I've talked about this in other threads before, but I'll reiterate that the Switch has amassed one of the all-time greatest shmup libraries in gaming history. It stands tall alongside the 360 and PC (and arguably surpasses them) in this regard, and accessories like the Flip Grip make it pretty much inarguably the best way to play shmups on the go.
But when you have a catalog this deep and rich, inevitably some hidden gems fall through the cracks. Even a relative shmup enthusiast like me still occasionally stumble across a surprisingly good indie shmup release on Switch that I'd never have known about had I not seen some YouTube coverage of it on a shmup-centric channel. So in this thread let's try to recommend one or two of the most underappreciated shmups on the Switch for both old heads and new players curious about the genre to learn about and try.
Any type of shmup is welcome here, whether it be horizontal, vertical, classic, or bullet hell. The only real consideration to make is to try and avoid what most people would consider obvious, very well-known shmups on the platform like Ikaruga, the DoDonPachi games, Deathsmiles, etc. Let's try to highlight the real deep cuts here as best we can.
I'll start off with two games that I know not nearly enough people have played but I absolutely adore:
Hazelnut Hex
I tend to pretty heavily prefer vertical shooters over horizontal, but Hazelnut Hex is so well-designed and gorgeous to look at that it pretty quickly became one of my favorite Switch shmups despite that preference. The game's art style is the first thing you'll notice, looking like something adjacent to a classic Cartoon Network show (e.g. Powerpuff Girls) but featuring a more subdued, pastel color palette. Hazelnut Hex sets things up with a charming and unique premise that puts you in control of the mascot character for the world's most popular cereal, and it sticks to that theme admirably throughout its short-but-challenging runtime.
Like any good shmup, 1CC-ing this game will prove to be quite a challenge for most players, but I also found it to be very approachable for people new to the genre as well. The difficulty curve ramps up gradually as you progress through its stages, and you aren't getting slapped to the ground by a Cave-esque Stage 3 difficulty spike here. And the whole thing is so colorful, cheery, and responsive that it's hard to be made at a failed run anyway. Highly recommended, and I hope it does well enough to allow its creators to make another.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5oPEHpcVMI
Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo
This game took me completely by surprise when I picked it up a year or so ago. Here we have vertical, bullet hell-style shmup that might look a bit odd in screenshots, but in motion and while playing it's an absolute delight from top to bottom. The game has an actually pretty cool story backdrop to it involving sentient AI's threatening the world, and its audiovisual presentation is truly something to behold. Mecha Ritz has a uniquely dazzling art style that makes you feel like you're inside a computer's fever dream as it succumbs to a critical virus, and the music curb stomps you with its excellence right from the beginning and never lets up.
One of my favorite aspects about the game other than its presentation and tight gameplay, however, is just how replayable it is. This game is actually a really good recommendation for new players in particular as it's very generous with additional lives and power-ups. In that regard it ends up being much more of a power fantasy than your typical bullet-hell shmup, with any seasoned player being able to 1CC it on their first try. That doesn't hold the game back, mind you. The game is meant to be replayed thanks to its multiple branching paths and a wealth of unlockable ships that all play wildly differently. I'm not kidding. Some of the ships transform the game into something completely different with their unique mechanics. So trying to go through and unlock everything via different routes and with different ships is something that I think most people would feel naturally compelled to do. Don't sleep on this one, I beg you!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB-R0A9vHbI
But when you have a catalog this deep and rich, inevitably some hidden gems fall through the cracks. Even a relative shmup enthusiast like me still occasionally stumble across a surprisingly good indie shmup release on Switch that I'd never have known about had I not seen some YouTube coverage of it on a shmup-centric channel. So in this thread let's try to recommend one or two of the most underappreciated shmups on the Switch for both old heads and new players curious about the genre to learn about and try.
Any type of shmup is welcome here, whether it be horizontal, vertical, classic, or bullet hell. The only real consideration to make is to try and avoid what most people would consider obvious, very well-known shmups on the platform like Ikaruga, the DoDonPachi games, Deathsmiles, etc. Let's try to highlight the real deep cuts here as best we can.
I'll start off with two games that I know not nearly enough people have played but I absolutely adore:
Hazelnut Hex
I tend to pretty heavily prefer vertical shooters over horizontal, but Hazelnut Hex is so well-designed and gorgeous to look at that it pretty quickly became one of my favorite Switch shmups despite that preference. The game's art style is the first thing you'll notice, looking like something adjacent to a classic Cartoon Network show (e.g. Powerpuff Girls) but featuring a more subdued, pastel color palette. Hazelnut Hex sets things up with a charming and unique premise that puts you in control of the mascot character for the world's most popular cereal, and it sticks to that theme admirably throughout its short-but-challenging runtime.
Like any good shmup, 1CC-ing this game will prove to be quite a challenge for most players, but I also found it to be very approachable for people new to the genre as well. The difficulty curve ramps up gradually as you progress through its stages, and you aren't getting slapped to the ground by a Cave-esque Stage 3 difficulty spike here. And the whole thing is so colorful, cheery, and responsive that it's hard to be made at a failed run anyway. Highly recommended, and I hope it does well enough to allow its creators to make another.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5oPEHpcVMI
Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo
This game took me completely by surprise when I picked it up a year or so ago. Here we have vertical, bullet hell-style shmup that might look a bit odd in screenshots, but in motion and while playing it's an absolute delight from top to bottom. The game has an actually pretty cool story backdrop to it involving sentient AI's threatening the world, and its audiovisual presentation is truly something to behold. Mecha Ritz has a uniquely dazzling art style that makes you feel like you're inside a computer's fever dream as it succumbs to a critical virus, and the music curb stomps you with its excellence right from the beginning and never lets up.
One of my favorite aspects about the game other than its presentation and tight gameplay, however, is just how replayable it is. This game is actually a really good recommendation for new players in particular as it's very generous with additional lives and power-ups. In that regard it ends up being much more of a power fantasy than your typical bullet-hell shmup, with any seasoned player being able to 1CC it on their first try. That doesn't hold the game back, mind you. The game is meant to be replayed thanks to its multiple branching paths and a wealth of unlockable ships that all play wildly differently. I'm not kidding. Some of the ships transform the game into something completely different with their unique mechanics. So trying to go through and unlock everything via different routes and with different ships is something that I think most people would feel naturally compelled to do. Don't sleep on this one, I beg you!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB-R0A9vHbI
