The closest thing to Touhou in Steam

edit: not anymore

2D shooters are one of those genres that I can't get enough of. While I love older games such as Life Force, XEXEX, and Twin Cobra, I tend to play danmaku titles. You know what I'm talking about right? Dodonpachi, Mushihime-sama Futari, Crimzon Clover, etc. These games are also known as pudding-hells.

QP Shooting is by the guys that put out 100% Orange Juice. How do you go from that to a 2D shooter? I thought this was some kinda joke. It seems like every doujin developer has a danmaku in their pocket. Still, curiousity got the better of me, so I bought this game.

As it turns out, this game is legit.
Hmm..Leaving ya'll in suspense doesn't quite work, when you can see the big fat thumbs-up. Oh well.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the nonsense plot goes sorta like this: In a world where the very existence of bullets is being threatened, one dog-girl can make a difference. QP must brave five stages of intense pudding-filled action. Like any other super-human or prototype-ship, QP has three lives and dies in a single hit. Also, unlike arcade games, you don't get any continues. Fans of credit-feeding? Too bad. I'm going to spoil the ending to this game right now.

SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
QP becomes the Guardian of Bullets and defeats the Sweet Breaker.

What a shame. I ruined the most riveting storyline of 2014 for everybody.
Moving right along...

Since this is a danmaku game, expect to be overwhelmed by lots of pudding. QP Shooting isn't quite like all the other shmups.

Before you even start the game, you have to decide on your Rbit formations. You can have up to three, and you're obligated to switch between them when the situation calls for it. At the start you have some basic formations: a spread shot, a rear-shot, and a narrow power-shot. There's 27 formations in all, and they can include all sorts of wacky combinations. Right now I'm messing around with orbit, twin-shot, and niagara formations. Orbit is fairly decent for getting those weak enemies that like to get away, while the twin-shot provides power as well as flexibility. Niagara is just weird. There's a forward shot, but the Rbits float near the top of the screen and drench everything below with pudding. There isn't any best formation, since everyone has their own play-style and preference. So feel free to experiment, and find one that works for you.

Next up is your hyper mode. As you wreck havoc, a meter fills up. Once it hits 100-150% you can unleash the hyper. Aside from an increased amount of damage, baddies cough up more chain-building stars, and nearby pudding disappears. If you're not collecting stars, your combo-chain will break, and the score will suffer big-time. Death also breaks chains, so try to avoid that too (could be difficult!). One of the other benefits to using hyper is that while it's active your chain is safe (don't get hit by any porridge though!) So what are you? Orthodox, Aggressive, or Defensive? This affects the strength of your hyper as well as how long it lasts.

Each stage consists of the usual mix of weakies, toughies, and everything in-between. Weakies die to a light sneeze, while toughies require a bit of firepower to bring down. Toughies also tend to have armor. This is temporary but it severely limits how much damage you do to them. The thing is, while they can and will fill the screen with pudding, all you have to do is destroy them and all their wishes for your untimely death will turn into lovely stars. Yep, just like other shooters, QP Shooting has pudding-cancelling. You don't have to be in hyper mode either. This is where all that time spent figuring out the best Rbit formations pays off. Keep in mind though that you're going to WANT baddies to clutter your screen, just so you collect more stars when you destroy them.

Unlike most shooters, the bosses in this game aren't just some huge target with a ton of heavy weaponry. They move around, they summon help, and that's a major opportunity for pudding-cancelling. All of the bosses have between 3 and 5 phases, and they'll throw around all kinds of unique patterns and special tricks. This makes for boss-battles that can be really entertaining, since they require the player to approach them differently. QP Shooting isn't just another shmup, where you spend every boss-fight, holding down the laser button and making millimeter-tight dodges.

The overall difficulty of this game is on the lower side. There are four difficulty settings, but for the most part the difference is incremental and not dramatic (aside from a few surprises). It's best to start with normal, see how far that gets you, then drop down to easy for a little while. Once you get a handle on things, then you can work towards the harder difficulties. While you can't continue, the extra lives are surprisingly generous. There's also a conquest mode, where you can practice formations and stages. The setup is a little weird though. You have to beat a stage, then save the game. When you load your save, you can choose what stage to practice.

This is a really enjoyable shooter, but I have a couple issues with it. These can be fixed pretty easily I believe, since they involve the UI. When holding down the "slow" button, a "THIS IS YOUR HIT-POINT! SAY HELLO HIT-POINT!" message circles QP and her hitbox. Naturally QP only dies when her hitbox is touched by pudding. This game operates under the assumption that players know what a hitbox is, so why the message? It's just a distraction. This also applies to the hyper mode indicator. This larger circle surrounding QP lets the player know they have hyper, since their eyes can't always check the top of the screen. All this seems a bit much. Wouldn't a subtle aura suffice? Something noticeable but not distracting. Players aren't going to care if they have 124% or 109%. They'll active the hyper when they need it, whether its for scoring or survival. All I'm asking for is an option to remove this unnecessary info, so I can focus on not getting killed.

QP Shooting - Dangerous!! is well worth a look. As shmup-starved as Steam is, I'm willing to accept anything. However, I can assure you that this recommendation isn't a result of low-standards. The 2D shooter has been around for 30+ years, so I don't tolerate screw-ups. This game not only gets the fundamentals right, it also delivers some neat twists and a sufficient level of challenge.

Not bad for a video-board-game developer eh?

GIB PUDDING
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⣰⣶⣦⣤⣤⣶⣦⣤⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⣀⡀⣠⣾⣿⠇⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣕⢶⣦⣤⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⣾⣿⡟⣼⣿⣿⣿⢰⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡹⣿⣿⣷⡹⣿⣿⣿⣷⣆⠀⠀
⠀⣿⡟⣼⣿⣿⣿⡇⢸⣿⣿⣟⡏⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⢻⣿⣿⣷⡩⣵⣶⣿⠇⠀⠀
⠀⠹⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⡇⣿⣿⣿⡇⢸⡿⣳⣿⣿⣿⡌⣿⣿⣿⣇⢻⣿⠏⠀⠀⠀
⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⢘⢷⢹⣿⣿⡇⣣⠸⠿⠿⢿⣿⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⣼⣟⣿⣿⡿⠛⠘⠯⣧⢻⣿⡇⣣⠀⠀⠀⠀⡹⣧⣽⣿⣿⣿⠌⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀
⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣣⡀⠀⠀⢿⣧⠻⣧⢻⠀⠀⢀⣀⣿⡏⣿⡟⣜⣿⡇⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀
⢸⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣇⢀⣒⢺⣿⣷⣝⣸⡄⠶⠶⢃⣿⣿⣿⡇⣿⣎⢿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀
⢸⡟⠁⢿⣿⢿⣿⣮⣴⣿⣿⠿⠿⢟⣛⢿⣿⡸⣿⣿⣿⢣⣿⠹⣾⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠈⠀⠀⠈⢿⢰⡝⣛⣿⣮⣿⠀⢾⣿⣿⢎⣿⡇⢻⣿⡿⣸⡏⠀⠹⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣷⠆⠉⢛⣛⢓⡒⣿⣶⡟⣧⣬⡜⣿⣇⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠃⠀⠀⠀⢰⣿⣇⢛⣭⢡⣿⣿⢟⢜⣜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠰⣽⡻⣮⣯⢟⡫⣰⢹⡿⣫⢨⣤⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⡝⢶⢀⣀⠀⠷⢝⠨⠥⠭⢭⣶⣿⠏⡟⣸⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣶⣦⡹⠆⡿⣫⣾⢹⣿⣷⣝⢿⡆⡆⣿⣿⣿⢇⡇⠀⠀⡀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⠿⣿⠟⠱⣸⣰⣿⣿⢆⠿⢿⣿⣦⡳⡕⠾⢯⣥⠟⠃⠀⣴⣿⣆
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠲⠟⠘⢇⣛⣛⣵⣾⣿⣷⣶⣶⠟⡅⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⡏
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣤⡩⢛⣭⣭⣭⣯⣭⣶⣿⣿⣶⣤⣤⢙⣿⠻⠟⠋⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⠾⠛⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠿⠿⠿⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢟⣡⣾⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣿⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣷⢀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⡍⡛⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⠍⠡⣐⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣎⣈⡈⡃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡍⠭⠍⡁⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣵⣷⣶⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣫⣵⠶⡅⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠛⠛⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠯⠾⠿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀

The game is quite fun, with amazing story as well as incredibly challenging!
However my only problem is that easy mode for me is quite hard.
There are various game modes such as Arcade and Conquest mode in Conquest you can
save your game data after every stage and continue from there if you lose so no worries there.

All it all it is a amazing game and definitely lives up to the tag of "bullet hell."
I would highly recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of this genre and loves anime.
The people at Orange Juice have done it again with a simple but fun amazing game.

I came for the bonus character.
Stayed for the pudding.

A seemingly typical doujin shooter in which bullets are almost always cancelled when their source is killed. In this way, a little extra emphasis is placed on accurate shooting and offensive play. To help, you also have a swarm of "R-bit" guns orbiting your ship which you can re-arrange on the fly in a number of patterns. It's only through the skillful application of these patterns that you can dispatch enemies before their curtain fire reaches you, uncluttering the screen and keeping your anime friend alive. In addition to your hyper mode functioning as a shield in desperate times, extends come fairly easy in this game, making it forgiving in spite of its difficulty.

Its oddball style will undoubtedly make some players feel alienated while others roll their eyes. However, for the thoughtful STG fan who can embrace (or look past) its quirkiness, this is a robust and flavorful offering with a great soundtrack and a subtle bite in its mechanics.

A must have game for any bullet hell fan! QP Shooting Dangerous!! charms with it's cheerful style and tons of gaming customization options!
The game has 2 play modes - the classic arcade one, no continue allowed, and you play the levels in order, or the Conquest Mode, that saves your progress and allows you to progress one stage at a time or practice a stage over and over, so when you go arcade you can rack up the highscore!
The most important game mechanic for me is this : when you kill an enemy, all it's bullets on the screen become stars, that you automatically gather and they fill your Hyper bar. So most of the time your best chance of survival is killing everything on screen in a timely fashion :p Once you get hit ( you start with 3 hearts, enough for 3 hits) all the bullets on the screen disappear, but new ones are there in no time and you have like a second or 2 of invulnerability. Another major mechanic is the Hyper ability - it get's filled with you gathering stars and when you activate it all bullets on screen turn into stars, all stars turn into yellow stars (more valuable than the normal green stars) and you get extra damage. Around the hyper ability there are 3 gameplay styles - Orthodox, Defensive or Aggressive style. Orthodox is the balanced one, Aggressive gives you more damage in and out of Hyper mode, but the length of the mode is significantly reduced, and Defensive mode - the opposite of aggressive. I played the aggressive one when I progressed, but I think the orthodox is really the one I had the most success with.
The way you shoot is determined by the formation you choose - and there are 3 you can "equip" out of 28 available / unlockable. You get points to unlock further formations by playing the game and achieving highscores. I have not experimented or unlocked enough formations, but I like the default ones - you pretty much need a focus fire in front of you, one for a spread that you'll use most of the time, and one with reverse shooting direction, so you can take care of backstabbing enemies.
Don't kid yourself, the game looks cute and the story is hilarious ( PUDDING!!1), but the levels are pretty tough even on normal difficulty settings. The controls are tight, there is full controller support and you can even rebind not only your keyboard controls, but even your gamepad keys - I love this!
The best part for me as let's player is the fact, that once your game is over, you're presented with the option to save your run, so you can watch it later - I find this awesome, as commentating while playing a bullet hell is a damn hard task :p
QP Shooting Dangerous!! is a pretty well rounded and cute looking bullet hell, a must have for every fan on the genre and with 4 difficulty settings to chose from, maybe for newcomers as well. Add steam trading cards to the low price tag and this becomes a really easy recommendation!

TL:DR you can check my let's play videos, the first one is kind of on overview of the game :
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=341797065
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=341797064
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=341797062

This is even harder than trying to get actual pudding from the grocery store during the holidays.

But, that is sorta what you want in a bullethell game. The unlockable formations add even more replay value as you try to fight your way through using different combinations.

Highly recommended.

It's pretty much what you'd expect from a bullet hell game (that's a good thing), and I don't think I have to comment on the visual style since you get that from the screenshots and video, but the Rbit system does deserve some attention.

Rbits are rabbit... bits that fire bullets to supplement QP's firepower. What makes them interesting is that you can choose how they fire. That is, in front of you, behind you, to the side, rotating, and so on. In any particular play you've got a set of 3 Rbit formations you can switch on the fly. This means picking a few bullet patterns to handle different enemy and boss patterns. There's a total of 28 different shot patterns that QP has access to, but only 5 of them start unlocked. You can unlock more as you play the game more, and these unlocks are persistent through plays, giving the game some permanant progression without making QP objectively more powerful (as opposed to something like Danmaku Unlimited's upgrade system). You may or may not want to pick a new set of formations really, since the starting ones are the standard suspects that you'd be used to. Maybe you want to try something crazy? Try getting the trap formation (which doesn't shoot, it places the Rbits down in a spot for as long as you're using the formation, and the Rbits do damage to enemies that collide with them), then place that where you know a boss is going to be sitting. Certainly things like the trap formation are very situational, but that's fine since you have access to three that you can switch between with the press of a button at any time on any given play.

The Rbits certainly don't revolutionize the genre or evern change it very much at all, but still, they're a very nice touch.

The only thing I could really bring up as a negative is that I'm not particularly into the music. The music isn't bad, but it's certainly not something I'd listen to outside of playing the game. That's not a huge knock by any means, but when it comes to bullet hell games I've grown accustomed to loving the sound tracks, so it sticks out when I'm not absolutely in love with the music.

I haven't done this in a while... but I thought I would do a review for this game.

Pros:
+ The graphics are very bright and cheery, and overall fun to look at. All of the characters in this game use two demensional sprites in front of a three dementional background that scrolls as if they are fighting in the skies.

+ The music in this game is very cute and well done. It fits in perfectly with the looks and design of this game. I found myself enjoying the game's music as I played through the game.

+ I have yet to play this game using my keyboard, but using a controller is really nice for this game... once you find out which button does what. Overall, the controls work very smoothly for this game.

Cons:
- Regardless of whatever difficulty you're playing with, this game is VERY unforgiving. Enemies will fly around in all corners and shoot at you endlessly until you either kill them, or wait for them to fly right off the screen.

- While I said earlier it's very fun to play this game with a controller, it's also disappointing to see how many buttons on said controller go unused for this game. (only the 4 main buttons, the left analog stick, and the Start button are useable)

Final Verdict: 8/10 ~ Overall, I found this game to be very fun and challenging. I enjoy some Shoot 'Em Ups and I am an anime fanatic, but that is not my reason for giving this game a positive review. The graphics, the soundtrack, and the controls appeal to me so much, and you will get used to them pretty quick. I will recommend this game to anyone who enjoys Shoot 'Em Up games and are looking for a challenge because this game's insanely hard difficulty will test you as you try to play through it.

If you want to play this game and try it out for yourself, then by all means play this game. :D: