The Switch has somehow entered its fifth year, and despite the fierce competition from the Steam Deck lately, it hasn’t lost its luster and position by my side wherever I go: maybe it has something to do with the immense library I have. stepped on mine at this point, filled to the brim with shmups of all shapes and sizes in what has long been a specialty of the system.
Once upon a time, it was the novelty of having these things on the go, plus the convenience of playing vertically scrolling shooter games as intended in ‘tate’ mode with the screen flipped (and without worrying about permanent damage like I used to do when shooting). pushing a fat old CRT on its side to play Ikaruga the way Treasure intended). Now it’s just the plethora of classics that you can pop in and out at your leisure – and what I love about the humble shmup is how direct they are, making them perfect for short bangs.
So here’s a list of some personal favorites and a rundown of the shmups that are in almost constant rotation on my Switch. There should be an emphasis on the personal here – there’s no science here, and I’m very biased in my own taste for simple, spectacular shmups rather than those with finicky scoring systems. So there’s no Ikaruga here, I’m afraid. Apologies, I love it, but I’m not going to pretend to be a master of its rigid, polarity-based system (if – or if – Radiant Silvergun ever makes it to Switch, you can bet it’ll be at the top of this list though. state).
Also apologies. I know the term ‘shmup’ is an ugly thing, and I get that if it gets your support – it does mine too, but the fact is if I called them ‘STGs’ I’d come across as one of those jerks who insists it be pronounced
G-Darius
After being gone for a few years, exploring the mobile space with some success, the legendary Taito has ramped up its console business in recent years and is well represented on the Switch, which is indeed a good thing: there is also a new Puzzle Bobble as some excellent history lessons from the company’s past, led by Darius Cozmic Collections who have amply printed the three-screen behemoth on Switch thanks to the handiwork of the ever-brilliant M2. Elsewhere you will find a decent port of the essential Layer section from City Connection – too bad it costs almost as much as the Saturn original will cost you, but it’s still a handy way to play an all-time classic.
If I had to pick just one to get you started, it would be another M2 connection – more specifically the excellent G-Darius getting its most luxurious getaway here. It’s also a pretty good starting point if you’re new to the Darius series – while the deranged Darius Gaiden remains for me the pinnacle of the series, G-Darius is where you’ll find a more approachable, excitingly ambitious take on the series. stately shmup complete with a dizzying number of routes and some electrical set pieces. It is also subject to some updates, and with ver. 2 by smoothing out some of the tougher edges, it’s now the complete package.
Aleste Collection
If you want to try out M2 at its most ambitious, there’s no better port of call than the Aleste Collection – a collection of Compile’s beloved, blazing fast games that comes complete with one of M2’s most outrageous efforts to date. Here’s a decent rundown of Aleste’s 8-bit episodes – shmups that offer simple, straightforward, and incredibly fast-paced pleasures – featuring the original Master System plus the two Game Gear outings that offered some of the best action available on Sega’s handheld.
But how about an all-new Game Gear outing for Aleste, where M2 stays true to the limitations of the hardware and its 160×144 resolution, while pushing the intensity of the action to its limits? GG Aleste 3 is all that and is a dream of a game. It’s worth buying the entire collection alone, and the fact that you also get a handful of Compile’s excellent 8-bit shmups makes Aleste Collection pretty much essential.
Thunder Force 4
There’s a handful of fun Mega Drive shmups on Switch, like the stylish but maybe too simple Gleylancerand even some Thunder Force games from Techno Soft to choose from, but the pick of the bunch is definitely Thunder Force 4. Perhaps it’s nostalgia talking and the reverence with which I once held the Mega Drive – a console that was used as a kid. always felt like your older, cooler brother – but Thunder Force 4 to me was always the epitome of the sharp styling that made Sega’s machine so appealing.
This is a big, wide open shooter with levels to get lost in, delivered with aggressive parallax scrolling that is at times dizzying in its depth. It may be adequate rather than superb to play – apologies if that’s sacrilege – but this is a deeply immersive shmup, and that seems to be the point. If you want to surround yourself with the 16-bit style of Techno Soft, complete with FM synth heavy metal riffs, Thunder Force 4 is your best contact.
Esp.Ra.De Psi
I’ve never been smart or skilled enough to fully appreciate Cave’s shmups and their complex scoring systems – apologies if that’s sacrilege, fellow shmup fans, but it’s more of an acknowledgment of how bad I am at these things – but I still enjoy them always from fiddling through games clearly pieced together with the highest level of craft. There’s a fine selection to browse on the Switch, from all-timer Mushihimesama on to the classics DoDonPachi Resurrection and Espgaluda.
My personal choice, however, is ESP Ra.De. The port is another M2 compound, meaning it comes with all sorts of bells and whistles that help deconstruct the complexities of Cave’s scoring systems, and let you play through this superbly handsome shmup, pretty much any way you want. Being both lazy and uneducated, I tend to take the path of least resistance so I can soak up the atmosphere of this strange sci-fi bullet hell where you dance through curtains of bullets dancing atop a gloriously realized near future neo-Tokyo .
devilish motorbike
Drainus recently won me over as one of the best contemporary shmups playing with my love of side-scrolling classics – and there’s no news of a Switch port of those just yet, but remember it just plays beautifully on SteamDeck – but there’ll be always have a place in my heart for Devil Engine.
The release was sadly overshadowed by shenanigans from disgraced publisher Dangen Entertainment, but that shouldn’t distract Protoculture Games’ performance. This is a shmup that comes with heart and soul, plus a small amount of chunk – if you want your action to shake the screen then Devil Engine is for you. This is an explosion of style and swagger, a student of the classics who isn’t afraid to mix things up a bit and a very good time indeed.
moon dancer
The eShop offers a whole load to dig through, and it’s easy to overlook more modest rates. But stop there! Some of those low-profile games offer a plethora of wealth from smaller studios, and there’s a whole host of incredible shmups of boutique outfits on the Switch; games like Super Hydroah, Earth Atlantis, Star Reasons: Binary Stars or the excellent Danmaku Unlimited 3 – an energetic vertical scroller that’s as good a starting point for shmups as any other.
I recently fell for the work of little Terarin Games – which I believe is mainly one person, a cybersecurity engineer who knocks over these incredible games during the day in their spare time – whose full output can be found on the eShop, if you know where look at this. Moon Dancer has just come to the Japanese eShop and is a good place to start, an unashamed tribute to RayStorm with a well-known lock-on mechanic that gives it a distinct flavor, it’s also an enjoyable energetic take on the genre that a has all its own charm.
Xexex
If you’re idly browsing the eShop as much as I am, you’ll be familiar with the weekly drops from Hamster’s Arcade Archives series – possibly one of the best services currently offered in games, and a constant source of delights and leftfield- to estimate. For the shmup fan, it offers a dizzying array of incredible games, some of which were previously hard to get to. There is SNK and Aicom’s blurry Blazing StarNMK is limited but beautiful gunnail and Thunder Dragon 2or all-timers like Konami’s Degree 3.
My choice, however, is Gradius’ closest relative Xexex. Developed by many of the same team behind Gradius 2, it’s a psychedelic spin-off that takes off liberally from fellow grand dame of the genre R-Type with its payload of explosion, though it ends with a trippy flavor all its own thanks to its lysergic aesthetics. It was hard to get your hands on before, limited to a Salamander collection on the PSP or those lucky enough to get an original board whose temperamental sound chip still works. Mine unfortunately not…
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