Shmup recommendations

[Steezy]

I've seen a few threads recently about shmups and it's made think about how little I really know about them. So what do I need to check out?

What are the classics?
What are some unique takes/spin-offs of the genre?
What does a modern shmup look like? I like the idea of playing something forgiving with some kind of progression.
Bullet hells seem intimidating, frustrating and ugly to me but I'd be willing to dip my toe in - any suggestions?

I have access to most of the big consoles and have a decent enough laptop for PC games.

The things that have probably turned me off in the past is repetition (I never enjoy score attack or time attack in any genre) and learning wave patterns. I get these are a big part of shmups but there must be titles that attempt to move away from this.

 

[DanteLinkX]

Only one word for you OP.

IKARUGA.

EDIT: You can get Ikaruga on most consoles, dreamcast, gamecube, etc, if you want some truly old school awesome SNES shmup go for my favorite Super Strike Gunner (S.T.G.) and if you have a buddy to play with its totally awesome in 2 players co-op (the ships can fusion together, one shoots the other moves), Axelay its also really cool, so is Gradius III, R-type III is awesome too, there is one militar shoot them up that I keep forgetting its name in which you buy new aircrafts and stuff, that is also on SNES that is awesome too.

 

[Green Mario]

These are all highly regarded shmups of varying difficulty.
The first two are classics, released in the early 2000's. Hellsinker and ZeroRanger were released in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

My favorite classic shmup is Star Force by Tecmo (known at the time as Tehkan). You can get it on the Switch.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

Bullet hells seem intimidating, frustrating and ugly to me but I'd be willing to dip my toe in - any suggestions?

Click to shrink...

Mushihimesama from Cave.

Mushihimesama on Steam

Battle huge "Koju" bugs in CAVE's beautiful fantasy shooter, Mushihimesama. Experience the thrill of bullet hell from the masters of the genre as you evade visually stunning shot patterns with thousands of bullets.

store.steampowered.com

Cave is absolutely the top bullet hell developer, and instead of the usual dystopian scifi look, this one is all themed on nature, bugs, fairies and stuff.

edit: And they have one on XBox back compat based in feudal Japan (just trying to give you varied settings based on the 'ugly' remark)

https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-us/Product/Guwange/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410a78

 

[SoH]

Play ZeroRanger



Jamestown+ is the most accessible recent release



Dangun Feveron has a bangin' disco soundtrack

 

[DanteLinkX]

Look this video includes the game I said,

Its U.N. Squadron, fucking awesome game OP, go for it.

 

[Deleted member 2620]

These are all highly regarded shmups of varying difficulty.
[snipped due to media embed limit]

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I think this is a solid spread:

- Ikaruga is fantastic, the only thing holding me back from suggesting it is that it's not very representative of the genre. Which is the point!
- Mushihimesama is a great representative for Cave's games. EspRaDe (recently released on Switch and PS4) would be another good one for this slot.
- Hellsinker is a wild-sounding doujin that I'm not too familiar with, admittedly, but it always looked cool
- ZeroRanger is recent, has a unique and forgiving (but still challenging) structure, and just completely fucking rules.

The only thing missing here, I think, would be some horizontal classics like Gradius and R-Type:




If you want me to pick one game, OP, it'd either be Mushihimesama or ZeroRanger.

 

[SturokBGD]

How many times today can I recommend tuning into The Greatest Video Game Program In Human Civilization?

 

[AvernOffset]

This is a great intro to bullet hell. You get a lot of opportunities to cancel incoming bullets, so you'll have an out for patterns that feel too overwhelming.

 

[SoH]

Also the Shmup Hangouts thread has been very active as of late with lots of recent discussion assisting new players. Swing by and hang out. We are happy to explain tap dodging and rank or whatever doesn't make sense.

Shmups (Shoot 'Em Ups) |OT| THE FULL EXTENT OF THE JAM

Shmup refers to 'Shoot 'em up' (STG = Shooting Game in Japan). The term is broadly used to describe video games where a player is placed in charge of a craft or being, tasked with shooting several enemies using projectiles in stage-like environments. The vast majority of shmups are set in a...

www.resetera.com

 

[Calvinien]

I've seen a few threads recently about shmups and it's made think about how little I really know about them. So what do I need to check out?

What are the classics?
What are some unique takes/spin-offs of the genre?
What does a modern shmup look like? I like the idea of playing something forgiving with some kind of progression.
Bullet hells seem intimidating, frustrating and ugly to me but I'd be willing to dip my toe in - any suggestions?

I have access to most of the big consoles and have a decent enough laptop for PC games.

The things that have probably turned me off in the past is repetition (I never enjoy score attack or time attack in any genre) and learning wave patterns. I get these are a big part of shmups but there must be titles that attempt to move away from this.

Click to shrink...

Ok you clearly said forgiving so disregard the people saying Ikaruga. It is not a schmup, it is a bullet hell game.

Gradius, R type, UN squadron, Aero fighters and the star soldeir series are some of the longstanding staples. They are all form the 16 bit era so if you don't have some way to play them by now, it's because you don't want to.

Parodius is essentially a shmup parody. It plays like an acid trip.
Zero wing is worth a play. It's the source of one of the most infamous gaming memes so that part is fun, but the core gameplay is entertaining if unspectacular.

Heavy Weapon is a more modern take on the genre from the popcap era. You are a tank attacking targets in a 180 degree arc. Unlike most
in the genre you can upgrade yourself.

The sky force series is on modern consoles and I think gamepass. It has tons of unlockables and upgrades, but there is a grind that comes with.

 

[Deleted member 48897]

In a situation that experts are describing as "fucked up", Radiant Silvergun is still only available on Saturn and XBox 360

 

[Deleted member 2620]

Silvergun and Ikaruga both are games that I think everyone should play but are weird examples of the genre at their core for surprisingly different reasons. Ikaruga for its polarity system (obviously) and Silvergun for its demand that players play for score (or use saved progress in the console-y mode)

 

[Andromeda]

Most Shmup 'classics' I have played along the years were either too hard or not fun.

So for the best I have played since the SNES:

Parodius (SNES) and Blazing star (Neogeo) are super fun. Blazing star should be available on some recent consoles.
Resogun (PS4) is the best shooter I have played.

 

[OldSocksAndShoes]

In a situation that experts are describing as "fucked up", Radiant Silvergun is still only available on Saturn and XBox 360

Click to shrink...

This is a stone cold classic and probably my favorite SHMUP of all time. I would eat a hat to get a Steam/modern console remaster.

 

[RingRang]

Radiant Silvergun is my favorite shmup of all time. It's available on the Xbox right now.

 

[sweetmini]

I recommend Parodius Da! and Sexy Parodius (my avatar is a Sexy Parodius boss). My two favourite entries in the Parodius series.
The series is a spoof of the Gradius/Salamander formula. It is not too difficult, the graphics are cute and funny, the soundtrack is fantastic (spoofs of known themes... i'll let you discover) and bosses are fun.
Parodius is simple and linear, Sexy Parodius adds branching paths with objectives completion determining what next level you reach.
Parodius is no bullet hell normally, its sprites count limit forbids that... sexy can be a little more hectic if you turn to maximum difficulty. Normal is very manageable.
I love the series...
Saturn / Playstation versions of these games should be easy enough to source.
I don't recommend snes/pcengine/nes versions of Parodius Da!
The X68000 version is mighty fine.



edit: fun fact, in the first level of Parodius Da! Even the playstation and saturn don't animate the palm trees...
The like cause is because the X68000 port didn't animate them and so ditched the animation order from the level "playlist". Every other 16bits ports being derivative of that x68000 port... it got forgotten. That's my take ;)
In the arcades, an order is sent in the level playlist to start animate, the animation is hardcoded for the duration of the mid-boss passage, there is no real interaction between the 2. The animation is just done by changing tiles addresses to be returned by the graphics co-processors, it's a different technique than the one used by sprites animation.

 

[Kent]

Ikaruga is available on basically everything.

Radiant Silvergun is available on Xbox 360 - and backwards compatible on Xbox One.

Tyrian is open source and Tyrian 2000 is free on GoG.

Please play them, I implore you.

 

[angelgrievous]

Both Raiden V: Director's Cut and Dariusburst Chronicles Saviours on PS4 are really good. Raiden has a bunch of difficulty settings to help ease you into the game and unlimited continues to keep you going if you die.

Under Defeat HD on PS3 and Xbox 360 is a really fun. It's also really forgiving for newcomers.

Sine Mora Ex is one that I enjoy quite a bit. It's a really pretty game imo and probably one of the more accessible bullet hell games that I can think of.

 

[Galacticsushiman]

My avatar? :)

I am partial to TREASURE and CAVE shooters. I find everything else less... exciting for some reason.

A couple on NEO GEO were also very memorable (Pulstar, View Point, Sonic Wings 2).

 

[Soapbox Killer]

IKARUGA!

 

[Glimlocker]

OP, memorization is indeed a part of almost all Shmups recently, especially bullet hell.
Most of what has been mentioned on here is incredibly memorization heavy.

+1 for Jamestown+ on Switch! It should be on sale right now, so pick it up!

Blazing Star and Pulstar are both awesome on Switch, probably other consoles.

Zero Gunner 2 on Switch, along with Gunbird 2 and Sengoku Blade would be a GREAT start to learning about shmups.

Don't know how you can access it anymore, but the original DoDonPachi is my go-to for introducing my friends to shmups.

 

[RedSwirl]

I've been particularly curious about what the hallmarks of shmup history are. What are the must-play Gradius, R-Type, Raiden, and Thunder Force games?

I've really only played some of the Darius games.

 

[killuglypop]

Mushihimesama can be whatever you want it to be difficulty wise. That would be my manic/bullet hell choice. If you would prefer to play something more traditional or slower paced, I highly recommend Pulstar for the Neo Geo. Rumoured to be made by Irem staff members, plenty of 2D wizardry coupled with tight gameplay

 

[7threst]

Both Raiden V: Director's Cut and Dariusburst Chronicles Saviours on PS4 are really good. Raiden has a bunch of difficulty settings to help ease you into the game and unlimited continues to keep you going if you die.

Under Defeat HD on PS3 and Xbox 360 is a really fun. It's also really forgiving for newcomers.

Sine Mora Ex is one that I enjoy quite a bit. It's a really pretty game imo and probably one of the more accessible bullet hell games that I can think of.

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This guy has the right idea! Dariusburst, go for it! Then go for Raiden. Need more challenge? Seel out the R-Type games.

 

[Awakened]

This game has such a hype soundtrack, it's easy to want to keep going back to:



This one just has a great feel and progression:



It's been a bit since I played this, but I think I liked it since it has a neat attack system:

 

[Deleted member 2620]

Both Raiden V: Director's Cut and Dariusburst Chronicles Saviours on PS4 are really good.

Click to shrink...

Dariusburst is such a good modern horizontal shooter. It's on PC, too, and has like a million optional modes if you aren't a strict arcade-goer.

 

[Glimlocker]

Both Raiden V: Director's Cut and Dariusburst Chronicles Saviours on PS4 are really good. Raiden has a bunch of difficulty settings to help ease you into the game and unlimited continues to keep you going if you die.

Under Defeat HD on PS3 and Xbox 360 is a really fun. It's also really forgiving for newcomers.

Sine Mora Ex is one that I enjoy quite a bit. It's a really pretty game imo and probably one of the more accessible bullet hell games that I can think of.

Click to shrink...

This is a good post.

Except I can't stand Sine Mora, but it's still a well designed game. I'm just not into it.

 

[zeomax]

 

[KDR_11k]

I'd strongly advise against Hellsinker for a newbie. That game is stupidly complex. Without reading the manual thoroughly you won't have a clue what's going on. I still cannot remember if self eclipse was a good or bad thing.

Keep in mind that a lot of the games getting listed here are older and will go on deep sales regularly.

Has a literal twist:

Just a good standard one:



Early Access stuff:

uses the Asteroids thrust model instead of standard shmup controls:


I think you can just grab anything from this bundle:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/5655/Henteko_Shmups_Bundle/

 

[Paertan]

Jets N Guns is an old favorite of mine.

Jets'n'Guns Gold on Steam

Jets'n'Guns is a heavy piece of ground shaking rock blasting action with graphics and special effects that will blow you eyes out! Enjoy yourself in almost-insane action adventure of saving the universe from the deadly threat of more than 270 unique monsters in the campaign of 43 levels.

store.steampowered.com

Got released on Switch recently and a sequel is releasing pretty soon as well after year and years of waiting.

 

[KDR_11k]

The Dariusburst game that got mentioned before:


It's loaded with content, ignore the DLC, that's just crossovers with other series for fans. Darius is an old series famous for its multi-screen arcade machines, the PC version of DBCS can be played in 32:9 with dual monitors, the console version lacks that feature.

When looking at Parodius remember that it's a parody of Gradius so you might not get the jokes if you don't know Gradius. I certainly didn't get the point of the final boss in Parodius on the old Game Boy.

 

[deltabreak]

I recommend Crimzon clover for the fact that it's a very great shmup and goes for like 1$ on sale.

 

[mute]

I like G-Darius the best, but there aren't any modern releases of it I don't think (outside the JP PS classic maybe?) The other Darius games are great too, and are a little bit easier to get a hold of.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

I've been particularly curious about what the hallmarks of shmup history are. What are the must-play Gradius, R-Type, Raiden, and Thunder Force games?

I've really only played some of the Darius games.

Click to shrink...

R-Type: The original and SNES pt3. Delta and Final on Playstation are also good.
Gradius: 3 and 5 (and Parodius and Salamander spin-offs, which I think are even better)
Thunderforce: 3,4,5

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Play ZeroRanger.

 

[Deleted member 2620]

I've been particularly curious about what the hallmarks of shmup history are. What are the must-play Gradius, R-Type, Raiden, and Thunder Force games?

I've really only played some of the Darius games.

Click to shrink...

my brief personal thoughts on each series... (arcade versions unless noted otherwise)

The first Gradius was groundbreaking but has some of that typical mid-80s arcade game jank, back when Cool Stage Progression was kind of a new thing. Gradius II is bigger and more polished and more challenging. Gradius III went wild with the difficulty level, which has an appeal but I may never 1cc the second game let alone the third lol. Gradius Gaiden (PSX) is really cool and probably overshadowed Gradius IV from a retrospective perspective. IV also has kind of a weird look to it and was released during a bit of a lull for horizontal shooters? Gradius V is good: it has an awesome look and sound, but there are notable structural changes and the console-first design is apparent in the game's length and pacing.

Worth noting that Salamander is almost a Gradius side-series, only without the checkpoints and with alternating horizontal/vertical stages. There's a lot of overlap. The original Salamander was, like the original Gradius, a pretty big deal, and Salamander 2 is pretty sick as well.

R-Type I'm less familiar with as a series, but the original is just such a classic. 2 seems like more of the same (non-pejoratively). Leo is a bit faster (no per-life checkpoints) and has a really different tone. 3 (SNES) seems a bit more spread thin but has a super-cool aesthetic. Delta (PSX) might be right up there with the original. I found Final (PS2) to be a slog, and that's before I realized how many ships there are to unlock.

Raiden is a landmark vertical game, but I'm even less familiar with the series. Movement speed is slow, bullets are fast. I know the first two games are held in high regard. I don't remember much of III, but IV seemed very in line with the original two games? V has some dialog and a health meter, but still seemed pretty cool. The two Radien Fighters side games are incredible, albeit massively different.

and with Thunder Force... I don't think people generally put a lot of weight into the first two games. I've barely played the original and the second one (X68k, Genesis) is a bit of an awkward mix of free-roaming top-down and linear side-scrolling stages. The third and fourth games (Genesis) are aesthetically wild and mechanically pretty tight for being console-first, and are the most praised games in the series for sure. The fifth game (Saturn) is also right up there aesthetically but maybe a bit more uneven mechanically (there's an insanely OP weapon that really lowers the difficulty of the game), and people rarely bring up the sixth revival game from the mid-2000s (PS2).

 

[Merkunt]

BLUE REVOLVER on Steam

BLUE REVOLVER is a fresh new shoot-em-up built for newcomers and psychos alike. An adaptive difficulty system tailors the game to your skill level as you fight and flourish to evade the maniac environmental force, "Blue Revolver"!

store.steampowered.com

Caladrius Blaze on Steam

An epic tale that begins from shooting missiles! The newest work of the Caladrius series with lots of new features that exceeds the original story!

store.steampowered.com

Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION on Steam

Prepare yourself for an insatiable rain of bullets, bombs, and beams in Crimzon Clover. From Japanese indie developer Yotsubane, this retro top-down shooter is a wild ride you won't want to miss out on.

store.steampowered.com

DoDonPachi Resurrection on Steam

The legendary bullet-hell shoot-’em-up series has come to Steam! DoDonPachi is ressurected after a Blissful Death with enough modes to satisfy the beginner and the expert player alike. Tonight we dine in bullet hell!

store.steampowered.com

https://store.steampowered.com/app/629440/Graze_Counter/

Mushihimesama on Steam

Battle huge "Koju" bugs in CAVE's beautiful fantasy shooter, Mushihimesama. Experience the thrill of bullet hell from the masters of the genre as you evade visually stunning shot patterns with thousands of bullets.

store.steampowered.com

Raiden IV: OverKill on Steam

The series that changed the history of arcade shoot’em ups is back with the crazed action of Overkill mode! Instill fear in your enemies with devastating attacks and earn the acclaimed title of Master Ace!

store.steampowered.com

https://store.steampowered.com/app/745880/__Hidden_Star_in_Four_Seasons/

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Quoting my post from a few months ago on the matter.

 

[Aurica]

Pretty much anything from Cave or Eighting.

Living in Japan was shmup paradise.

My absolute favorites are Armored Police Batrider (arcade only ;_;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DYGwlGKICo

Mushihimesama Futari (360)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCJ7Yw9sChY

Ketsui (PS3, PS4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMIOdOkiIWo

DoDonPachi DaiOuJou(JP PS2/JP 360)/SaiDaiOuJou (360)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4YraPMrlo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0C-XX0fcQ

For the more easily attainable shmups that are also great, check out Jamestown+ (PC, PS4, more?), Caladrius Blaze (PS3, PS4, Switch), Crimzon Clover (Steam), Mushihime-sama 1.5 (Steam), Battle Garegga (PS4)

 

[Sheng Long]

ThunderForce 3, 4, 5. Tf6 if you want though it's so easy it's almost comical.

 

[Shaneus]

No love for Fantasy Zone :( Coming out on Switch in a few days, definitely not difficult/intimidating and super fun.

 

[Hoa]

I see Eschatos already mentioned, that also comes with two additional games Judgement Silversword and Cardinal Sins. All 3 are great play.

Mecha Ritz and Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo are good to ease yourself into bullet hell.


With the dynamic rank system the better you play, not only does bullet count increase but enemy count, scroll speed, and boss attacks increase too. You can change the starting rank to be wherever your skill level is at, and they give you quite a lot of resources (bombs and shields) to clear even if you aren't great at surviving. The original freeware version is also great and quite different enough from Steel Rondo to give a go too.



I'd also recommend Cambria Sword, which is more of a traditional shmup but it is beefy if you want to do all stages runs. Skipping stages lets you complete in like 50 minutes but all stages is like a 3 hour run. It has a ton of weapons and subweapons to mess around with. I never expected a longer than normal shmup to pull me in like this but once you're in you're in. Just a heads up Stage 1-2 are pretty relaxing, Stage 3 turns it up a little, but Stage 3 boss will give you a wake up call immediately. From there on difficulty gradually increases each stage.

What both of these shmups have in common is that they are filled with bosses throughout the stages.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

No love for Fantasy Zone :( Coming out on Switch in a few days, definitely not difficult/intimidating and super fun.

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I was a Master System kid. I've got nothing but Fantasy Zone love!

 

[Aurica]

I hope M2 Shot Triggers re-release Batrider. I want it so bad. It's amazing :(

 

[krg]

My favorite classic shmup is Star Force by Tecmo (known at the time as Tehkan). You can get it on the Switch.

Click to shrink...

I have fond memories of this one since I played it at the arcades back in the day.

 

[KDR_11k]

From what I read about Gradius 3 and 4, you absolutely want the home console versions of those games. The arcade versions are rushed, buggy, laggy and extremely unfair. Arcade Gradius has a system called rank management where as you gather more powerups the game spawns more enemies and makes them more aggressive! Even expert players die on purpose in those games just to reset the rank.

 

[CrabDust]

Fair warning though, most of them do not have modern progression systems - they are arcade games first and foremost and for all its praise, Ikaruga is a memory pattern game. Some recent ones like Jamestown splash modern design. My old school favs are: Radiant Silvergun and DoDonPachi.

 

[Dache]

I'll always recommend Cave shmups, there's something about the feel of Ikeda's games in particular that draw me back unlike anything else.

I'm super in the minority but I absolutely fucking love Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu/Resurrection and find it the most fun and replayable DDP, and the PC port is really good. Black Label in particular is brilliant, with lovely juicy cancels (as per ADGQ parlance) throughout.



It also includes Black Label Arrange, aka Ketsupachi, which combines DDP DFK with Cave's other shmup Ketsui. Which is also amazing and worth going through the hassle of setting up a Japanese PSN account to buy it with on PS4.

 

[flashman92]

Multiple mentions of Thunder Force but not one for Devil Engine?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/891790/Devil_Engine/