recommended shmups
requested by a friend who wanted to get into the genre. loosely ranked by significance but not necessarily according to my own tastes
zeroranger would be on here but i think that's best played after being familiarized with the genre due to how heavy it is on references
zeroranger would be on here but i think that's best played after being familiarized with the genre due to how heavy it is on references
15 Games
worth playing just to understand what people mean by "gradius syndrome". still a solid game, but heavily reliant on trial and error
see also: r-type, darius, sexy parodius
see also: r-type, darius, sexy parodius
historically significant for being the first actual bullethell game
basic, no-frills bullet hell. noteworthy for its music and zun's whole DIY appeal
aesthetically stellar and punishingly difficult. touhou but awesome
see also: radio zonde
see also: radio zonde
maybe the only gamegear title anyone gives a shit about besides madou monogatari
transformation mechanic is super fun and adds depth to the scoring system while also throwing a bone to new players who just wanna survive. sequel used to be arcade/xbox 360 exclusive but is now on switch
check out the more cyberpunk-themed spiritual predecessor too, esp ra.de
check out the more cyberpunk-themed spiritual predecessor too, esp ra.de
(xbox 360/arcade exclusive) features a batshit insane scoring system that's so addicting it'll actually make you want to play for score beyond just having bragging rights
fantastic spritework. quintessential cave shmup
see also: ketsui, mushihimesama, battle garegga
see also: ketsui, mushihimesama, battle garegga
very fucking hard, but in a way that's less about dodging 1000000000 bullets and more so regards how effectively you use your many different weapons
ikaruga is rsg's spiritual successor and has a similar design philosophy where it's less about your reflexes and more about your smarts
ikaruga is rsg's spiritual successor and has a similar design philosophy where it's less about your reflexes and more about your smarts
game's cool as fuck bro just look at it
play this if you've got someone else to run the multiplayer with
weird shit
charming for its many different character interactions. brutally difficult. has a sequel too
check out psikyo's other work as well, including the samurai aces series (especially sengoku blade)
check out psikyo's other work as well, including the samurai aces series (especially sengoku blade)
swinging anchor mechanic alone makes this worthwhile
boss rusher with neat risk/reward dynamics. order field is safer but you deal less damage; chaos field is harder and you hit like a truck
