From a bullet hell noob: This is the most fun I've had in any game this year!

[Travis.touchdown]

See title. :-)

Being the first bullet hell game I've ever tried, I'm astonished as to how thoroughly I'm enjoying Deathsmiles! So consider this a love letter to CAVE, Degica (who are bringing these amazing games to Steam) and fellow CAVE aficionados around here.

Now, I suck atrociously at Deathsmiles, yet still, I can appreciate the game for its beautiful visuals and finely tuned gameplay alone rather than just being obsessed with achieving highscores. There's something strangely mesmerizing to it, and I feel that -- while I may never be a pro -- I keep improving with each run, if only marginally so.

That being said, what other bullet hell games would you guys recommend? I've been looking at Mushihimesama, but I've also found out there's the sequel, "Futari", so I may want to hold out until that's eventually released on Steam? In any case, here's to hoping CAVE/Degica will bring many more of their games to Steam!

Sincerely,

a newly converted fan

[Travis.touchdown]

cptquint eredeti hozzászólása:

Raiden is a very different beast. Personally, I find Raiden very hard. Fast bullets that follow you.
You might like it though.
Advice: try before you buy, if you can.

Oh, alright, I wasn't aware I was essentially comparing apples to oranges here. As a newcomer to arcade shmups in general, I thought that any sub-genre other than bullet hell would be relatively easy. Alas, I must've been wrong...

@chaoticenigma: Thank you for the detailed insight!

Though I've yet to 'master' both Deathsmiles (quite likely) and Mushihimesama (unlikely ;-) ), I'm eager to give Raiden a spin -- if only to see what different flavors the genre has on offer. As I've come to appreciate the genre thanks to Deathsmiles, I almost feel I must have been living under a rock for years, given the amount of critically acclaimed shmups hailing from Japan.

[Rudy]

Travis.touchdown eredeti hozzászólása:

cptquint eredeti hozzászólása:

Raiden is a very different beast. Personally, I find Raiden very hard. Fast bullets that follow you.
You might like it though.
Advice: try before you buy, if you can.

Oh, alright, I wasn't aware I was essentially comparing apples to oranges here. As a newcomer to arcade shmups in general, I thought that any sub-genre other than bullet hell would be relatively easy. Alas, I must've been wrong...

@chaoticenigma: Thank you for the detailed insight!

Though I've yet to 'master' both Deathsmiles (quite likely) and Mushihimesama (unlikely ;-) ), I'm eager to give Raiden a spin -- if only to see what different flavors the genre has on offer. As I've come to appreciate the genre thanks to Deathsmiles, I almost feel I must have been living under a rock for years, given the amount of critically acclaimed shmups hailing from Japan.

You might wanna try out Crimzon Clover also, it's a really good and fun shmup and is probably the closest to a CAVE shmup you can get on steam that isn't made by CAVE.

[Travis.touchdown]

EastNewSound eredeti hozzászólása:

You might wanna try out Crimzon Clover also, it's a really good and fun shmup and is probably the closest to a CAVE shmup you can get on steam that isn't made by CAVE.

Oh, right, I had noticed that one, too. Thanks! Looks impressive, given that it was developed by a single guy.

[x CRP x]

some other shumps on steam worth a look
http://store.steampowered.com/app/378770
http://store.steampowered.com/app/407380
http://store.steampowered.com/app/377870
http://store.steampowered.com/app/379520
http://store.steampowered.com/app/364250

[Travis.touchdown]

x CRP x eredeti hozzászólása:

some other shumps on steam worth a look [...]

Appreciated! ¡Gracias!

The only one I've heard of from that list is DARIUSBURST. Now, it certainly is a looker, but the current price tag rather suggests 'save for Steam sale'. ;-)

[Soriel]

Loved Deathsmiles. Great bullet hell game. Would love to see those that made the genre popular. Anyone agreeing with me that Touhou games should be ported on Steam?

[Pawnstar]

Soriel eredeti hozzászólása:

Loved Deathsmiles. Great bullet hell game. Would love to see those that made the genre popular. Anyone agreeing with me that Touhou games should be ported on Steam?

Yotube for the interview where ZUN talked about porting to Steam.

[Travis.touchdown]

fireballcarwar eredeti hozzászólása:

Hurricane of the Varstray is a good bullet hell shmup for beginners thanks to its extremely forgiving shield mechanic:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/416380/

I've tried it, and frankly, I couldn't get into it. I certainly give the game credit for its attempt to present a story that exceeds the minimalist approach of its brethren ("The bad guys are bad. You must defeat them!"), and the character designs are decent, too. However, apart from that, I found it to be a bland and uninspired title -- save for its shield mechanic maybe, which on the downside, though, significantly diminishes the level of challenge present in most of its peers.

Whether it's the level or enemy design or the core mechanics, there is nothing about The Hurricane of the Varstray that wows me. Granted, Studio SiestA is a small indie developer, so with that in mind, you may want to cut them some slack. Still, all things considered, it doesn't offer anything, in my opinion, that hasn't been done better elsewhere. Now, my shmup expertise is still limited, but I wouldn't see any incentive to play this over, let's say, Raiden IV or ESCHATOS (which I'm enjoying a great bit, by the way).

[NeoStrayCat]

I'm surprised none mentioned Caladrius (Blaze), lol. Its atmosphere is similar to DeathSmiles, in a gothic horror fashion, but plays in similarity to the Raiden series, but with different mechanics. Although, it does have one thing its going for than DS...fanserice...yep, you heard that right, the game's Shame Break system.

Yes, its been out in consoles (X360/PS3) and in Arcade with an upcoming PS4 and possible steam release (if what the steam DB info holds out) not too far ahead.

[Travis.touchdown]

x CRP x eredeti hozzászólása:

some other shumps on steam worth a look
http://store.steampowered.com/app/378770
http://store.steampowered.com/app/407380
http://store.steampowered.com/app/377870
http://store.steampowered.com/app/379520
http://store.steampowered.com/app/364250

Once more, thank you for these recommendations!

I had played about an hour of "Strania - The Stella Machina" before concluding that it isn't really for me -- at least, I couldn't justify spending 15 $ on it, given that I found it merely okay-ish.
Which is a bummer, because I was taken with the anime and mecha designs as well as enjoying the soundtrack.
However, I couldn't wrap my head around the game's tri-weapon design. While it's certainly an original feature that sounds great on paper, I feel that the game's primary challenge lies in avoiding to pick up weapons that will screw you over. I assume it was done by design, but I quickly grew tired of managing my weapon loadout. If you pick up inconvenient combinations at certain points -- which will frequently happen to everyone but seasoned veterans --, the game will kick your butt to the moon and back.

With all that being said, I might still give it another go, should it be reasonably discounted in the future.

As for ESCHATOS: I can't thank you enough for bringing it up! I was initially put off by its 'shovelware' graphics, but it simply rocks, nuff said. :-)

[Travis.touchdown]

@NeoStrayCat: I see you seem to dig Strania quite a bit. Taking into account what I've written in my previous post, would you say I'm approaching the game the wrong way or is it really all about managing your weapon loadout -- and coping with the occasional unfortunate combo?

[AwesamLinux]

@Travis, I have played lots of Shmups but didn't really get into Strania either, I would say that is mainly because of the melee/weapon system.

Personally I would highly recommend Crimson Clover and Mushihimesama.

[NeoStrayCat]

Travis.touchdown eredeti hozzászólása:

@NeoStrayCat: I see you seem to dig Strania quite a bit. Taking into account what I've written in my previous post, would you say I'm approaching the game the wrong way or is it really all about managing your weapon loadout -- and coping with the occasional unfortunate combo?

Well, that depends, yes, the game makes frequent use of its 3 weapon system, but it works well in the way you want, just avoid the weapons that'll unfortunately end your run in certain parts of certain stages. Hint: Using the sword swings repeatedly while coming into contact to a weapon you don't want or in a crowded terrain will bypass that weapon to not pickup, it'll work just in case for a survival situation.

[x CRP x]

Travis.touchdown eredeti hozzászólása:

However, I couldn't wrap my head around the game's tri-weapon design. While it's certainly an original feature that sounds great on paper, I feel that the game's primary challenge lies in avoiding to pick up weapons that will screw you over....

As for ESCHATOS: I can't thank you enough for bringing it up! I was initially put off by its 'shovelware' graphics, but it simply rocks, nuff said. :-)

check the stg weekly for strania, havent watch it myself yet though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6x__i_wtL4
They also have vid's for all the other games i mentioned. Eschantos is great game, i had the same thoughts about the graphics before playing it :)

[Travis.touchdown]

Sam eredeti hozzászólása:

@Travis, I have played lots of Shmups but didn't really get into Strania either, I would say that is mainly because of the melee/weapon system.

Personally I would highly recommend Crimson Clover and Mushihimesama.

Well, with Strania, I felt that the weapon system was specifically designed to make me rage-quit. ;-) To others, I guess, managing it is the main appeal. It's sad, because when I didn't curse my current weapon loadout with the fury of a thousand suns, I was intrigued by Strania's fast-paced action, its original level designs and slick art direction.

I've already purchased Mushihimesama and been loving it so far! I will keep an eye on Crimzon Clover, given all the praise it has received -- next Steam sale, and I'm in.