HOTWING HELLIONS

My original review is down below. Having listed all my issues and spoken to the dev, I am certain that an early build version was downloaded on Launch Day and not the Current Release. If you want to read my many complaints about the old build, then please feel free to read the original review below, then go play the game and you will see how much the devs improved the game since that early version. They actually took care of basically every complaint I had by the time they released the true Release Day Build. Infact, they improved readability so much (they also add an improved visibility setting option) that I am now finding the game a breeze. The grass is always greener on the other side. Am I right? haha. Okay, so much has been improved: I can see the bullets. Bullets are layered properly. The drones block shots (maybe they did in the old build? But they didn't make any feedback sound if they did, and the colors use to be so pale and sloppy that I didn't even know). Now there is also an electrical spark animation when the drones block bullets. Amy is actually beatable now. You have to use reflective shots to accomplish the kill but it works. Oddly enough, the newer build …

Fun and Frantic

Competitive shoot’em-up where you race a rival to defeat enemies and bosses. Control speed by screen position, rely on drones for defense, and power up weapons while surviving dense bullet hell attacks. In this shoot’em-up, you do not only have to defeat enemies and the stage boss, you also have to do it faster than the opponent on the other side of the screen. The premise puts you in the role of a bounty hunter, with each boss representing the bounty. Although the game is primarily designed for competitive play against another player, you can also play alone while your rival is controlled by AI. Unlike most similar games, where the screen scrolls forward at a steady pace, speed plays an important role and gives you more control over your movement. Flying closer to the top of the screen increases your speed, but it also makes you more vulnerable to collisions and enemy fire because you have less time to react. Staying near the bottom slows you down, yet it allows you to clearly see everything coming your way. Regardless of your speed, both players fill a progress bar, and the boss appears once it is full. There are six bounties, or stages, all available from the start, while the…

Hotwing Hellions – A Pleasant Surprise Visually, it’s a treat. Every sprite and bullet animation looks like it has been crafted with care. The music is spectacular and clearly inspired by Cowboy Bebop, which also seems to influence the game’s overall aesthetic. I found it challenging but fair. I’m not very good at SHMUPs, but I was drawn in by the visuals and music and found myself entering a sort of flow state while playing. I died a lot, but the lives slider in the options helped me out quite a bit. Overall, it’s a stylish and satisfying shooter that’s easy to get pulled into, even if you’re not normally great at the genre. My favourite thing is yeeting the little drones into oblivion as they scream for their lives. It’s not the most effective in-game strategy, since you often need them to block shots, but it’s a lot of fun. As a last-ditch Hail Mary against a boss on your final life, it’s a pretty cool way to go out.

I’m super biased — I’ve been playing it endlessly throughout development — but this is a spectacular game. What’s not to like? An excellent soundtrack, challenging gameplay, and a space-western Bebop vibe throughout. You’re flinging little anthropomorphised drones into the void as they scream for their lives. The ricochet-shot mechanics force you to think about angles and positioning rather than just react. There’s also a real racing element — you’re constantly pushing into the dangerous upper section of the screen to beat the AI (or your friends) to the bounty.