolute killing machine as you explore what works best for you. There's even room for improvement past the campaign with its +1 mode offering you extra replayability and challenge.
There is still a fundamental issue where the game hangs upon exit until you actually sign out of Windows and then cancel (killing a lot of processes), but I'm glad I came back to this; it proves why it's a good idea to take a look back a generation with new eyes and experience. Some games you really loved may show some wear and, in cases like these, it can be the opposite.
Coming back to it now it's still very rough around the edges (especially in the early game) but actually really fun. The levelling system being tied to an actual rank you earn experience toward, as well as the scrap system to build the perfect fighter for your playstyle works surprisingly well; you really do feel like going from a feeble wreck to a absolute killing machine as you explore what works best for you. There's even room for improvement past the campaign with its +1 mode offering you extra replayability and challenge.
There is still a fundamental issue where the game hangs upon exit until you actually sign out of Windows and then cancel (killing a lot of processes), but I'm glad I came back to this; it proves why it's a good idea to take a look back a generation with new eyes and experience. Some games you really loved may show some wear and, in cases like these, it can be the opposite.
1991
What a fucking miserable exercise in frustration; how SEGA were comfortable releasing this in Arcades hot off the success of the one the greatest console beat em ups in history is beyond me.
The enemy waves and bosses would be cruel even if the game worked properly - too bad it plays like absolute shit. Get too close to the enemy? Missed input. Try to pick up an enemy in the 0.5 second window you have to throw them, one of the only ways to do any significant damage control? Missed input. Punching more than one enemy at a time? Missed input.
Meanwhile the enemies are able to stagger you out of a life within 2-3 seconds and you just have to sit there and take it and bosses will take more than half your health bar while the entire setup for the move leaves them invincible to absolutely everything you do. No special or desperation move to cancel out an enemy combo, just jump and punch/kick.
If you really want to throw the boat out, the only move you'll be spamming to death is an absolute gamble, as it requires you to get a running start and complete an entire roll to hit. If you hit an enemy mid roll, you bounce back and take damage; good luck using it when you're swamped with 4-5 enemies on the screen that are programmed to zone directly in on sight.
There are people out there who have managed to 1CC this steaming pile of horseshit and I have to wonder why you'd put yourself through the endeavor of learning to manipulate it enough to take advantage of how awful the hit detection is. I'm fairly certain this is the worst beat em up I've ever played and it's probably gonna stay that way for a long time.
The enemy waves and bosses would be cruel even if the game worked properly - too bad it plays like absolute shit. Get too close to the enemy? Missed input. Try to pick up an enemy in the 0.5 second window you have to throw them, one of the only ways to do any significant damage control? Missed input. Punching more than one enemy at a time? Missed input.
Meanwhile the enemies are able to stagger you out of a life within 2-3 seconds and you just have to sit there and take it and bosses will take more than half your health bar while the entire setup for the move leaves them invincible to absolutely everything you do. No special or desperation move to cancel out an enemy combo, just jump and punch/kick.
If you really want to throw the boat out, the only move you'll be spamming to death is an absolute gamble, as it requires you to get a running start and complete an entire roll to hit. If you hit an enemy mid roll, you bounce back and take damage; good luck using it when you're swamped with 4-5 enemies on the screen that are programmed to zone directly in on sight.
There are people out there who have managed to 1CC this steaming pile of horseshit and I have to wonder why you'd put yourself through the endeavor of learning to manipulate it enough to take advantage of how awful the hit detection is. I'm fairly certain this is the worst beat em up I've ever played and it's probably gonna stay that way for a long time.
1991
This is a cute little game let down by two things: the most important is that movement so slow that it's fundamentally impossible to avoid certain projectile groups, as well enemies coming in from centre left out of nowwhere. Secondary is the fact that the game features 8 levels but three of them feature repeating bosses from previous levels, one of them appearing three times.
1990
Stunningly mediocre and painfully long for an arcade shmup of the time. The game also gives the illusion that an ura loop will give some sort of ending but nope; that "the enemy is strengthening" is all you get to indicate that the game is over. No credits, nothing.
1992
I was pleasantly surprised by the first 4 levels of this horizontal shmup; it genuinely felt like an ode to the old e.g. Gradius and R-Type - harsh but serviceable. I felt that every death was my own and that the penalty of losing a level across all power-ups was just enough given the ability to earn them back with dodging and patience.
Stages 5-7 ruin all of that. Cue traps that come quite literally out of nowhere, enemy wave spam and bullet sponge bosses. These last three stages to the average player play pretty much as the following: Die, Kill three enemies, game over, get back some customary power ups, last three seconds, get cornered (or die, optional), use charge shot, back to pea shooter, die, repeat. Or in the case of bosses: Die, Game Over, Get Power Ups, Charge Shot, Die, Repeat. Quarter muncher hell.
Stages 5-7 ruin all of that. Cue traps that come quite literally out of nowhere, enemy wave spam and bullet sponge bosses. These last three stages to the average player play pretty much as the following: Die, Kill three enemies, game over, get back some customary power ups, last three seconds, get cornered (or die, optional), use charge shot, back to pea shooter, die, repeat. Or in the case of bosses: Die, Game Over, Get Power Ups, Charge Shot, Die, Repeat. Quarter muncher hell.
1994
Don't get me wrong, for the most part this plays wooden as shit... But you cannot possibly find an Arcade game more 90s. As a 90s kid, I am required by law to give my utmost respect.
1999
Guwange is one of Cave's most ambitious and enjoyable Arcade offerings to date and, in true Cave style, the one thing I love most somehow ends up being the one thing I hate most simultaneously.
I think this would be my idea of a perfect bullet hell if it wasn't for the ambitious and ingenious inclusion of spacial awareness; as your character is on foot, they are unable to hit any enemy positions above them on cliffs and buildings. While in the initial stages this is a fresh take on the genre, it quickly takes the usual bullet dodging to a whole new level as you're both cramped to a tight space for long lengths of time and unable to shoot the enemies causing the barrage of bullets that is giving you a hard time.
This is truly Cave at their very best though; I'm hoping to uncover more forgotten gems from them as I dive deeper in the waters of the Arcade.
I think this would be my idea of a perfect bullet hell if it wasn't for the ambitious and ingenious inclusion of spacial awareness; as your character is on foot, they are unable to hit any enemy positions above them on cliffs and buildings. While in the initial stages this is a fresh take on the genre, it quickly takes the usual bullet dodging to a whole new level as you're both cramped to a tight space for long lengths of time and unable to shoot the enemies causing the barrage of bullets that is giving you a hard time.
This is truly Cave at their very best though; I'm hoping to uncover more forgotten gems from them as I dive deeper in the waters of the Arcade.
1994
Incredible amount of content for its time sporting 20 short but incredibly punishing levels (at least in its latter half). Only thing letting it down is that annoying quarter muching thing shmups of the time loved to do: shifting from freely continuing where you left off for 19 levels to limiting the final level from start to finish to one continue - otherwise you start the entire level again, miniboss and final boss included.
1998
One of those brutally difficult shmups where the last stage requires you to beat it on one continue; I don't have the patience nor the skill for that on a platform that doesn't account for snap-states unfortunately. I've seen people who can dominate these games with my own eyes on YouTube but I wonder how many average Joes actually got to see the ending of this game in the Arcade.
1992
I only played through the initial loop/difficulty, but after watching a video on YouTube get to the 11th loop and it STILL increasing in difficulty (each with its own difficulty name to boot) is genuinely amazing for a game of the time. Good a good chuckle out of loop 8-9 going from "Gamer Mode" to "Gamest Mode" too. Don't think I'll be the gamest of gamers anytime soon though.
2002
Damn, South Korea really were kings at making severely outdated arcade games; Fire Hawk is the perfect generic 1991 shmup, released only 10 years later. It's also worth mentioning that the sound design of this game is absolute wank and not indicative of any kind of fast-paced atmosphere you expect from the genre.
1997
Delightfully quick and wacky Arcade game in the purest sense of the word, but really suffers in its lack of gameplay diversity and it recycling of boss enemies (only 3 unique bosses, two of them used twice and one three times). If it kept raising the stakes in each stage and introduced new little gameplay mechanics as it went along to keep the gameplay fresh, this would really be a unique little gem.
1992
Got to level 5 before I couldn't stand the crusty version of Fur Elise anymore; a fairly bare bones match 3 game that only allows you to place pieces vertically and never really adds anything to provide difficulty or interest for clearing levels besides a 3-column wide bar that clears everything under it.
Would have been interesting and genre defining in the 70s/80s 2600 peak I'm sure, but for 1992 you quite literally have Columns or Tetris to scratch your falling block itch.
Would have been interesting and genre defining in the 70s/80s 2600 peak I'm sure, but for 1992 you quite literally have Columns or Tetris to scratch your falling block itch.
Steam Randomiser, Game 4:
This is a real treat, overwhelmingly positive on Steam and deservedly so. The fact that this is available to play entirely for free and that the only monetisation is in the form of completely optional cheap costume DLC astounds me, because this is a hell of a lot of a fun and a complete experience.
Part Mega Man inspired and part Castlevania inspired, Khimera melds the best of both worlds, utilising the former's "robot master" and skill collecting influence and borrowing from the former in order to implement collectables that either provide lore or reward the player with extra health or fairies, which lend themselves towards an integrated side quest.
The game is smooth and the narrative is light-hearted and genuinely funny. In its final stages the difficuly scales appropriately and 99% of the time you really do have no choice but to take responsability for every death. This is a premium indie experience with a free price tag in every sense of the word.
This is a real treat, overwhelmingly positive on Steam and deservedly so. The fact that this is available to play entirely for free and that the only monetisation is in the form of completely optional cheap costume DLC astounds me, because this is a hell of a lot of a fun and a complete experience.
Part Mega Man inspired and part Castlevania inspired, Khimera melds the best of both worlds, utilising the former's "robot master" and skill collecting influence and borrowing from the former in order to implement collectables that either provide lore or reward the player with extra health or fairies, which lend themselves towards an integrated side quest.
The game is smooth and the narrative is light-hearted and genuinely funny. In its final stages the difficuly scales appropriately and 99% of the time you really do have no choice but to take responsability for every death. This is a premium indie experience with a free price tag in every sense of the word.
2018
Steam Randomiser, Game 3:
NNOOOOO IT VOMIT BLOOD
This game is an oddity; it's genuinely quite a fun retro-inspired horizontal shooter and the fact that it's rife with comedic spelling and grammar mistakes only really adds to its charm. That being said, it needs a massive coat of polish to make it a little gem - especially when it expects you to complete it 1CC for an achievement.
NNOOOOO IT VOMIT BLOOD
This game is an oddity; it's genuinely quite a fun retro-inspired horizontal shooter and the fact that it's rife with comedic spelling and grammar mistakes only really adds to its charm. That being said, it needs a massive coat of polish to make it a little gem - especially when it expects you to complete it 1CC for an achievement.