Blazend

OVERVIEW: RICHTER wasn't a name I was familiar with in the Shmup spectrum. Adding to it the small number of Blazend reviews I was hesitant about purchasing.... but I enjoyed what I saw in the gameplay video here and Kanzaki Shintarou's 1cc hard mode playthrough displayed on youtube...so I went for it! Pros -» Gameplay: innovative with a ship speed control button, allowing for better movement in tight situations -» Soundtrack and sound effects: simple but harmonious -» Graphics: nothing dazzling but very much acceptable -» Bosses: Interesting if you challenge yourself in hardermodes -» Replayability: pretty decent -» Difficulty: for all tastes Cons -» This game is so underrated that I would feel really bad to say anything against it SUMMARY: 8/10 gaming scale Disclosure: After clearing the main campaign and, as I comeback for new sessions or new updates arise by developers, I intend to keep revising this review

Fun game for the amount of time I played for all achievements. Initially I had some small amounts of rage but eventually it disipated. It's definitely not the kind of game you can put a single credit in and expect to win; enemies are fast and traps are faster. And also don't fully powerup because that's when you'll die to revenge bullets. When you die, you lose all your powerups. You would think this is too punishing but to my surprise, the stages are quite cleverly designed to hold on with your basic shot (which happens pretty often, not gonna lie). Still a bit rough to even get into at the start due to how continues work, restarting the whole stage you're on, but I understand that's probably an inspiration of old arcades.

Quick Score: 3/5 Notes: Pretty mid overall, not much to say. If its on sale and it looks good to you then go for it, don't expect anything amazing though.

The [spoiler]RICHNATION[/spoiler] cheat code gives you 30 lives and 9 continues (but not 30 lives per continue, mind). This should be enough to get through a couple of levels and then you get to pick from four levels to play next, so it opens up the game a bit. I don't know that I can actually recommend this game, in general, but it looks and sounds very nice and the controls feel good. Almost an amazing game! I don't care for the high difficulty is all.

1. too difficult, even with all the codes. 2. enemy bullets visibility issues, and bullets are too tightly packed. usually, shmups that pack enemy bullets tightly allow you a bomb counter, and bombs are scarce in this game. 3. not fun, because it's hard to get in any type of groove. 4. 2 circles of enemy bullets coming at you from opposite sides. pfffft 5. the first stage is pretty fun. 6. when you die, you begin at the beginning of the stage instead of where you left off. 7. some may like the challenge, I find it frustrating.

A solid, well-made shooter that really nails the early 90s Toaplan feel. I used to be into collecting arcade PCBs. So yeah, I guess these kinds of games are "my thing", more so than modern shooters with flashy graphics. Just as well; my ageing rig lacks the horsepower to run that stuff. For me, Blazend could almost be a newly discovered, unreleased gem from that era. It is a hard game. Lose concentration for a second and you're toast. But that's part of its appeal. I've yet to get very far in. Yes, there are continues, but the masochist in me forbids their use ;) Anyway, what's the fun in credit-feeding your way through? The music deserves a special mention. A perfect accompaniment to the action.