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BROKEN PEARL

Long ago we settled down on this planet, the three of us. We each formed our own country, as we always do, and we always named them after ourselves. The minerals of this particular planet had a different structure than what we were used to. It was more powerful and had an extra shine to them, we called them Pearls. Our offspring all had this shimmering with a slightly different hue resembling the natural form of each of us. We'd never been so complete or happy before. But then, one day one of us attacked the others.

Broken Pearl is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Wide Pixel Games. It was originally released for Xbox 360 and Ouya, and ported later to Microsoft Windows as freeware though the player can make a donation to the developer. The game is notable for using the ability to rotate the game’s display and in essence changing the game from a vertical scrolling shooter to a horizontal one.

The player controls something resembling a space ship and must destroy air and landbased creatures using guns and a limited supply of smart bombs which damage or destroy all enemies on-screen when used. There are three different space ship in the game; Kenshi Azure, Kenshi Carmine and Kenshi Viridis. Unfortunately, each of them has no individual storyline and only distinguished from the shot type. Defeated enemies sometimes drop power ups, score multiplier and bomb. Also, destroying certain cages in the stage, frees the imprisoned creatures known as Aurums. These creatures will aid player until get shot down.

The game is based on the player trying complete a mission in each stage. Before each stage player get to select one of eight different missions with certain awards if completed. At the upper right corner a mission status is shown with three color indicator; red, yellow and green. Red means mission has failed and no bonus at the end of current stage. Yellow means mission has not yet been completed, but there is still a chance. Green means the objective has been fulfilled and the extra bonus will be given at the end of current stage. However, even the player failed, they still able continue to the next stage as long as they still have remaining lives. No continues are given when all lives are lost.

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GUN WINGS


Gun Wings (Original title: 铳翼, pronounced: Chòng yì) is a 2014 Chinese vertical scrolling shooter developed by Mercury Stone and Angels Blue Digital Entertainment. The game is notable for using Sengeki Stryker and Giga Wing’s visual as well as gameplay mechanics. Gun Wings takes place hundred years after doomsday in the 22nd century. As one of cybernetically enhanced girls, the player must save humanity from the invasion of alien race.

As far as vertical scrolling shooters go, Gun Wings is very standard. There are three different characters in the game; Ukuisu, Hakuchou and Kou, and they must destroy enemy air ships through six stages. Each level ends with a boss fight and each game begins with three lives. The player's firepower consists of a main shot, secondary shot and a limited supply of bombs. There are two types of main shot; a forward-firing machine gun and a spread-firing vulcan. The main shot can be strengthened and multiplied by upgrades that come in the shape of blue gems taken from destroyed enemies.

The secondary weapon is a charge shot and can be used when the power meter has reached maximum strength. A unique feature to secondary shot is whenever used it will increase score multiplier. Power meter will automatically be filled slowly, but it can be accelerated by destroying the enemies. The bombs can deploy near-instantly, negate most enemy fire, and do moderate damage in a large radius around the player's character.

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SINE MORA

In Planet Seol which is similar like Earth, four great nations are exist. While the planet large and prosperous, the Layil Empire relentless in its enslavement and extermination of the Enkie race. Hence, for years, these two factions are locked in eternal war. The story focuses on two group who rebel against the empire for different purposes. The first features a group led by Ronotra Koss, who seeks vengeance on the Empire that executed his son for being the sole pilot that refused to drop a nuclear bomb during an attack on the Enkies. The second features another resistance and survivors led by Akyta Dryad. Both groups are pursued by Argus Pytel, a high-ranking agent of the Empire.

Sine Mora (Latin meaning “without delay”) is a horizontal side scrolling shooter developed via partnership between Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, iOS and Ouya. The game features a diesel punk-like style and art design which is heavily inspired by Battle Garegga, Kurenai no Buta, and Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise. Akira Yamaoka, the composer behind a good deal of the Silent Hill series and Shadows of the Damned, presents the soundtrack. Mahiro Maeda, a famous anime artist known for The Animatrix, Kill Bill, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, designed in large part for boss battle. Sine Mora also feature “time manipulation mechanics” influenced by R-Type, Eihander and Under Defeat.


Sine Mora has five game modes: Story, Arcade, Score Attack, and Boss Training. The Story Mode has fairly complicated story. It has many cut scenes and a lot of dialogue to read. Story Mode is displayed in English, but narrated in Hungarian. Similarly, when the characters talk to each other, player will hear Hungarian with English subtitles to follow along with. However, understanding the story is not essential to enjoying the game. Player are given two choices for difficulty – Normal and Challenging, the harder difficulty offering less continues and an alternative ending. Player must go through Story Mode if they want to unlock everything the game has to offer. The Story Mode takes under two hours to complete without using continues.

Arcade Mode removes the narrative cutscenes, just pure action but limits the player to only three continues. Score Attack takes on the same structure as Arcade Mode with fewer changes. Player can’t progress further once a stage has been completed and there is no continues. Boss Training plays similarity to Score Attack, except the scores are never posted online. Player can fight previously encountered bosses and can they keep trying thanks to unlimited continues. In Boss Training player can modify things like primary firepower and number of secondary weapons. For those who want an even tougher battle, there is Challenge Mode which is basically a Boss Rush Mode. In this mode player encounter thirteen bosses from the game one after another.


There are seven pilots and three ships, each have standard weapon and secondary weapons. Standard weapon can be increased by collecting red orbs. However, these orbs are lost when the player takes damage. Secondary weapons are a type of smart bomb that clears a good portion of the weaker enemies and projectiles. Secondary weapons can only be used a certain number of times, unless player find power-ups from destroyed enemies. Player also have time manipulation ability to slow down time for a bit to help dodge bullets and safely navigate through the levels. Consecutive kills with the standard weapon will increase the game's score multiplier, while use of the secondary weapon or time manipulation will reset the multiplier. The final scores and rank are determined by three factors; damage taken, kills and poweups collected.

Sine Mora has seven stages and each stage has a countdown clock. The amount of time available varies depending on the stage. Unlike any other shooters, in Sine Mora time is the most important factor. Player can gain extra time by eliminating enemies or finding time boost. If player take damage, not only they lose power-ups, but they will also lose time from the clock. It it runs out, the game is over. When player finish the stage any remaining time will be added to final score.

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SAVANT ASCENT

The wizard Savant is jettisoned from his tower by a malicious orb which turns his surrounding into enemies. Now he must ride the elevator back up while dodging and shooting waves of enemies. Savant Ascent is a fast-paced action shooting game, a collaboration between indie developer D-Pad Studios and Norwegian dubstep artist Aleksander Vinter aka SAVANT. The game’s protagonist is even pulled from the cover of Savant's fifth album, Alchemist, designed by D-Pad Studios' art director Simon S. Andersen. Savant Ascent first launched on PC, Mac and Linux as well as iOS and Android in December 2013.

Savant is centered in the middle of the screen, with two placement options that player can swap between with quick hops or rolling dodges. Use the mouse to aim and shoot, holding down the left mouse button to rapid fire. Enemies stream in from all sides, most of them pretty simple, quickly-dispatched things and Savant must blast them all. Managing some of the more frenzied segments with such a boxed in moveset can be frustrating, but just as often, the restrictions add to the game’s tension and excitement. Also, hoping quickly between the two platforms becomes the key to survival. Get hit three times and it’s game over. Players have to start from the beginning of the last stage the next time they play.

The game is divided into three modes; Story Mode, Time Attack and Endless. The second and third modes are self-explanatory: beat the game as fast as you can, and survive for as long as possible, respectively. Story Mode plays out through three acts; the opening area at tower’s base, the rapid upward climb, and the final battle against the boss at the pinnacle. Along the way certain enemies will hold golden CD fragments that once all collected can grant new abilities and new soundtrack for the background. While selecting which CD to play is purely an aesthetic choice, it also determines the movement of enemies. Trying to earn new skills is risky, but new skills are always useful in getting farther and makes the game more manageable in later playthroughs.

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SUPER GALAXY SQUADRON

In the year 2335, first contact was made with an alien race from the star of Tau Ceti. While relations with them began peacefully, anti-ceti sentiment spread throughout the Federation, and in 2360, the human supremacist group Terra Nova rebelled against a joint security force in the Centauri system, killing many of both species. The Ceti war began, and after twelve years of fighting and eventual suppression of Tera Nova, a reluctant truce was made.

Years later, tension between human and Ceti citizens remain high. Both governments subtly build their defenses, and neutral systems before nearly deserted as civilians seek refuge in safer territory. Fourteen of the best pilots in the Federation have been recruited into unstoppable military force. Another war is inevitable. The Super Galaxy Squadron exists to win that war.

Super Galaxy Squadron is a retro-styled shooter, developed by Nick Clinksales, the one-man behind Psyche Studios. Taking inspiration from classic shooter like Raiden and Dodonpachi, Super Galaxy Squadron attempts to be “a shmups for everyone”, from the casual player to the most hardcore veteran. While it does not introduce innovations or special marks, the game offers fans a nostalgic, light entertainment and genuinely inspired. Even better, Clinkscales donating all of the game’s proceeds to charity that helps provides books, toys and video games for hospitalized kids. Knowing all proceeds are going to a good cause, buying it actually is a right choice. 


Like any classic vertical shooter, enemies typically appear in steady descent with unique attack and movement patterns. Sometimes, defeated enemies leave behind power-ups, which make weapons more powerful or increase the ship’s rate-of-fire. The health meter is what sets Super Galaxy Squadron is infinitely forgiving. On normal mode, the ships have a health meter which is measured numerically and goes from 0 to 100. The better the ship’s armor rating, the less damage it’ll take. Pick-ups dropped healthboosts by enemies can keep player refilled and going strong for entire stages if grabbed at the right time. 

Over the course of six levels in Arcade Mode players guide one of fourteen starships, each with their own little differences in rate of fire and special weapon. Each ship is given a brief story as well and give a deeper level of understanding of the story. Ship upgrades provide customization for primary and secondary weapons which is widen your shots and add some power. The upgrade system introduces some interesting feature. When the player’s ship is hit, it loses one of it’s upgrades, which goes floating around the screen. The upgrade can be retrieved, but this leaves player the choice to either conserve shields and sacrifice arsenal; or to chase the bugger down risk taking even more hits.

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