Tying up June loose ends

First, as we discovered way back in March, Ikaruga has arrived for PlayStation 4. It's available on the PSN store now. There was some snag getting it on the US store apparently but both Euro and JP stores are OK and to the best of my knowledge the snafu has been fixed in the US store by now.

Quad Fighter K has gotten the review treatment from Bullet Heaven:

Super Destronaut DX, a Space Invaders-esque (that's a real word btw) game, is just weeks away from launching on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PS Vita.

The elephant in the (Switch) room: Flip Grip

For you Nintendo Switch shmuppers out there I want to alert you to a Kickstarter that should tickle your fancy: Flip Grip.



I pledged the second I heard of it so I'm guessing if you haven't, you might want to know. Yeah, it really does look like just about the greatest accessory ever made for the Switch.

Shikhondo opened for pre-orders yesterday like planned

As of this writing all three editions are still available.


The game looks like it's a ton of fun so I ordered for both platforms. Make sure to get your copy!

Shikhondo Soul Eater gets physical release

While we already knew Shikhondo was coming to PlayStation 4, in a stunning announcement Play-Asia will roll out pre-orders for physical editions of the game on both Nintendo Switch and PS4 on June 28th.

From the presser:

TAKE ON AN ARMY OF DEMONS IN THIS KOREAN BULLET HELL
PHYSICAL RELEASES FOR BOTH SWITCH & PS4

 

SHIKHONDO SOUL EATER is a Korean bullet-hell shoot 'em up set within a beautiful and bizarre world of Asian mythology. Created by Korean-based independent developer DeerFarm, Shikhondo - Soul Eater features hypnotic barrage patterns and stunning Oriental artwork. Select one of the Grim Reapers or girls, find the yokai that escaped from limbo, extricate the souls that they absorbed, and reseal them! Shikhondo Soul Eater will encourage players to stay close to the enemy's bullet barrage in order to fill their Soul Gauge and unleash massive attacks!

Shikhondo Soul Eater includes four different game modes: Arcade, Hardcore, Boss Rush and, for the first time, players will be able to play with a friend thanks to an all-new 2-player local co-op mode added especially for the console versions. Online leaderboards will also allow you to test your abilities against other players around the world!

Language: English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese

Psyvariar Deltra Trailer 2

As already stated, pre-orders are up on Play-Asia.

Under the radar: Beekyr Reloaded has launched on Switch

Shmups are now launched so fast (& furious?) on the Nintendo Switch that it's hard to keep up. Like with Beekyr Reloaded, a shmup available on Steam since late 2017, that launched on June 14th on the Nintendo eShop. As an added bonus the Steam version is 25% off right now.

1917 - The Alien Invasion DX has launched on Switch

1917 - The Alien Invasion DX has been available on Steam since 2016 but has now launched on the US eShop for Nintendo Switch. It will arrive in the european eShop by friday.

Switch gets more ancient shooters from the Arcade Archives

Argus and Omega Fighter is heading to Nintendo Switch. It's Hamster releasing them under their Arcade Archives label which bodes well, they make solid ports.

Argus dates back from 1986 and had a home release on the NES. Omega Fighter hails from 1989 but never crossed the chasm over to home consoles before (as far as I can tell).

Rym 9000 coming to PS4

Rym 9000 which has been out for a while on Steam is jumping the fence onto PlayStation 4 "soon".

Surprise! Sisters Royale released on JP Switch eShop

Alfa System, the makers of the Castle of Shikigami series of shmups, just surprised everyone and released a new shmup on the japanese Switch eShop; Sisters Royale. It's a vertical shooter with (now obligatory) tate support.

The story:

A new vertical scroll shooting game makes its debut in a battle royale where five sisters compete for one man!

Choose from one of five individual sisters and use standard attacks, spirit summons, and bombs to defeat enemies.

Play with exciting systems such as the “Tension Bonus System”—which increases the amount of points acquired and coins dropped depending on the distance between the player, enemies, and enemy bullets—and “Power Shots,” which turns the standard attack into a powerful strike!

Additionally, “Secret Fairies” that doubles the increase rate of the Tension Bonus System for a limited amount of time are hidden throughout each stage.

Use these systems to clear each stage with a high score!

Gunbird 2 for Switch has a release date

We already knew that Gunbird 2 was coming to Nintendo Switch but now it has been listed as being released on the eShop in Japan on June 21st.

Ikaruga arrives on PS4 (Pro)

There were rumors earlier this year that Ikaruga was coming to PS4 and they've now been confirmed. Treasures coveted shooter arrives on June 29th. Besides being last out of the gate the PS4 version will deliver 4K support if you have a PlayStation 4 Pro.

New shmup Space Hamster in Turmoil is in development

Demo available now.

Story

Hamsters were the most convenient pet to bring to space. We didn't even have to keep them in cages. However, after the extinction of mankind, one such hamster runs out of food aboard one of our very own space stations.

After accidentally activating an A.I. driven spacecraft, the hamster falls asleep right on the pilot's seat.

What will be the fate of our unlucky rodent, surviving on its own without the assistance of man?

You are the A.I. controlling the ship.
Will you get this beloved soul to safety?

Features
-A short story with deep plot, and a twist ending.
-Challenging Gameplay (optional Easy Mode included).
-7 Stages (*Currently 4 stages in Early Access!)
-One Boss per stage, each with Unique Skills & Logic
-3 Functional Upgrades to tweak.
-6 Energetic Upgrades to choose.
-12 Structural Upgrades to acquire.
-Planned: New Game+ with all upgrades unlocked.
-In Progress: Original music by Matthew Steed!

All ship upgrades are optional. Only one of each type can be worn at a time.

Black Bird teaser site up

Black Bird which I told you about back in May is a new shmup for PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch coming this summer (so right about now I guess?) and the teaser site for the game has gone live. The site is available in both english and japanese.

Wings of Bluestar gets a trailer before getting Kickstarted

A Kickstarter (and a demo) is forthcoming for Wings of Bluestar, here's what the developer says:
********************** Wings Of Bluestar is an indie shmup featuring HD 2D graphics and a horizontal gameplay style. Shinu Real Arts is an indie game dev studio and Wings Of Bluestar is our first big game. ********************* The games' Kickstarter is to be launched soon and a public demo will be available as well, including: - First stage. - 4 difficulties. - Gamepad and keyboard support. - Combo/highscoring mechanism. - 8 artworks to unlock. - 3 Trophies to unlock. - Saving. - Animated intro. - Image tutorial. ************************ Future features: - Local 2 players mode. - Story mode with dialog choices. - Boss rush mode. - In-game feature shop. - Interactive tutorial. - Lot of trophies. - Lot of art work to unlock including original art, fan art and concept. - Journal explaining the games' lore to unlock. - Keyboard and gamepad key mapping. - Various endings. ************************* Hope you guys like the game and support us on the Kickstarter. Also feedback is highly appreciated. *************************

Monkey King: Master of the clouds coming

Chuka Taisen or "Cloud Master", a 1989 hit arcade game ported to a slew of consoles way back in the late 80's/early 90's is coming to PC, PS4 and Switch this summer.



I don't think I've ever played it so I'm looking forward to it even though it might be a bit too cute for my taste.

Dimension Drive to get physical release on Switch too!

Play-asia released the somewhat unique shooter Dimension Drive in a physical release for PS4 earlier this year (sold out so no use following this link really).

It has been out for some time in the Nintendo eShop for the Switch but today Play-asia announced that they will be releasing the game physically on the Switch as well, in both Limited and regular editions though I can't really tell what separates them.

While the Switch is quickly gaining a reputation for being the "shmup machine" the vaaaaast majority of releases are downloads only. If we want physical releases we need to make sure these early ones are succesful. Thankfully I really like the game so I don't have to tell you to buy it "just because".

The press release:

PLAY Exclusives Switch Collection Begins! Dimension Drive on Nintendo Switch in both Standard & Limited Editions   Only 3,000 copies will be available for the Limited Edition. The Standard Edition will be open pre-order from JUNE 14 until JUNE 30. All editions of Dimension Drive are eligible for free shipping. The Switch Collection will be growing in 2018!

Dimension Drive takes the shoot’em up genre to the next level & challenges you to fight across two battlefields on one split screen. Instantly switch between them to dodge waves of bullets, reach secret areas, or surprise your enemies. Dimension Drive seamlessly combines shooting & puzzle mechanics in a fun comic book adventure taking place in a multi-dimensional universe! Take on a multi-dimensional alien race in your legendary space ship capable of teleporting across space! The Switch release includes many improvements to the game including online leaderboards, a new ranking system, improved collision warning, better contrast & improved graphics, alongside performance upgrades.