⏰ In a rush? Don't worry, I gotchu'! ⏰

What Works:
✅ Nostalgic Appeal: Revives the golden age of Shmups with classic Psikyo titles, featuring intense gameplay and exciting soundtracks.
✅ Variety of Games: Includes the Strikers 1945 trilogy, Zero Gunner II, Dragon Blaze, and Sol Divide, each with unique mechanics.
✅ Fun Gameplay: Fast-paced action, challenging enemies, and satisfying power-ups keep the gameplay engaging.
✅ Multiplayer and Vertical Mode: Supports two-player mode and vertical screen mode for an arcade feel.

What Doesn't:
❌ Lack of Extras: Missing gallery, soundtrack player, save states, and rewind feature found in other retro collections.
❌ Sol Divide’s Execution: Features spongy enemies, unintuitive melee attacks, and poor translation, making it the weakest game.
❌ Minimal Enhancements: Lacks modern features or additional content, offering straightforward ports of the classics.

🚀 Welcome to the Shmup Hall of Fame

The “shoot ’em-up” genre (or Shmup as it's known) has seen many enter its hall of fame, but there are others who struggle to solidify a place. This is not the case for Ikaruga, Sky Force, or Raiden, which have front row seats in the hearts of many, but there is another Japanese team that has always deserved recognition: Psikyo. Thanks to publisher NIS America and the work of CITY CONNECTION, all Nintendo Switch owners now have the opportunity, for just €39.99, to play six incredibly fun classics. But before anything else, a brief history lesson is in order.

📜 A Brief History Lesson: Psikyo's Legacy

PSiKYO (as is stylized and written) was a Japanese team founded in 1992, made up of members who worked on the famous Aero Fighters series. Later, in the early 2000s, it was acquired by another company, and Psikyo became just a label after 2003. Despite dabbling in Mahjong video games, the team is recognized for many Japanese arcade developed titles. These Shmups are relics of another era, with an exciting soundtrack, electrifying gameplay, and visually appealing final bosses.

🎮 The Lineup: Five Shmup Masterpieces

Thus, Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is composed of, as previously mentioned, six titles: The Strikers 1945 trilogy, Zero Gunner II, Dragon Blaze, and Sol Divide, the latter standing out from the group, unfortunately not for the best reasons. While the other five all follow the same formula with different nuances, Sol Divide opted to be a somewhat un-Psikyo experience. The result was a hybrid between the aforementioned genre and an infusion of RPG aspects.

✈️ Strikers 1945 Trilogy: Classic and Timeless

The Strikers 1945 trilogy included here is the most well-known worldwide. These are three simplistic titles in terms of gameplay, as one button fires and the other launches a bomb. Before each match, there is the possibility to choose between six planes, each with different armaments, and from there, each sequel introduced different variables in the mechanics, without ever straying from what made the series shine from the start. It’s important to note that the final bosses always turn out to be alien robots straight out of the wet dreams of a mech-crazy Japanese fan. If this doesn’t convince the reader, they may rightfully abandon this review midway.

🚁 Zero Gunner II: A New Direction

Zero Gunner II presents the same Shmup formula in a vertical screen; however, it allows the player to spin the helicopter and shoot in all directions. It’s a small change in gameplay that, although it takes some time to adapt reflexes, proves to be a welcome and fun difference.

🐉 Dragon Blaze: A Mythical Twist

With Dragon Blaze, Psikyo experimented with a different setting: instead of planes or helicopters, the gameplay is entirely like a 2D Panzer Dragoon. A knight rides a dragon, and this creature is much more than just visual flair, as it can be hurled against an enemy. This mechanic is something refreshing in the genre and very fun, as when the mythical being is out of the knight’s possession, the latter becomes more vulnerable.

⚔️ Sol Divide: The Outlier

Lastly, Sol Divide is the most divisive game (pun intended) and perhaps the most frustrating of the lot. Unlike the other five offerings in the collection, here the playing field is horizontal and not vertical. Throughout the adventure, the controlled hero can perform ranged and melee attacks, and just like the other games introduce “power-ups” to the weaponry, this mechanic is also present here, along with unlocking new magical abilities. So far, so good, but the frustration lies in two poorly executed aspects: the enemies are all sponges, and melee attacks are not intuitive. Let’s not even mention how hilariously bad the translation is.

🖼️ Missing Extras: A Bare-Bones Collection

Despite, on average, all being good experiences, the work done on this collection is bare-bones. Missing is a gallery with concept art to unlock, a soundtrack to listen to, save states are out of the question, and even the (now common) ability to rewind isn’t possible. At least there is the modular capability of the Nintendo Switch and the ability to play in a vertical screen mode.

🏅 Final Verdict: Close to Greatness

In its essence, Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is a great collection of games reminiscent of the golden age of Shoot ’em-ups. These are six fun titles with the possibility of sharing the experience with a friend and even turning the Switch screen vertically. A higher rating is only missing due to the lack of extras (usual in collections of this type) and a less impressive Sol Divide.

🌟 M I S C 🌟

◻️ 🌳 Visit my Linktree for more content.
◻️ ⚠️ Review originally written for FNintendo (defunct website) and published on January 24st, 2020.
◻️ 🙋‍♂️ Explore more reviews written by me.
◻️ 🎮 Discover Nintendo Switch video games I've played.
◻️ 📜 Review Number 019

✨ F I N ✨