Anstorm

for $.89, this was a blast to play.

Developed and published by Shiv, Anstorm is an independent top-down action shooter that focuses on delivering fast, accessible gameplay built around arcade-style combat and science fiction exploration. The adventure begins when the crew of the spacecraft Anstorm discovers a mysterious wormhole leading to an artificial planet hidden deep within the galaxy. What starts as an ambitious research mission soon turns into a fight for survival as players encounter hostile forces protecting the secrets of this unknown world. While the narrative remains relatively simple, it provides enough context to give purpose to the action and encourages players to continue pushing through each stage to uncover what lies ahead. At its core, Anstorm emphasizes responsive twin-stick shooting mechanics that are easy to learn but satisfying to master. Players battle through six campaign chapters filled with waves of enemies, environmental hazards, and increasingly difficult encounters that steadily raise the intensity. The controls are smooth and reliable, allowing movement and aiming to feel natural throughout combat. Every stage culminates in a boss battle that introduces larger enemies with unique attac…

This game is pretty fun, though I wouldn't call it excellent, if you like twin-stick shooters you should try it! In general the guns, pickups, and music track are all great, but the sound for the "projectiles" is a bit grating and the shotgun is especially bad for that because each individual pellet makes a sound. Also there is a dash, but the slippery movement makes using it more dangerous than not. The boss levels were great, but other missions get repetitive quick.

The hitboxes need improvement. I like that the levels are bite-sized, it makes up for the massive amounts of jank: that means that the worst levels are the ones that go on for too long. Fighting boss 1 was so excruciating that it felt like a joke.

A game this basic has no business having this many words. If its 50 cents during a sale go for it, otherwise there's more you can get out of that 2 dollars.

This game isn't bad for what it is. There's a decent amount of variety even though you are restricted typically to an empty room with enemies flooding it. You get multiple weapons and can pick up upgrades to make them stronger. There are also some really cool and somewhat elaborate boss fights with a puzzle element to them. The game uses some royalty free assets, but it blends them together pretty well. If you can get past the somewhat wonky graphics it's definitely worth playing. There's not much replayability and the achievements only took me an extra 20 minutes or so to collect.