Super Hydorah

Oh thank the gods...after 11 total games that failed to leave a positive impression (2 okay, 9 duds), I finally got a game I not only enjoyed, but would wholeheartedly recommend to all shoot 'em up fans. Is it perfect? Absolutely not, but when so many others strictly adhere to the arcade format, and simply toss enemies at you (not that anything's bad with said design), Super Hydorah not only delights, but also surprises, and rarely ever frustrates. [b][u]Subjective Merits:[/u][/b] - Very charming art style, and superbly-executed pixel art. - Varied suite of levels that take you everywhere from asteroid fields, to snow fields, to ancient reefs, ancient ruins, destroyed fleets, and more. - Levels are also plentiful... - ...and can be tackled in a somewhat arbitrary order. The map branches at points, and you're not lokced into any one branch. - Every level has a secret item/zone to find. - Animal-organic/meat/womb/viscera level! - Some levels are wildly creative, and several portions deeply surprised and delighted, doing things I've not seen done in other shoot 'em ups. - Has a very Gradius feel to it. - The new weapons you get at the end of levels were very much a delight to find out the identity of, even if I stuck with just a few. - As such, it's like Satazius...but more preferable to me. - bosses galore...almost to a fault, but every one is very much a different beast so to speak. - The game saves, and you can quit out between levels, or during one to preserve your score. This is to say the “Beat the game without continuing, and smashing all seeds” achievement can be very eas [b][u]What Could Be Better?[/u][/b] - Some secrets are very obvious, others are...smashing yourself into a tiny space. - The space ones don't have any indication a secret is present before you grab it. A little sparkle would be very helpful, as not finding a secret/looking at a guide can punish the player... - ...because you cannot revisit levels to power up and find other secrets. - Ordinarily this wasn't an issue, but as I pigeonholed myself into having only 1 speed at one level, and had to go back to a previous save I copy-pasted to anotherr location to get past it, soft-locking may be possible. - On that topic, the penultimate level is ridiculously-difficult, with me needing to restart it several times after a quit to title to do it without dying. - If you want the ending achievements, you need to beat the last level without smashing all the seeds, then go through the map and beat it using the title quit exploit to beat the game without using continues (you can continue from a bad ending save), then go back again, lose all your lives on said stage, continue, and beat it a third time. - the hit-spongey mini-boss of the level means this is rather fatiguing. - Barely an issue, but one level is called “Silent Tomb” on the map, but the Gradius Gaiden-esqu title card calls it “Silent Fleet”. [b][u]Verdict:[/u][/b] While I'm not sure what the “Super” upgrade brings, as I only briefly played the original and didn't even beat stage 2 all those years ago, very little is wrong with this, (when exploiting the “Without continues” achievement, looking at a secrets guide, and utilising a previous save to beat “No Mercy” effectively), and what is does not drag it down too heavily. [b][u]Placed In:[/u][/b] 2: Amicably-Approved!

This is a good Gradius inspired indie game. It is a bullet hell difficult even on 3 shield easy setting for me, and has couple endings and secrets. Creative.

I was never a huge Gradius fan. This game is like Gradius. So why do i like it then? .... I have no idea. Because reasons? Or something?

Do you love Gradius? Or maybe R-Type? Then this is a gift from the gods, plain and simple.