Recent reviews by Carina

I've had my time with this game in the past. Unfortunately it currently runs really poorly. I recommend watching the game's updates before purchasing.

What's the issue? It runs slower like it's PAL (50 MHz), but the audio is also pitched down. That can be something that's usually tolerated, but it also ticks multiple times a second like it's lagging. It natively launches in fullscreen and I've tried windowed mode with different settings.

Note this also only includes the US Genesis version (Final Zone) and the JP Mega Drive version (Axis). The X68000 version is missing and this is because of the owner not agreeing to it.

Watch this for updates and buy it after the lagging issue is fixed. I will be watching and plan on repurchasing it after (if it's possible)

As someone from back in the day who loves The Guardian Legend for life, this mostly scratches the itch for a spiritual sequel, but not fully. In one of the later stages, you get those infamous fish enemies that comes down the sides of the screen during the shmup part.

This is more linear vs TGL. It's stage based and you only go through one part at a time instead of having the ability to roam around everywhere via finding keys to access new areas. While TGL had roughly 50/50 ratio of classic Zelda vs shmup parts, this game weighs mostly on the exploring aspect. I wish it had longer shmup parts. Some people would feel this is more like Blaster Master Zero (roaming around outside of the Sofia) instead of classic Zelda. Same type of game, I'm just more old school.

It stays true to the NES feel in sound and graphics. When you get to the next stage, it gives you that "color palette change" feel.

There are two types of secondary weapons. From the beginning and at every checkpoint, you can choose between a small number of "main secondary" meaning you'll have two types of main shots assigned to one button. Then there's a different set of secondary weapons assigned to a different button but it relies on a meter. The difference with this vs TGL is that when your secondary weapon meter gets low/runs out, your main weapons don't downgrade. And then you have another move such as dash that gives you several iframes which is great for dodging.

Throughout the game, you'll find a very small number of "EC's" which is kind of a money system. This allows you to buy the other secondary weapons that rely on your meter. I would recommend buying the "secret door detector" on the first stage so you can always find money to buy them.

For someone who prefers non-bullethell games, there are certainly parts where it gets very bullethell; the boss fights. The ship form seems to have a tight hitbox so you really have to be careful (you can dash while in ship mode to take advantage of those iframes). I can handle it, but casual players might get turned off at these parts.

The game feels solid and I haven't encountered any bugs, strange jankiness, or getting stuck anywhere. The only thing I wish is that it asks you if you really want to quit to the title screen because I did that at the beginning. So be careful during the pause menu! Luckily it autosaves at checkpoints. If you die at the bosses during the shmup part, you don't have to start back at the beginning.

Final word: If you came here because of TGL, you should get this. It may not 100% scratch the itch, but it gets pretty darn close, especially for that price.

Force times 4!

This feels like if Life Force was all tate which is basically Crisis Force without that ship's special abilities. But then there's bricks on the ground you break a la Star Force. Then the name of the game is Xelan Force. That's why I call it "Force times 4" in a math sense xD (okay, all jokes aside)

There's a nod to Compile where some enemies release tiny pods that you grab to slowly upgrade your regular weapon. Then there's the Gun Nac/PC Engine feel with the secondary power up grabs. And what I mean by that is that secondary weapon & missile grabs will weave back & forth across the screen while changing, so sometimes you have to dodge the power up or else you'll grab the wrong weapon. Another nod is Xevious where it has the square enemies with a flipping animation that blocks your bullets. Just let them flip downward off the screen.

While this is a tate shmup, there is one level of the game where the scrolling changes, but your ship is still pointed upwards. There are some dodging stages with tight corridors and one part that speeds up (sorry if I'm giving too much away).

There's 8 stages total and the ending has a questionable element as well as a hint of a possible sequel. I would say it takes about 40 minutes to play all the way through from start to finish.

You have the choice of two drone types: Follow you around in a trail or stationary beside you. The stationary ones have a dedicated button to change their fire configuration. Otherwise, you're just holding one button the whole time.

Some bosses are impossible to hit with some secondary weapons. You'll need to wait for a drop to change it.

There's not much button configuration and they sometimes feel like you're holding down a turbo button set. So if you pause while holding the shot button down, you might just immediately unpause. If you beat a boss while never releasing fire, you'll have to unrelease it and hold it again when the next level starts or your ship won't fire at all.

The challenge is not too punishing overall and certainly nowhere as hard as Recca, but you can't sleep on anything. You also have to be careful of enemies coming from behind sometimes and without notice. You'll need to memorize the stages to know when they can come out. It's not too often. When there's one wave, you can expect a few more.

All in all, if you want a shmup that has a total NES feel in both graphics, sound, and playability without any flickering, you've come to the right place. The price is quite nice as well. If you like what you see in the screenshots, I highly recommend getting it.

I love this game so much! While the time that I wrote this was 30 minutes playtime, there is a free version available that I played a lot so I knew what to expect. This has some extras that aren't found in the free version. This is worth way more than $4 and I was happy to buy as soon as I got the email about it.

Basically a love letter to Compile vertical shmups with other references here and there. There are 5 weapons to choose from. While I won't give away any major spoilers, this version lets you set the preferred weapon number of choice in the Options Menu. Otherwise, it will cycle through the numbers which means you might have to dodge at times. There's a lot of other little neat surprises as well.

I'm digging the music. It's very high energy. While I was never really a fan of vocaloid music (which can be disabled), this made me like the style to where maybe I'll make one for fun in the future.

Zakichi has made quite a number of shmups that are great. There's another one on here called Kaikan that I also recommend. Hope they plan on bringing Vastynex next!

The only thing I don't like is that sometimes it's hard to know what enemy lines can hit or not hit you. This is just a learning curve. Once you discover, you'll then know. This is very colorful and at times the screen has a lot going on. I wouldn't call this a bullethell, but it gets really close to being one at times.

If you've never played a zakichi game before, be prepared for a concentrated high energy trip! This is fast paced with random bouts of high & fast bullet count. So expect to move around the whole time. I had no issues configuring buttons or choosing my preferred screen size. No crashes or slow downs. There are many ships to choose from that each have a unique firing system and speed movement. Since each ship has a specific weapon, you'd have to start a completely new play with a different ship.

My other fav's by them are ZAKESTA, which is a Compile fan game, and then VASTYNEX, which is a Thunder Force fan game. I HIGHLY recommend to check them out. You can find them either on zakichi's own hosted website or itch page. They're free! There are several more than just these two.

Their other games had vocaloid style electronic jams, so it really surprised me that this one had some serious METAL on it as well as actually being on Steam. I totally had to fork over money for support!

Thanks, zakichi!

This game is golden. I love it! There's so many references to many other shmups. The map music is NES Gyruss. The boss radar is Thunder Force 3. I also see what appears to be influences mostly from Cho Ren Sha along with Crisis Force, RayForce, Life Force (so many Force games haha), Soldier Blade, Gun Nac, Aleste, The Guardian Legend, and much more! You can tell this was made with love by people who played a lot of the genre. Would LOVE an FM version of the soundtrack as a DLC.
Thank you for making the lava shoot straight and not in a crescent xD

It may look like PCE/TG16 Ninja Spirit, but it feels more like Ghouls`n`Ghosts mixed with a splash of Legend of Kage NES imo. The dev had a plethora of ideas that keep on coming & surprising. You can tell this was a game made by someone who's played a lot of retro games. Each level has a boss. Each stage has a boss. Each boss has a boss (just kidding on that last one).

There's just so many influences you'll see throughout. Highly recommended overall. Note: it's really really challenging but it's not cheap. You definitely can't sleep on this one. If you have really good reflexes, you'll get through this ezpz, but you WILL have to pay attention

Yes! Yes! So much yes! I can't recommend this game enough! The controls and graphics are great! I'm much more old school where I prefer chip based music, but the modern soundtrack still matches the hype while you're playing it. I just wish it was more memorable like the Thunder Force series or something. Otherwise, the power-up system can slightly change the feel whether you want to play it like R-Type or Gradius. It's very good to experiment. There are save slots so you play through with different builds.
There's also quite a few references to classic shmup games in this. See if you recognize any of them :)

Feb 2023 edit: This game has spoiled me... It is now a game-for-life. It's just so much with the ability to absorb bullets to build meter and throw an attack back. And I've become partial to the music. It's very unique and works well for this game. Still so much recommend! \m/

I have never had a game move me so much. I went through so many strong emotions. Some were even unexpected. It took me about 4 hours with saves. I thought I was at the end of the game but it kept going for a bit and I felt closure. Thanks for making this <3

This game made me tear up several times; a couple pretty heavily, even. Does this mean because there were sad moments or happy moments? Find out for yourself. I loved it. Thank you so much <3