SAMMY'S 2024 SCHMUP/BULLET HELL EXTRAVAGANZA
I didn't play much of anything in 2023. My time tended to go to videos and games specifically made to go to videos over the course of the entire year. This is fine generally cause making videos is important to me but I like to get into some shit for myself over the year and that just kinda didn't happen as much as I wanted it to!
I've realized I sometimes need to make a project out of things in some fashion in order for me to at least attempting to stick to them. I also genuinely just wanna write more here again cause I really dig this site and the connections I've made through it! So to make up for that I wanna make this list! Bullet Hells and SCHMUPs are a genre I've wanted to try forever now. I've dabbled here and there but I genuinely do not know jack shit about the genre, so basically this year and this project are a perfect excuse to get into it and have more to write for you lovely people here!
If you have ANY and I mean ANY recommendations, even popular and obvious ones PLEASE gimme some recs! I wanna really dive into this shit and see if I fucks with it! From classics to new shit I wanna try a whole range of stuff so any recommendations are hugely appreciated! Thank you!
Also even if I don't get through this entire list within the year that is a-okay. The main goal of this is mainly to dive into the genre!
I've realized I sometimes need to make a project out of things in some fashion in order for me to at least attempting to stick to them. I also genuinely just wanna write more here again cause I really dig this site and the connections I've made through it! So to make up for that I wanna make this list! Bullet Hells and SCHMUPs are a genre I've wanted to try forever now. I've dabbled here and there but I genuinely do not know jack shit about the genre, so basically this year and this project are a perfect excuse to get into it and have more to write for you lovely people here!
If you have ANY and I mean ANY recommendations, even popular and obvious ones PLEASE gimme some recs! I wanna really dive into this shit and see if I fucks with it! From classics to new shit I wanna try a whole range of stuff so any recommendations are hugely appreciated! Thank you!
Also even if I don't get through this entire list within the year that is a-okay. The main goal of this is mainly to dive into the genre!
80 Games
20 Comments
@moschidae I'm suuuuper excited to get to them! Been meaning to get around to them forever so doing this whole deal should be a good excuse to finally just blaze through them :D
Einhander I remember being an absolute bop when I played the demo way back, the ost is insane. I really gotta do a replay someday.
-Darius Gaiden is a fuckin' beautiful game, just make sure you use rapid-fire for the bosses, they get pretty tanky later.
-Cycle Chaser H-5, it's a friend's game but I legit really enjoyed my time with it.
-Thunder Force III, I always rec this because people inevitably get rec'd TFIV and I always slightly liked this one more since it's nowhere as hard, lol.
-R-Type Delta, impeccable horror vibes in it.
-Gate of Thunder if you can do Turbo CD, it's ost is an all-timer.
-Otocky, it's adorable!
-Granada, I think it still counts despite not being an autoscroller, childhood favorite.
Also if you're taking Contra games by chance, Hard Corps is fuckin' awesome though I do rec using the HP restoration hack to make it a bit more tolerable on a first playthrough.
-Darius Gaiden is a fuckin' beautiful game, just make sure you use rapid-fire for the bosses, they get pretty tanky later.
-Cycle Chaser H-5, it's a friend's game but I legit really enjoyed my time with it.
-Thunder Force III, I always rec this because people inevitably get rec'd TFIV and I always slightly liked this one more since it's nowhere as hard, lol.
-R-Type Delta, impeccable horror vibes in it.
-Gate of Thunder if you can do Turbo CD, it's ost is an all-timer.
-Otocky, it's adorable!
-Granada, I think it still counts despite not being an autoscroller, childhood favorite.
Also if you're taking Contra games by chance, Hard Corps is fuckin' awesome though I do rec using the HP restoration hack to make it a bit more tolerable on a first playthrough.
@Vee Added all of these! I've played a little bit of Einhander but never enough of it. I've always absolutely fucked with the OST from what I've heard of it it's raw as fuck.
I've been meaning to try out R-Type in any capacity so very excited to give that a shot especially with a descriptor like that cause hell fuckin yeeeeah.
I'll defo count some Contra games, I've never been amazing at them but I will absolutely give any a shot especially for something like this! (Hard Corps Uprising in general has been on my list forever) I will absolutely go for that HP Restoration hack for Hard Corps cause I will probably get my ass kicked in these games otherwise so thanks for letting me know about that lol
I've been meaning to try out R-Type in any capacity so very excited to give that a shot especially with a descriptor like that cause hell fuckin yeeeeah.
I'll defo count some Contra games, I've never been amazing at them but I will absolutely give any a shot especially for something like this! (Hard Corps Uprising in general has been on my list forever) I will absolutely go for that HP Restoration hack for Hard Corps cause I will probably get my ass kicked in these games otherwise so thanks for letting me know about that lol
Back on my "recommending the game Sora developed by small development team Orange Juice" bullshit
I just think it's a nice fast-paced entry to the genre
- Espgaluda I is a pretty neat one that'll help ease into bullet hells a little more (it can still be pretty daring, but not as much as other titles, CAVE developed ones especially)
- Mentioned this to you on Twitter a few months back but Gyruss, both arcade and NES/Famicom, are pretty dang good traditional shmups
- only played this for a bit myself but Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer has a strong following
- Mentioned this to you on Twitter a few months back but Gyruss, both arcade and NES/Famicom, are pretty dang good traditional shmups
- only played this for a bit myself but Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer has a strong following
Letting you know now that Highly Responsive to Prayers isn't an STG like, at all, it plays more like Breakout or Pang. Anyways, as a former STG-baby I'd recommend:
Star Parodier
Coryoon
Black Bird
Fantasy Zone
GG Aleste 1/2/3
Neko Navy
Air Zonk
Blue Revolver
Crimzon Clover
Twinkle Star Sprites
If anyone tells you to play ZeroRanger as one of your first STG, please please ignore them. It is good, you would enjoy it without a reference point, but it is much better with a baseline mechanical knowledge and familiarity with certain STG touchpoints.
Star Parodier
Coryoon
Black Bird
Fantasy Zone
GG Aleste 1/2/3
Neko Navy
Air Zonk
Blue Revolver
Crimzon Clover
Twinkle Star Sprites
If anyone tells you to play ZeroRanger as one of your first STG, please please ignore them. It is good, you would enjoy it without a reference point, but it is much better with a baseline mechanical knowledge and familiarity with certain STG touchpoints.
@AG147 Ah yeah I'm pretty sure I've heard about that one! Always been curious about it so to the list it goes!
@BlazingWaters Espgaluda looks sick as fuck! Now realizing how little I even fully know about CAVE games at all.
I do remember you recommending Gyruss but thank you for the reminder! Thank ya a ton for the suggestions :D
I do remember you recommending Gyruss but thank you for the reminder! Thank ya a ton for the suggestions :D
@Detchibe Yeah started playing it mainly cause I needed to get PC98 stuff setup and learned real real fast what it defo wasn't lol. It's kinda neat but I wasn't meshing with it much at all so will just skip to the second game. Thanks for the heads up tho!
Added all of these! Thank ya for the suggestions!
Will keep that in mind, haven't heard that but I defo have known people's reccs in genres recommending something probably not the best for beginners to the genre so thank ya! I've added it to the list but I'll make sure to play some others before I even go for it! :D
Added all of these! Thank ya for the suggestions!
Will keep that in mind, haven't heard that but I defo have known people's reccs in genres recommending something probably not the best for beginners to the genre so thank ya! I've added it to the list but I'll make sure to play some others before I even go for it! :D
Some beginner-friendly schmups I'd recommend would have to be Harmful Park and Battle Mania Daiginjou. I don't remember Battle Mania being too difficult, but I could be misremembering.
Some of my favorites that aren't on here yet are Gradius V (this one is pretty difficult) and Lords of Thunder.
And some general shooters I enjoyed: Muchi Muchi Pork, Thunder Force IV, DoDonPachi DaiOuJou, and Magical Chase (don't play this one on easy; it prevents you from seeing the rest of the game).
Some of my favorites that aren't on here yet are Gradius V (this one is pretty difficult) and Lords of Thunder.
And some general shooters I enjoyed: Muchi Muchi Pork, Thunder Force IV, DoDonPachi DaiOuJou, and Magical Chase (don't play this one on easy; it prevents you from seeing the rest of the game).
@MobileSpider Added everything! I remember always seeing Gradius V around and thinking it looked neat but like some on this list just never really played it so excited to get around eventually to it.
Thank you for the Magical Chase advice, will defo keep that in mind, and the reccs!
Thank you for the Magical Chase advice, will defo keep that in mind, and the reccs!
G-Darius
Ketsui
Warning Forever
Mecharitz
Hellsinker
Ketsui
Warning Forever
Mecharitz
Hellsinker
hi!! hi. drops in and recommends ∀kashicverse -Malicious Wake-, which i can now do because it's on steam now (it's a gorgeous game with a good soundtrack that gives you a BUNCH of different things you can do. its aesthetic can be approximated as "floral cyberpunk rave")
@romdocitizen Added! Thank ya!
@coralqueenkanans very excited for this one! It looks really cool so thank ya for the recc and it has been added! :D
internal section + judgement silversword / cardinal sins are all very cool
oh + flame zapper kotsujin!
@curse I've defo been making sure to check out Internal Section cause that box art is just really cool to me honestly x3
Judgement Silversword and Flame Zapper look sick as hell too tho, thank you a ton for the recs! :D
Judgement Silversword and Flame Zapper look sick as hell too tho, thank you a ton for the recs! :D
moschidae
7 months ago