that gif of patrick bateman listening to his headphone with his eyes closed
Avoid the arcade release at all costs and go for the xbox 360 release (xenia) or the switch version. while the original Espgaluda was a great entry level shmup, it also felt very drawn out and the soundtrack also felt weak. Espgaluda II ends up being a very challenging shmup despite still having the slowdown mechanic that made the original so approachable. but this means it's also a lot more intense and engaging. also this has the best soundtrack out of cave games by far.
I don't think I'm scoring a 1cc on this game anytime soon but I sure am enjoying my time a lot with it.