Broken Sky

Broken Sky

Broken Sky is a heck of a lot of fun. I was ready to review this several weeks ago but glad I waited; it’s come a long way since then. The core mechanics were already solid but he’s put tons of work into balancing and added loads of cosmetic and QoL touches.

A great little retro shooter that faithfully recreates the arcade experience. A series of challenges and frequent ship and equipment upgrades keep the game moving and feeling fresh. Very moreish.

For more niche curation, follow me at: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/27440015-CSH-Picone/

Real player with 11.9 hrs in game


Read More: Best Jet Shooter Games.


I’m really enjoying this game, it has a nice retro Arcady feel to it with loads of options and achievements. The game has loads of unlockable content and challenges with addictive gameplay that gives you that “just one more go” feeling when you succumb to the alien forces. The first page of the game is interactive and allows you to set up you plane and game options using the terminals. And yes! You can pet the dog! 😉 Enjoy your flight!

Real player with 10.1 hrs in game

Broken Sky on Steam

AFTERBURN

AFTERBURN

I was a really big fan of Morfeo’s previous game, Furious Angels and have been waiting for this game for a long time and I’ve gotta say; totally worth the wait. I’ve been a huge fan of piloting games since Ace Combat on the PS2 and Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge on Xbox and this game honestly reminded me how much I love flying games! (Anyone got any recommendations? I’ve had a taste and I need more now! lol)

This game can be kind of frustrating to master (I was about ready to smash my face into the keyboard at attempt 250 but the sense of accomplishment I felt from finishing it was like nothing else.) but it’s control scheme is very intuitive, especially if you’ve played Furious Angels, and it’s very easy to pick up. I haven’t tried controller or joystick, but with a mouse (you don’t even need a keyboard at the moment but possible in the future it’ll be needed) to play this game without any issues. I have heard from others that it works just fine with a wide number of other controllers too if that’s more your style.

Real player with 209.3 hrs in game


Read More: Best Jet Procedural Generation Games.


AFTERBURN is a strange game, in the same vein that it’s an incredibly fun one with a nostalgic feel to it. Do you remember the arcade cabinets of the days of yore that had those old joystick dogfighting games? Do you remember that one Tom Clancy arcade cabinet where you climbed into that ball and it’d shake and move around as you flew your fighter jet all over the place? AFTERBURN does a good job at bringing some of those feelings back.

While it might not have music or any proper soundtrack to speak of, I’d say one of the biggest strengths is being able to put your own playlist on and sit down for a 30-45 minute session. The game will hold your attention for a few runs instead of the majority of the day, but I’d say that’s a strength. AFTERBURN is what I’d qualify as a painkiller, a game you sit down and boot up when you need a quick distraction or just want to forget about things…

Real player with 51.9 hrs in game

AFTERBURN on Steam

Starfighter Renegade

Starfighter Renegade

Starfighter Renegade is a single player, 3rd person, arcade style aerial combat game played over compact and varied alien worlds.

Swoop, twist and boost your Starfighter through unique landscapes, defending them from the invading alien threats!

  • Encounter a wide range of Alien fighters to battle.

  • Stop the Aliens spreading their deadly terraforming virus.

  • Rescue local inhabitants before the Aliens can collect them.

  • Decide which combination of weaponry, gadgets and strategy will get you the highest score.

Exhilarating Aerial Combat!

Master the controls of your Starfighter, dive and roll between bursts of enemy fire to take out your target. You’ll discover a wide range of Alien craft to engage, each with their own distinct behaviours and objectives.

Fly to the Rescue

Many worlds are still inhabited. The Aliens are working to capture the helpless civilian Friendlies to work in their mines and factories. Can you rescue them before their fates are sealed?

Stop the Virus

The Aliens are spreading a terraforming virus, polluting and destroying the landscape to better suit their nefarious needs. The more virus they spread, the less you will score! Do you focus on taking out the fighters and other hostile Aliens? Or look to stop the spread and reduce its impact?

Upgrade you Starfighter

Expand your fighters load-out as you discover more advanced weaponry; better lasers, attack drones, missiles and all manor of other useful gadgets to help you take on the Aliens in a variety of different ways. Find what works best for your style, and best for your score.

Replay again and again!

Return to any world you’ve already visited- just for the fun of the battle, or to try different strategies and load-outs to get the highest score you can!


Read More: Best Jet Shooter Games.


Starfighter Renegade on Steam

River Attack

River Attack

Good game. I liked it. I remembered when I was a kid and played that kind of game.

Real player with 1.4 hrs in game

This game appears to be a tribute to the classic Activision game, River Raid. Unfortunately, in trying to modernize the game with added features like a health bar, collectibles, bullet-hell, and side-scrolling, it loses everything that made Carol Shaw’s classic clever and fun. The original game challenged you to survive a gauntlet of ships and planes timed to collide with your plane while you could only bank left-right, speed up, slow down, and shoot one missile at a time, and you could only refuel flying over a tank and lingering as long as possible. The original design was brilliant, unique, and never replicated. The new features make it the same as any other “modern” bullet-hell game with a mediocre implementation, and some backstory scenes that only made me cringe. Instead, I recommend the original Atari emulation, or better yet the Atari 8-bit port that has improved scenery.

Real player with 0.2 hrs in game

River Attack on Steam

Furious Angels

Furious Angels

FA is a minimalistic, short and sweet arcade dogfighting shooter that is so much more than what you may think. Somewhat easy to get into, surprisingly hard to master.

Gameplay

Furious Angels (FA in short) is all about… blowing stuff up. While trying not to die. All while babysitting the helpless mothership. And of course, get a good looking score. Oh, and there’s no campaign, no story, no upgrade grinding. Only explosions. And scores.

Your goal - face the endless hordes of enemies that want you and your mothership dead. Losing either is a Game Over. Stay alive as long as you can, get that big big combo, but your fate is sealed before it all begins. You’ll lose. As for how, it’s up to you to decide.

Real player with 307.8 hrs in game

I don’t write many Reviews.

I think most Games do not deserve, or need my opinion.

And I usually don’t feel well as an advertisement writer.

But this one game is different. For me, this is a hidden Gem.

This is the only game i play everyday for 5-10 minutes. Since more then a Year.

No other game got me hooked like this. I think I can say I like it a bit.

Maybe it is just a me-thing. Maybe it appeals just to my personal taste.

It is arcade-y, and in a way that makes it great … I love the Explosions.

Real player with 231.7 hrs in game

Furious Angels on Steam

Space Force Squadron

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

  • The game has 8 playable missions

  • 4 characters to choose from

  • Challenging achievements

  • Compatibility with x360 control

  • Runs in window mode only

  • Arcade style (good for casual play)

Space Force Squadron on Steam

Space Elite Force

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

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 |

|

  • shmup

  • in space

  • upgrades

  • great graphics

  • great audio

  • joystick

  • active developer

|

  • joystick, because keyboard does suck in this game

|

Real player with 4.4 hrs in game

Space Elite Force on Steam

Star Aegis

Star Aegis

This game is different, because you don’t shoot, but use the shield to reflect the bullets to destroy the enemies. I liked very much.

Real player with 2.0 hrs in game

Space Invaders had a child, and it’s into metal!

Simple yet great game. I’m not sure if it was the actual game mechanics, the soundtrack or both, but I felt a rush of adrenaline playing it. And I’m usually not into shooters.

Definitely worth giving a try!

Real player with 0.5 hrs in game

Star Aegis on Steam

Celtreos

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

  • Over 25 different songs (nearly 45 minutes of music!)

  • You can even play your own music and auto-next-song for key game events

Stages

  • 12 stages: a city, space station, ocean and more

  • Horizontal scrolling but more than one “screen” of vertical space

  • Start from any stage you want!

  • Each stage ends with a challenging boss

  • Wall layouts and spawn patterns are partially randomized

Weapon Arrays, Special Moves, Power-Ups and More

  • Choose from a huge arsenal of weapons and special abilities

  • 7 different ships to choose from

  • Customize ship properties, such as gun mount locations and top speed

  • In-game power-ups with weapons, defenses and temporary powers (like Rapid Fire)

  • Power-down orbs with temporary inconveniences (like Weapon Freeze)

Additional Configuration Options

  • Set number of lives, and number of times that special abilities can be used

  • Play in a window or in Full Screen, and specify how much of the display to use in Full Screen

  • Set graphics quality to one of three levels

Celtreos on Steam

Strike VR

Strike VR

On-The-Rails VR shooter, gunning down airplanes and sinking ships. Eventually going to space, but still - get those power ups and go for high scores!

https://youtu.be/KGsi80EYU3s

Real player with 4.3 hrs in game

Ever wanted to pretend you’re a Gundam pilot? Look no further. Fun shoot ‘em up action in VR. Shoot, dodge, and upgrade. Easy to pick up and play and does require some degree of skill. It’s lit.

Real player with 2.1 hrs in game

Strike VR on Steam