(Trying to circle back around to games I played when I was just getting into shmups, now that I've got a couple years of experience with the genre under my belt.)
The original Batsugun was my second or third shmup ever, and I liked it well enough as a credit-feeding newb -- but playing the Special Version on the Saturn (which adds loops, a shield mechanic, smaller hitbox, easier difficulty in loop one, etc.), now that I can confidently handle what it throws at me, is a joy. This is a beautifully pure shooting game--one I would recommend to anyone curious to dip into the genre but not wanting to tackle the memo-heavy dad-games of the 80s or the intimidating bullet-hells of the late 90s and early aughts. It occupies the middle-ground right between them, a hugely-important fulcrum in the over-40-year history of STGs.
The spritework is beautiful here, and the color palette has been hyper-saturated in comparison to the original version (a change I, personally, love). The scoring is simple but engaging (find the pigs and hover near them, and pick up the big golden arrows!). The firepower on display is some of the best in any shmup, with each ship, once leveled up, boasting its own unique screen-filling barrage of colorful, flashing death. It's all ultra-captivating, immediate, streamlined.
The massive amount of your own bullets/lazers/lightning onscreen does, on occasion, make it difficult to see what the hell else is going on, so it loses some points there... and the music just isn't all that great. But those are my only negatives.
I will 4-ALL this game, but since I just spent so long on Espgaluda II my plan is to jump around a little bit over the next couple of months. Once I get back to clearing it in its entirety, I'll add any updated thoughts.
The original Batsugun was my second or third shmup ever, and I liked it well enough as a credit-feeding newb -- but playing the Special Version on the Saturn (which adds loops, a shield mechanic, smaller hitbox, easier difficulty in loop one, etc.), now that I can confidently handle what it throws at me, is a joy. This is a beautifully pure shooting game--one I would recommend to anyone curious to dip into the genre but not wanting to tackle the memo-heavy dad-games of the 80s or the intimidating bullet-hells of the late 90s and early aughts. It occupies the middle-ground right between them, a hugely-important fulcrum in the over-40-year history of STGs.
The spritework is beautiful here, and the color palette has been hyper-saturated in comparison to the original version (a change I, personally, love). The scoring is simple but engaging (find the pigs and hover near them, and pick up the big golden arrows!). The firepower on display is some of the best in any shmup, with each ship, once leveled up, boasting its own unique screen-filling barrage of colorful, flashing death. It's all ultra-captivating, immediate, streamlined.
The massive amount of your own bullets/lazers/lightning onscreen does, on occasion, make it difficult to see what the hell else is going on, so it loses some points there... and the music just isn't all that great. But those are my only negatives.
I will 4-ALL this game, but since I just spent so long on Espgaluda II my plan is to jump around a little bit over the next couple of months. Once I get back to clearing it in its entirety, I'll add any updated thoughts.