Z-Warp

So I'm a newbie to shmups, only ever played Mushihime-sama and Deathsmiles. First off I wanna ssay the graphics are awesome. You have these fleshy monstrous enemies while you're just a mechanical ship which shows the contrast and really shows how good the sprite art is. You have 2 firing modes like in every other shmup but what differentiates this one is the bomb system. The first level you might play like me and get a little lost just shooting like in other shmups, you very soon notice picking up bomb items immediately detonates them so you wonder what's actually going on, you then notice the bomb counter in the top right be a bar that refills. This honestly suprised me, like why is it a bar? Did I mess something up? Then I used the bomb button and it didn't clear the screen, no it only cleared and damaged anything within a little circle around the ship and started refilling. This had me stoked, a bomb on an actual refill? Then I panicked and again pressed while it was refilling and it short circuited the bomb and just cleared an even smaller circle of bullets around you. This is such a cool and engaging mechanic since it wasn't just put in but instead the level design actually ta…

Bite sized shmup; rocket sized fun!~ Well this was certainly an odd discovery; but I'll never say no to an STG which allows me to blow up random body parts "because reasons." In that sense this game reminds me a little bit of Tyrian 2000, but with plenty of retina-melting psychedelic colors instead. And oh my that bass... this is one game where you'll definitely want to dial your speakers (and subwoofer, if you have one) up to 11. All that said however, there is a lot of soul in this tiny little package. Z-Warp isn't a long game even by STG standards (15 minutes for a TLB clear), but it packs one heck of a punch. Levels are also relatively simple, but yet, Z-Warp manages to be an immensely engaging game despite its relative simplicity (you only get one ship, and you can't even customize your shot type). And this is what surprises me about Z-Warp so much: this is probably the simplest STG I've ever played, and yet I've had so much fun with it. Even the scoring system isn't rocket science; just maintain a chain to keep your multiplier going (though each level typically requires you to solve a simple puzzle in order to know how to carry your multiplier into the boss fights wh…

[h2] Very good little SHMUP with innovative ideas! [/h2] I believe we live in the golden era of video-games. If you dig enough, there are plenty of fresh ideas everywhere, especially coming from indie developers — who are something like the (now) cult movie directors of the 60s and 70s discovering new ways of expression through visual form. Z-Warp is a perfect example of how lucky we are to live in this golden era. Although it is not a masterpiece of a game (actually it is a very short and simple one), it is extremely fun, accessible and joyful. Plus, while being classical in its gameplay, it has some mechanics that renew our perspectives on how to approach shmups. The core mechanic in this game is the bomb system. In Z-Warp, you have unlimited bombs, but they take a while to charge and must be managed wisely, with precision. Also, you can touch the bosses with your spaceship (which is quite unusual), and this makes their bullet-hell shootings very fun to avoid. The graphics, cadency, sounds, gameplay and hitboxes are nice. It is also an easy game to platinum, but moderately hard to master. A good acquisition in anyone's library. EDIT: I said that it is not a masterpiece. Don…

This is my second favourite Panda Indie Studio/Eastasiasoft Limited shmup (topped only by Project Starship X). If you are new to shmups (bullet hell shmups in particular), than this is the perfect shmup to start out with. One thing I would like to point out is that you don't take contact damage from bosses - remember that for the third and last bosses which will force you up to the top of the screen. This game is worth it at full price, but now is also a good time to get it as it is currently on a 60% discount as of the time I'm writing this.

Superb! Lots of fun.

Looking at Panda Indie Studio's releases, it looks like after [b]Project Starship X[/b] they decided to focus on smaller projects (which they also did while that game was in development). This is one of those, a short shmup that can be finished in 15-20 minutes but is really good to play. The ship is the same from PIS's (...uh) other games, and the Snappy boss is recycled from [b]PSX[/b], but the rest of the graphics looks completely new, using a lo-fi style with very stark color contrasts. The ship is the only mechanical object in levels themed on the insides of the body, with creatures and backgrounds that still look more cool than gross - who thought getting to a ship called E.V. Horizon was a good idea? There's also a welcome [i]tate[/i] mode if you can rotate your screen vertically. This developer keeps having great taste in finding fitting musicians for their games, the boss theme especially. Beside a classic bullet hell shot - wide if tapping the fire button, concentrated beam and slower ship if holding - there is a bomb that the game itself advises players not to be shy about using, since it recharges by itself fairly quickly. Also in a pretty original touch, even a parti…