Customization and Mechanics are spot on as a sort of Armored Core Gaiden. But the gampaign is lackluster and there is a huge lack of challenging content to push the player to get even close to mastering or caring about most of the mechanics.
Even multiplayer 'super bosses' are far too easy compared to the Armored Core Verdict Day counterparts they are inspired by and there is hardly reason to keep optimizing your builds.

The coop roguelike dungeon exploration mode feels like the true endgame, which is a very strange dynamic for this kind of game. This makes the whole feel more like an experiment than a finished game. 1v1 multiplayer is not enough of a push to keep playing. Big missed potential here.

Aggressive bullet-hell shmup that mixes ideas from many of the best in a modern style. But for a modern CAVE style game the highest difficulty mode is far too easy, around the middle point (e.g. average CAVE first loop clear).
I'd expect modern games to push easy & hard modes further from the middle to appeal to new players and hardcore fans. If an Ultra mode or such is added this would sit comfortably alongside Crimzon Clover as an all-around package.

The game system and stages are excellent. Visibility of bullets is clean and modern similar to Blue Revolver. Difficulty tweaking just feels a bit off.
Player ships seem to be overtuned after early demos making stage enemies feel too weak. e.g. Type-C turned from a technical hard to master scoring type into a win at everything type.

Ingenious game that combines a shooting game with puzzle elements. At first it may seem the puzzle element overshadows the shooting game but that's only when the game is teaching you the mechanics in the beginning. Later on it gets demanding and expects you to master both strategic shooting and bullet dodging.

The main mechanic of the game is sort of a block puzzle. By shooting colored blocks on the backround layer you can push them around. Knock blocks of the same colour into eachother and they explode dealing damage to enemies and bullets. Larger chains deal more damage. If you cancel bullets this way on bosses they take damage. This may sound confusing but the game really shows you through it and in the end the core mechanic is quite simple. The challenge to the player is figuring out how to deal with various situations on the fly. Often times you'll find yourself thinking out when to shoot and figure out a plan while managing your way through bullet curtains. Murasaki encourages you to be smart about your shooting sort of like Ikaruga or old school 80's shmups.

A bullet health system is the other half of the puzzle mechanic. A bullets color matches its health and they are damaged by block explosions or the players shot. It's implemented quite well and makes you choose between shots or the size of block chains to go for. The default character is far better at cancelling bullets (ie. defense) while the other can land bigger attacks off the puzzle blocks. The latter also has to be careful going to the top of its screen as she has little range to shoot downwards. However dont expect to be able to always rely on bullet cancels, on higher health patterns this wont work. Often to get larger block chains for tricky sections you will end up not shooting for extended periods and having to dodge much more.

Murasaki's soundtrack is really amazing, top notch and there's a lot of competition in this genre. The chill music on stages goes well with the puzzle element and boss themes match their intensity. A fair bit of music syncing, especially with the true route of stage 5. Even if you're not a fan of the gameplay itself the music might surprise you.

After getting the ending you unlock the 6th extra stage which is far more challenging than anything preceding it. The boss of this stage truly demands some dodging skills and figuring out the tricks of its patterns. If you're not a shmup veteran this stage will likely be a wall, but smart play is still always rewarded so it can be enjoyable to learn shmups in this way.

The game includes a hard mode for the first 5 stages which makes their difficulty curve match more with the extra stage. The bosses get significantly harder and you need to approach some stage sections more as a puzzle. Stage 6 on normal is still tougher than anything in hard mode. There's also an endless stage that really tests your skill in the puzzle element as you cannot memorize and it keeps on getting tougher.

Definitely one of the best value for money for STG/shmups on Steam unless you have an aversion to bullet cancelling gimmicks. Murasaki implements its idea well and is a joy to play. Should be refreshing to anyone who thinks shmups are out of innovative ideas. It's worth noting this was first released as a free game, and for that it is quite amazing.

Platforming shooter reminiscent of some Treasure co.ltd. games (Bangai-O, Silhouette Mirage, Gunstar Heroes etc.). Has tons of small varied levels similar to Bangai-O, many with puzzle-like structures encouraging clever weapon use. There are plenty of boss fights which are engaging enough to be a highlight of the game.

A main feature is the player character picking up various weapon archetypes which can be combined into unique combination weapons, adding up to a ton of available weapons. Throughout the game you end up mastering a lot of attack types to get the upper hand, from basic straight shots to manual detonation mines, melee attacks, slow wall piercing explosion shots, etc.

Hard mode & each character has unique content like new boss fights so there's a lot of content if you enjoy the core gameplay.

By default you have to open menus to switch weapons. There are options for both characters to swap all weapons on the fly without pauses. I highly recommend those settings if you're familiar with weapon/style swapping in games and don't want to get put out of the action.

There are so many weapon combinations that it's likely you won't see some weapons in a single playthrough. This might sound random but the weapons are balanced well and once you get some favorites you will intentionally aim for them. It never feels like you're forced to use bad weapons. Available tools are designed to work in each stage and often a stage teaches you to use them in a new way.

Copy Kitty has two playable characters that work very differently from eachother. The default is easy to pick up and has solid platforming control while the other has technical weapon use and shmup-like movement. I'd say some of the levels feel better with the first character since platforming stays relevant. On the second characters controlling the weapons can be satisfying and very unique to this game, but I recommend playing through with the default first.

Adventure through abstract and eerie environments with a fitting soundtrack. Some first person platforming and puzzles thrown in. Abstract / minimalist Sci-Fi horror setting with little story exposition.
Notably the visual and audio effects can get pretty extreme. If you have epilepsy or other problems with that kind of thing I recommend stay away. But if not these things add up to an experience most games wouldn't dare to do.

The most constant theme in this game is light and the lack of thereof. The player has to traverse through dark and abstract environments using various cues from the game and their intuition. With the minimalist nature of the graphics much is told via light sources as well.

This game tests your patience, exploration ability, logical & abstract thinking. But in a pretty simple (natural?) way as the mechanics are not complicated. The game gets very wild and imaginative later on and each major level feels unique. It's very much a lonely trek through an unknown space, many people say that loneliness theme is central and I can see why.

Exploration parts are somewhat of a walking simulator but I feel areas are interestingly enough designed to keep it engaging. This is impressive for such a simple game in terms of controls. Throughout the game finding the right paths constantly remains somewhat challenging and encourages keen awareness. Platforming sections get difficult sometimes, but there are many saves placed in key sections to avoid frustration.

I played through the game in 3.7 hours and was amazed it took that little. Felt like an eternity after getting engrossed in the game especially as the later parts were kind of mindblowing. I really don't think I've ever played a game as trippy and exotic as this, and I mean this in a good way. The audiovisuals pull off the crazy moments well and the level design stays solid.

Highly recommended as the game is currently available for free.

Fast-paced anti-gravity racing game that is largely a clone of WipEout 3/SE and 2097 from the WipEout series.

In comparison to most games like this there is more focus of the vertical movement of your ship as it gains height from bumps and controlling ship nozzle to match the track or control elevation.
Like WipEout normal race modes have combat elements where you pick up weapons from pods and managing these properly are key to catching up to AI opponents.

While being based on an older game in terms of core gameplay much of the convenience features and additional game modes from modern titles are added. This makes BallisticNG maybe a more comprehensive game and value for money than any of the official series as more content is added.
Things players might dislike about the WipEout series are the same here, punishing narrow tracks that can 'pinball' the player from slight bad control. Somewhat indirect/floaty ship control with heavy use of 'airbrakes'. (still largely depends on ship)

For fans of this type of game the campaigns can be a really fun challenge. Going for all Platinum medals is tougher than anything in the WipEout series but not by too much to be frustrating. The level of polish from the devs on the stages and campaigns is good enough to compete with the bigger studio titles. The soundtrack is also surprisingly solid and fits the game very well, having been polished further since release.

This is mostly a single-player experience with a large campaign and grinding to improve your times on each track in time trial or speed lap. Online multiplayer has been fleshed out in recent patches and works well but with the size of the playerbase don't expect to run into random players.

This game has been in development for a long time and has multiple expansions. At this point with Outer Reaches DLC the game has plenty of unique gimmicks of its own and a ton of content in terms of tracks and ships.
With workshop and mod support there are plenty of quality fan-made tracks and ships that should continue even when official expansions and major updates stop coming out.

Recommended as a very solid racing game that is a lot of value at this price. But being aimed at a hardcore audience (more than WipEout), the punishing nature of tracks and game modes having combat racing elements may be a turnoff to some.

Boss-fight centered 2D action game with heavy shoot'em'up elements. Mechanically solid, has an absurd amount of content and well designed boss attack patterns. Challenging game that controls very well.

Player characters control similar to Megaman games (eg. Megaman Zero) where you have a ranged charge shot and a variety of melee combos & movement options. Combat and movement control is surprisingly varied with hidden techniques the player might find throughout multiple playthroughs.

Dialogue, art and story(?) can be super cringey but unless that really bugs you I think it's worth ignoring and skipping cutscenes etc.

Rabi-Ribi strives on pushing the player with increasingly more difficult boss fights. There are a huge variety of game modes, superbosses and optional challenges (even for meta-level stuff like speedrunning the game or 0% runs).
Hardcore 2D action fans who enjoy boss fights can get a lot of bang for their buck for all that, others not so much. If you end up enjoying the game there's definitely no lack of content.

Later boss fights take long to finish which can be frustrating if you get stuck. But they have a much larger pool of attacks / unique situations compared to most games so it's more a case of challenge rather than a repetitive/boring fight with a long healthbar.

Exploration/world aspect and platforming levels aren't that notable compared to other metroidvanias. But combat design and boss fights are a major strong point.
I think the post-game "Is The Order a DLC?" makes the rest more interesting with focused and challenging platforming instead of fluff but that may not be for everyone either.

Personally found the soundtrack good all-around too.

[Played through Main game + Order DLC on Hard (standard, no buffs)]

Roguelite / arena shmup with solid gameplay regardless of what random seed you get. Same whether you pick up any powerups or not. The devs clearly know what makes a fun boss fight and how to make interesting situations in normal combat. Has a fun visual and sound style and some charming commentary from NPCs. Influenced by a bunch of indie games & shmups before it, a lot of love for action games and references to them on display here.

Clearing the game wont be that challenging for shmup players if they're used to arcade bullet hells and such. But for almost everyone the difficulty curve is nice and tops out at a level that can be achieved in a variety of ways if this is your first shmup. There's all kinds of S-rank runs and self-imposed challenges to go for after that.

Since it's a roguelite and there's hundreds of potential rooms no playthrough will be the same which makes the game naturally replayable and fun to pick up every now and then. With the solid gameplay and non-reliance on upgrades it always stays fair even while the difficulty fluctuates. The boss encounters are well enough designed and not super punishing so they don't need to be memorized to be beaten either, play smart and you'll succeed.

Indie PC shoot'em'up game by RebRank that was originally released in 2011. Second game in the Samidare series.

RefRain is not a game about dodging bullets. Your character has a lot of special abilities and ways to cancel enemy projectiles. Beating the game on any difficulty is more about shooting aggressively, learning to use your special attacks and timing bullet cancels rather than dodging or reactions.

The game has superb presentation. Menus, interface and all the 2D art look super slick. Great trance soundtrack that often syncs to gameplay and stage progression. 3D can look dated but gets the job done. Easily one of the coolest/cleanest shmup presentations out there.

The main gimmick in RefRain is a special attack system called 'MEFA2' which gives each ship four different special attacks. The fourth level of attack gives you invulnerability and temporarily stuns large enemies and bosses. You also have a bullet cancelling bomb which helps with recharging the MEFA2 based on how many bullets you cancel.
Most bosses can be chained between stun state and bullet cancel for about half of the fight which is weird but gives a satisfying rhythm to combat.

Point blanking and aggressive movement is rewarded with a lot of the ships/attacks which can be fun and awarding. You are given one shield hit per life that gets recharged between stages. Getting hit once or twice will not have a big cost.

Scoring system seems pretty well thought out: involves shooting enemies up close for high value items, timing bullet cancels/MEFA2 perfectly and speedkilling enemies for time bonuses and more waves. On bosses and larger enemies you can activate a big multiplier by dealing hits on them as they are stunned, and finishing off with MEFA2 attacks. This requires precise timing and gauge management. There's an overall multiplier called Prism Count that goes up based on various factors and tanks whenever you get hit. Not sure from my limited experience if scoring play remains exciting/risk=reward at a high level.

RefRain puts a lot of emphasis on the overarching story & theme of being set inside a computer. You get bits of story via unlocked mail messages as you play. The ingame music player even tells you a bit about the development of the game and has art for each song.

There are some obvious nods to older shoot'em'ups such as Ikaruga and Hellsinker. As a warning though: if you're a shmup fan looking for a difficult arcade-level challenge or precise dodging this may not be your thing. Beating the game on the highest difficulty will not be challenging for veterans of the genre. But deathless clear and scoring are there.

For most people I highly recommend this game, at least if you like 2D action games. This can be a great entry point into shoot'em'ups if you haven't really played them before. The game has excellent presentation and you're given a powerful & versatile player ship.
Shooters of this kind that that try different types of gameplay with a ton of effort put into them by small teams are out there. Most of them never got released outside japan, but Degica and some other publishers have been changing that which is awesome.

Superb third person shooter that's somewhat underappreciated. Would be nice to see a future game try something similar. The final boss on god hard difficulty is my favorite boss fight in any action game. It's fun and fair while being very challenging.

Lots of untapped potential in gameplay mechanics. A sequel seems unlikely but maybe there'll be a spiritual sequel (like P.N.03 -> Vanquish) or something heavily influenced.

Has barely any bonus content compared to bayonetta. Only unlocks are the 5 challenge stages and god hard difficulty. Even though it was in development for longer than MGR parts of level design in Vanquish seem rushed.

Something that disappoints me is that Platinum was trying to appeal to western audiences with this game which didnt turn out too successful. Since God Hand and PN03 sold poorly Mikami apparently wanted the dev team to hold back on the crazy stuff, and the soundtrack is mostly generic. I wonder what this game could have been with some more time and freedom. Though I bet they had some ideas for a sequel since the games ending leaves room for one.

God Hard difficulty is perhaps the hardest mode in any game by Platinum. It's unfair and ridiculous at points but can be played through in a stylish way with enough experience.

Versus shoot-em-up with dash and melee mechanics. Trap your opponent with smart movement & combinations of special bullet patterns. Ability to turn into a shmup boss, generally either to finish off your opponent or recover health. Characters are pretty distinct from eachother. High level play is very intense & there's a lot of depth to how attacks can be used for area denial, trapping and rushdown. shmup skills can help you a lot.

Dash vectoring and forming traps with special attacks is quite similar to Virtual-On. This game was my foray into the versus shooter genre so it has a special place for that.

Killer soundtrack by Yasuhisa Watanabe (Metal Black, Kaiser Knuckle) and the Xbox360 version Rev.X looks great.

I wish I had a bigger opportunity to play this against people back when it was more active.

3D Arena fighter with teams of mecha fighting it out. The 2on2 Virtual-On game. Many mechanics were simplified from previous titles and the game has a slower pace.

However with new mechanics came a lot of new techniques and it plays very differently. Melee is stronger in this system and good 2on2 play requires strong teamwork and situational awareness.

Still has a sizeable japanese community, though understandably far less popular than Gundam VS which is a similar 2v2 game & more fleshed out.

Classic space trading, exploration and combat game. Combat is surprisingly good. Engaging story & world. Has a ton of story exposition and side quests along with tens of branching paths & faction allegiances to be made.

Some brokenness (in terms of difficulty) to it with trading exploits and such but still holds together well.

Had a big modding community back in the day. Mods can be used to enhance the main game or turn it into something completely different with the same engine (like a Star Trek game). There are mods which are accurate ports of previous games in the Escape Velocity series.