An indie shmup well worth your time, but with some caveats. The graphics are a tad on the basic side (though there is a satisfying sleekness to the design), the music is just OK, and there is NO ability to jump to mid-stages or bosses in practice mode.
This matters because Assault Shell's highest difficulty spikes by far, and its biggest score hubs, are bosses; and the inability to get reps in, which in turn leads to crushing deaths on otherwise great runs, really hampered my personal desire to go for the 1-ALL with TLB, or the 2-ALL.
However, all of that being said, the satisfaction you can get moment-to-moment with this game--hypering for more power and massive bullet cancels, and then blank-hypering for even more, driving enemies insane and making them incredibly dangerous--is extremely pure.
This matters because Assault Shell's highest difficulty spikes by far, and its biggest score hubs, are bosses; and the inability to get reps in, which in turn leads to crushing deaths on otherwise great runs, really hampered my personal desire to go for the 1-ALL with TLB, or the 2-ALL.
However, all of that being said, the satisfaction you can get moment-to-moment with this game--hypering for more power and massive bullet cancels, and then blank-hypering for even more, driving enemies insane and making them incredibly dangerous--is extremely pure.