i love this game it's so good, my brain feels fuzzy!!

There are 2 modes to the game, Arcade which is your traditional shmup, Original which is a mode that lets you play custom edited character with roguelike elements (level up aspect, customising weapon combinations)

TBH the whole game feels like a roguelike using shmup mechanics; very grindy at that but if the game is fun, that should not be a problem right? well, the game gets super repetitive after you have tried all weapons and start recognising which funny name is given to which bosses (around 3 hour mark?)

Some weapons clearly overpower others, and once you figure this out Original>Chronicle mode just becomes a chore to play which is a real shame because this is the meat of the game with roguelike elements and a supposed timesinker. It has done a good job in terms of player retention (at least for a few hours) as many people who don't usually play shmups buy the game, beat arcade using continues and uninstall; with this game however, it tries to keep the player engaged with a roguelike mode promising the player even if they are not great at the genre, with time you will be able to beat the game (via high stats and high level weapons). It also does a nice job with 2 tutorials, one that covers shmup fundamentals, and another more specific to the game itself. The only shortcoming here is that there lacks an ingame explanation of guiding the player from tutorials>orginal>chronicle mode (speaking in terms of smooth transition + player experience as it took me a while to figure out story mode can also be played from original mode, with custom weapons which means difficulty becomes redundant if you have higher stats and gear)

In regards to arcade mode, if you are not a shmupper, and want to use your willpower+time+resources to face challenges somewhere else in life besides a niche videogame genre, you can totally skip it; the playable ships are all just combinations of what you can make in original mode anyway, with a different look+stat variant. The story is honestly who gives a flying funk, and remember you can play the story if you are so into the lore via original mode with your OP machine, not some underpowered jank.

Now onto some big flaws. There is a lot of ♥♥♥♥ on screen with bullets, effects, bullet effects, enemies, explosions, your own bullets etc and because they all use 'warm' colours it becomes hard to tell where you got hit when you get hit (I mean, explosions and enemy bullet uses same colour wtf). A lot of the bullets from the side of the screen will catch you, and although you get better at identifying what can hit you and what you can run into or pick up, the colour scheme is still a big problem; there is a colour edit option ingame to customise these but hey, we do not want to spend 2 hours tinkering we just want to play. I have had no problem like this with other shmups like mushihimesama, and that game also has a lot of ♥♥♥♥ on screen.

The other problem is weapon balance; some are just ♥♥♥♥, and there is a clear winning combination. I will not spoil it for you, but you will know it when you see it.

Going back to the problem of repetitive gameplay, this is the primary reason why I do not recommend this game unless you are a shmupper, and even if you are a die hard shmup machine, surely there are better shmups to play. At the core of the game, and furthermore the genre, there are some enjoyable aspects worth your time such as facing numerous bosses in bossrush, testing your skills and pattern recognition, coming up with a strategy to beat them which is a lot similar to popular games like Dark Souls series or Megaman; Original mode>chronicle is also fun initially as there are 40 weapons to try, and if you are into earning ingame resources to power up your character then there is some fun to be had (or just play darkest dungeon). While this game has done a decent job at creating a shmup game + player retention + inviting new players to the genre, and I will go as far as to say the direction of the game is definitely something I would also agree with in terms of which direction shmup needs to evolve towards, it still was not able to 'overcome' the problem of simplesque, monotous, basic gameplay that this genre has which plagues a potentially great game mode chronicle could have been.

Now if I had the ability to erase my memory to play anything again just to relive that first time experience, this will not be the game. I got it on sale but even that feels like I paid too much.

I haven't even started the game yet but this is the best ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ tutorial I've ever seen in a shmup. Anyone who genuinely wants to learn how to play these games should start here as it goes over some pretty important fundamentals that can help with every shmup in existence.

EDIT: I feel like the tutorial was some sort of meta joke because this is one of the weirdest shmups I've played in awhile lmao

good schmup

Come for the almost Body Horror-esque visual style, stay for the fun and adrenaline pumping shooting action! Angel at Dusk might be a bit too simple for most people, as well as too easy for Bullet Hell veterans and too hard for greenhorns, yet it manages to offer quite the enjoyable ride. It mostly suffers in the replayability department, but if found at a good discount, it’s solid recommendation for genre fans and not only.

Rating:
7/10
Read Full Review Here[www.cubed3.com]

Yes

Have you played the new Doom games? This feels just like that but in shmup form

Akiragoya is an interesting developer for sure. This game feels like jumping a generation for his "Galshell" series, which is also a hilariously over the top gore fest with vaguely sexy monster women. Usually, if someone is doing a purposely grotesque game, there's a layer of cynicism or snark to it. Akiragoya however makes it sound more like a grunge metal head uncle going on about why he likes skulls so much. It's a much goofier vibe than you'd think. It continues with things like calling the starting difficulty "Very Hard" (easy) and near incomprehensible names for the angels in the game.

The story of the game is actually interesting and expansive since every stage you clear will give you more context, but your first run through the game gives you these essential bullet points anyway. Basically, humanity slowly begins to get rid of all desires through scientific enhancement to the point where they get rid of intelligence altogether and become simple minded beings that can only feel happiness called Angels. As Angels live for billions of years, the sun starts to erode the environment and reawakens their feelings slowly but surely. As Angels embark on forming societies and wars against each other, your character is the last vestiges of a resistance that wants to leave the planet before everything is eradicated by the sun, fighting all opposition on your way. It's a very bizarre tale but one I really enjoy. All the extra notes go into the specifics of why things collapsed and how Angels cope with this reawakening.

The music is bizarre, sounding more like a spaghetti western than a post-apocalyptic corrupted planet. It has its charm points but I haven't really felt the urge to listen to it outside of the game.

Despite the appearance of the game, this is actually one of the most accessible titles of a bullet hell out there. Tutorial is one of the best entry points next to Gunvein's, even copying the hitbox indicator from that game where there's a cross that emanates from it so you can pay attention to it from half-screen. You have a constantly regenerating health, bomb, and bullet canceling charge attack at all times with everything charging faster if you go for close range kills on enemies. You also take no contact damage and only get bumped a bit away, so you can slam into enemies no problem. This is how it encourages aggression, since enemy bullets are much quicker than regular games if they do get the chance to fire off. So, you simply don't let them as often as you can. As you level up by defeating enemies, your shots and actual life bar go up, so you can end up taking a lot of hits in earlier difficulties by the end. Later enemies will deal multiple pips of life per hit so you still have to be somewhat careful until then. Bosses play more like old school ones where you'll want to prioritize breaking parts that fire troublesome bullets first, so there's a special satisfaction from literally tearing a boss limb from limb and seeing it only fire one pattern at you.

Meat of the gameplay is between a couple modes, your standard arcade mode affair with three different campaigns but you'll only have access to one at the start. Once you beat it, you'll get the extra difficulties and start to go toward unlocking the other ship types. The other game mode is chronicle, a continuation of a trend from his previous game Steel Vampire, where you go through a very expansive "pick the next level" style mode collecting random weapon drops along the way, which can then be used to customize your next foray into it. I just made my ship resemble a dodonpachi one with a charge laser and piercing shots. There's a lot of ending points in it, and you'll have to go through all of it to get the true last boss of the game.

The only major con I can think of is that these modes do have an annoying grind to them. I don't think it's as bad as dariusburst or r type final 1/2 which are still games that get recommended despite those issues, but prepare yourself for a long haul. Arcade only has ships that'll take a couple hours to unlock with the conditions, chronicle mode is the real contender with weapons dropped at different power levels depending on how far you get and a massive level gap defense increase if you're too low, meaning all you have to do is slam your face against the highest you can go until you can go up a few levels next time. Chronicle mode and arcade mode have notes for every stage, adding to something insane like 177 story notes altogether.

Other than some wonky translation, It's a much more enjoyable experience than the weird outlook of it would make you think. Very casual yet still makes you play very aggressively. Highly polished, basic yet unique, and full of charm. An improvement over his last work, Steel Vampire, in pretty much every way.

This game was made by a guy who's been creating insane doujin shmups since the 90's, and I feel like this might be his magnum opus or at least a breakout hit. I've seen chatter about this game outside of shmup circles and I think that even if you're not a hardcore shmup nut this game might be able to hook you.

Akiragoya's games are super unique, there's almost no shmups that feel as chaotic and manic while being as approachable, constantly having you zip around to collect power ups and i-frames and aggressively taking enemies down at close range, all while dodging patterns that are simple but spectacular and play into the high movement and aggression focus. And that's to say nothing of how JUICY it all is with some of the best explosions and screenshake and screenfilling weapons in the market.

What this one also brings to the table compared to his other games is a ton of content that should satisfy even players who usually get bored after one playthrough of a shmup. It's practically four games in one with multiple "episodes" and a branching pathed pseudo-rpg mode that's incredibly addictive and well done.

It even has a compelling story and setting, which I can only describe as "an insane heavy metal fan tries to write a setting around h.r giger's paintings" with lore and an unfolding epic saga of humanities return to humanity gradually uncovered across all the episodes and playthroughs.

Even if you're not much of a shmupper, I highly recommend this game. It's just stupidly fun to play and this guy really knew how to make a shmup that should appeal even to normies.

great graphics, easy to play good for people new to shmups.