Alright! Next up is Gemini Wing another SHMUP this time by Tecmo.
I'm honestly amazed at how polished and unique these games are looking. Gemini Wing is a top down shmup in the same style as Xevious, and Galaga before it. But where it differs is in its powerups, and I gotta tell you these are some of the COOLEST powerups I've seen in even modern SHMUPs.
See, rather than just getting a couple powerups you need a couple times per level, you get dozens of one-use powerups that stack behind your ship. Every powerup is a single use, but my goodness some of these are just amazing to behold. Like, one will be a giant wall of flames that sweeps back and forth from your ship, another will be giant blue orbs that expand outward like a shield. Each one has the potential to clear the entire screen. And when you die, you don't necessarily lose all your powerups either. Kinda like Sonic did in the 90s, when you die, rather than losing your powerups, they scatter all over the screen, letting you pick up a couple if you're fast enough.
Besides that the music is fun the graphics and sprites look good even today. and the art style is just ADORABLE! Where R-Type was a gritty, serious-looking sci-fi shooter, this is an adorable game about shooting rainbow colored bugs. It reminded me a lot of Galaga in that they obviously put more effort into making the enemies distinctive looking and original.
If I did have a gripe, it'd probably be the controls. Not that they're unresponsive or anything, they're just backwards of what they usually are. Usually the button furthest from you is the attack button, while the one slightly in is your secondary. Here they're switched. A lot of times I found myself looking to use a powerup but hitting nothing because the secondary weapon was on the other side.
Honestly, again, if you're looking for a good SHMUP, this one holds up even to today's standards and is amazingly fun.
Next up: 1943
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