DRAINUS

Very good arcade fun overall. Doing well really makes you feel powerful as you shoot blasts and missiles every which way. Negatives: -The story is...kind of there, in the same way that technically Doom 2 had a story. It was about 2 sentences long, but it was a story. -Dialogue: it's really bad. What grown woman refers to her father as "daddy" repeatedly? No, it's not a k*** thing, I assure you. -Game needs just a few more weapon sockets for my fighter...no I'm not greedy... -Major issue: sometimes terrain and enemies will come at you in such a way that you cannot dodge or destroy them in time. You just gotta eat the damage. Sometimes when you die, the game will summon your next fighter into a wall for a bit. You take damage from this, obviously. During one particular level you need to enter into these spinning hamster wheels with only a small opening. Only...sometimes the wheels don't spin, and it's a side scrolling game. Obviously you take the damage from this. Lose a life.

Excellent shmup that deserves the overwhelmingly positive review score it currently enjoys. Has some really great level design that challenges players without being completely ridiculous. Centers around a counter mechanic that allows you to absorb shots and fire a counter-attack, though how much you can absorb is limited, so the player must use this ability tactically. The player's ship is also extremely customizable with a huge variety of interesting weapons, which is fantastic for replayability and supports different playstyles. The plot is uncomplicated and provides a good backdrop for the gameplay. The game is long enough to feel very satisfying to beat, but without dragging on. Has a great soundtrack as well. Considering the high quality of this and their other works, Team Ladybug is definitely a developer to keep an eye on.

Love the beautiful visuals and spritework, with gameplay feels like good ol' Gradius. Only gripe that I wish there was more beyond the 5 hr playtime. 10/10

Insanely good visuals