1993 Space Machine
I confess I purchased this mainly for the nostalgia factor. After completing 1993:SM I can say the tagline “celebrating games like Gradius, R-Type and Life Force” is realistic but tends to underestimate some bullet hell elements that are present in game.
Bullet hell did indeed surface in year 1993 but was not a popular subgenre until the second half of the decade. What we have here, to summarize, is a mostly classic horizontal shooter, with occasional incursions in bullet hell territory - especially in some overcrowded passages where complex bullet geometries and bullet wave patterns tend to show up, challenging you to not only shoot but dodge, too. I’d say the classic/BH ratio is 80/20, but your mileage may vary.
– Real player with 19.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gun Customization Co-op Games.
1993 Space Machine is short, simple but very fun 2D side scrolling Shoot Em' Up. The game is easy to pick up and play - You guide your space ship through five stages in your mission to defeat the final boss.
That is not to say the game itself is easy. Stages rapidly increase in difficulty and you will soon find yourself fending off multiple enemies and stage hazards. There are two classes of ships to choose from - A small, nimble but weaker ship or a slower ship that can tank more damage and carry more weapons. Personally I prefered the former, they were just generally better at avoiding enemy projectiles and stage hazards. I would recommend trying both types of ships and seeing which you prefer.
– Real player with 13.1 hrs in game
Space Elite Force
Summary:
(longer version below)
Space Elite Force is a pretty neat and lite side-shooter, offering some builds/customization and a fair amount of gameplay. It doesn’t come without drawbacks, but they’re minor, so at the end of the day, depending how much you pay for it, you can get a pretty decent local co-op game without regretting it.
| Achievements: | Cloud Saving: | Trading Cards: | Workshop: |
– Real player with 7.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gun Customization Bullet Hell Games.
Reminescient of games like R-Type and Gradius, this shootem will bring back fond memories. It is a masterpiece and a game done right in this genre. It is 99 cents well spent. I would’ve gladly paid for $5 or more for it. Exceptional development.
| Pros | Cons |
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shmup
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in space
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upgrades
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great graphics
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great audio
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joystick
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active developer
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- joystick, because keyboard does suck in this game
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– Real player with 4.4 hrs in game
Space Elite Force II
I played the first one and had a lot of fun. This took everything I loved about the first (the power up system, full controller support, and fast paced shooter action) and just amped it and made it even smoother. The levels are less repetitive and the enemy patterns smarter. The garage system comes up after death rather than only after level complete so you can get through levels usually right away. The whole experience is just more fun and is a great addition to any game library! :3
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gun Customization Bullet Hell Games.
Had a lot of fun with this one…it’s familiar territory once again but that’s a good thing.
Graphics are nicely done, a cool rock/electronic soundtrack, lots of good upgrades and achievements, leaderboards for all modes, co-op, extra modes like boss rush and arcade kept me coming back for more. I liked the smaller enclosed levels too (SO glad you don’t take damage if you hit a wall here too).
There’s a few things I’d like to see in future games in the series…more upgrades, larger/longer campaign, more fun achievements, levels where the whole thing is a boss, (like level 3 from R-type), trading cards, more varied bosses, this game has some enclosed levels which were fun and I’d like to see more of those too.
– Real player with 5.1 hrs in game
Celtreos
One or two players. Use a mouse or trackpad, keyboard (including Touch Bar), or 1-2 game controllers.
Mac or mobile only, and updated for macOS “Big Sur” with x86_64 and arm64 support.
“Celtreos” is like the space shooters of decades past: tiny ship, big weapons, waves of foes, power-ups and obstacles.
Music, Sound and Voice
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Over 25 different songs (nearly 45 minutes of music!)
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You can even play your own music and auto-next-song for key game events
Stages
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12 stages: a city, space station, ocean and more
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Horizontal scrolling but more than one “screen” of vertical space
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Start from any stage you want!
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Each stage ends with a challenging boss
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Wall layouts and spawn patterns are partially randomized
Weapon Arrays, Special Moves, Power-Ups and More
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Choose from a huge arsenal of weapons and special abilities
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7 different ships to choose from
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Customize ship properties, such as gun mount locations and top speed
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In-game power-ups with weapons, defenses and temporary powers (like Rapid Fire)
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Power-down orbs with temporary inconveniences (like Weapon Freeze)
Additional Configuration Options
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Set number of lives, and number of times that special abilities can be used
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Play in a window or in Full Screen, and specify how much of the display to use in Full Screen
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Set graphics quality to one of three levels
GraveRun
Early access from 2016 so have to assume this is probably all we get. A bit of a shame really as it has a lot going for it. it’s a really fun little twin stick zombie shooter with a bunch of neat mechanics, upgrades and cute pixel graphics. Seems primarily designed for multiplayer/co-op but it’s great fun solo too. Unfortunately probably owing to early access the campaign is pretty short, still pretty fun though.
Some games that don’t get finished you shrug and move on, some are missed that little bit more, this is one of those that had some real promise to it so it’s a shame we didn’t get to see a bit more it even now.
– Real player with 4.6 hrs in game
Fun game to kill time, easy to play and get addicted to. Pixelated graphics, smooth gameplay, many different combinations of weapons allows you to regulate the difficulty of playing the game, some are stronger and synergize better with certain weapons. Although coop is recommended, buying the game at full price is not so.
– Real player with 2.2 hrs in game
Space Force Squadron
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/20344/
The year is 2500 A.D., the earth was invaded by spaceships controlled by an A.I. The Space Forces manage to track the enemy HQ, and send the space squadron on a mission to end this invasion and thus save the earth.
Space Force Squadron is a horizontal arcade-style 2d shmup game, where you choose between 4 pilots, with different attributes each. Defeating enemies earns you points that can be used to buy upgrades for the ships, and also to repair them when you fail a mission.
Characteristics
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The game has 8 playable missions
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4 characters to choose from
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Challenging achievements
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Compatibility with x360 control
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Runs in window mode only
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Arcade style (good for casual play)
Beyond the Storm
Beyond the Storm is a love-letter for the game Tyrian, published in 1995 by XSIV/Epic Megagames. As it, expect the same experience, with a lot of more content and improved visuals.
Be NEARLY vaporized, crushed, blown to pieces, flame broiled, and electrocuted using your incredible targeting skills and class 1 fancy flying to keep you alive in this SHMUP that brings back the essence of the classic arcade shmups!
Features
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An “open-galaxy”, divided in sectors, wormholes, nebulas, asteroid fields, enemy fleets and full of planets and stations, each one with it’s own playable sectors
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Original music, inspired on the iconic soundtrack from Alexander Brandon
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Original graphics based on the original Tyrian art made by Daniel Cook, a.k.a. Lost Garden
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Lots of ships, enemies and weapons
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A lot of content lore-based, with a full readable database inside for more info
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Customizable weaponry
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A re-imagined energy generation system, allowing customizable ship systems based on energy redirection
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Fully voiced lines (in EN and PT-BR)
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Starfield Jukebox, for listening the OST with awesome visuals!
It’s time to get out from the solar system
This is an extremely low quality vertical scrolling arcade shootemup/bullet hell game. The objective is to fight through waves of enemies, perform limited ship upgrades, and eventually escape the solar system.
While the quality here is very low, the developer didn’t use retro pixel graphics, which makes this immediately better than thousands of games on Steam. The game runs properly in fullscreen and even supports 4K graphics, again better than thousands of games on Steam. The downsides, however, are significant. The graphics are of very low quality and bad to look at. The controls are lethargic and the ship moves like a slug. The translation is too terrible to make the story digestible. It’s just not fun. And what’s with the unskippable intro that replays when you die and goes on for an eternity?
– Real player with 5.9 hrs in game
Back in 2014 this was not the worst shoot em' up on steam for under 5$. It it still not the worst shoot em' up on steam in 2020. There is plenty of other shoot em' ups this generation for the same price. This game is lacking content compared to todays shoot em' up and this game is no longer being updated or supported. So if you are looking for e decently fun game for about this price, this is fine but keep looking they is alot more out there.
– Real player with 4.8 hrs in game
Antibody
You are the cure.
Sanguon, an otherwordly and newly discovered planet, has found itself the hotbed for a highly infectious alien lifeform. After intercepting a distress call from the surface research colony, you conclude the infection rate will outrun your efforts to contact your fellow humans. It is up to your piloting skills and the peculiar cleansing capabilities of your allied Chonklers to save Sanguon - and indeed the universe - from Viroid assimilation.
Multitask to victory.
Efficiently and continuously reposition your Chonkler companions to impede the rising infection. But stay alert, as your friendly critters are completely defenseless and will need your maneuverability and firepower to keep them safe as increasingly dangerous waves of enemies amass to attack.
Their loss is your gain.
Viroid corruption siphoned by the Chonklers can be converted into power-ups by your ship. Radar improvements? Piercing shot? Do you save up for big upgrades, or do you enjoy a flurry of smaller ones? The choice is yours.
A blast from the past, in the present.
A love letter to shoot ‘em up classics like Gradius, R-Type and Defender. Undeniably gameplay driven and thoroughly indulging in 80’s sci-fi pulp, Antibody is sure to excite arcade enthusiasts.
WARZONE-X
WARZONE-X is a multiplayer first-person game developed in 2755 where large corporations fight for the few resources left on earth combining the experience of science fiction and cyberpunk worlds in a death match with futuristic technology. 5 classic game modes based on team fighting and can play up to a total of 12 players per map or solo mode against bots.
Classic game modes:
- Deathmatch: Also known as DM or Deadly Combat, it is the typical all-against-all duel, each by his side. The objective is to have the largest number of frags (deaths made by the player) at the end of the time, or be the one that reaches the limit of frags established in the game. One of the best known modalities that are derived in this way is the one-on-one, also known as 1on1 or Duel.
- Teamdeathmatch:
Also known as TDM or Deadly Team Fight. Here, the rules of the game are the same as in Deathmatch, that is, the winner (this time, “team” instead of “player”) is the one who reaches the limit of frags established in the game, or one who, At the end of time, be the one with the most frags. There are 2 teams competing with each other to be the winner.
- Capture The Flag: Also known as CTF or Capture The Flag. Players compete in teams to take the flag of the rival team and take it to their own base, while defending theirs. Competitive teams must have a large share of teamwork. Teams must defend their base from rival attacks, while infiltrating the enemy base, taking their flag, and returning to their base. This requires the team to protect its bearer well from enemies in order to fulfill its objective.
- Domination: DOM, Teams compete to control several control points (these appear on the map as a giant X that changes shape and color according to the team that controls it) with the aim of adding points and winning the game. Standard maps contain three points. The points can be controlled either with the total occupation of the territory (physically occupying the space) or from a distance. Here, again, there are 2 teams competing for the same goal.
- Rush or Assault: A team, called an attacker must place explosive charges on two predetermined targets. When these are destroyed, the next phase is advanced where the same is done. The defending team must defend the objectives until the enemy points or “regeneration tickets” reach zero.
