ZeroRanger

After finishing a 1cc, I am throwing this into the small pile of masterpieces that convinced me to love a genre I previously avoided.

If you are coming into this from Void Stranger like I did, here's some thoughts for you. This game is not Void Stranger. Do not expect Void Stranger levels of insanity. But it IS a really cool and interesting schmup. The thing you need to understand is that Void Stranger does everything it can to push the boundaries of a puzzle sokoban game and much more. But this? This pushes to try and be the perfect schmup, save for one final decision that some people say is one of the most BS stupid choices the game can do, but honestly... it's kind of fitting? It's a choice that dares to do something in favor of the thematic narrative, in favor of tribute and love to the medium it is and the genre it is, even if it's somewhat detrimental to the game itself. Does that make any sense? It's hard to kind of explain. This game is very different from Void Stranger but there's reason why it connects, and more importantly, this game is a game made to get you to understand, to learn, and to enjoy schmups and the genre and be able to enjoy it for what it is. This may not be Void Stranger, but it's its own thing and maybe it won't work for you. I'm not into schmups. It has been an uphill battle to cli…

I'm addicted to this Buddhism game. Think Duolingo, but instead of learning a language, you're becoming a Buddhism expert. It's fun, fast, and literally built by game designers and teachers. I finally feel like I'm finding some peace in my everyday life.

Finland strikes yet again

You can't not love this game. This game is nothing but Despair and suffering. You can even port it to an Anbernic and suffer while lagging miserably.

ZeroRanger is a masterclass in game design that unfortunately suffers from being in a terrible genre. The execution is incredible; from the level design, visuals, music, narrative and progression. The game does expect a fair bit of skill from you in order to achieve the "true" ending (and only achievement), and the fact that you're playing a bullet hell/shoot-em-up can be grating at times, but it's overall worth it.