I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

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Austin
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Austin »

I got my first 1CC on G-Darius (PS1 version)! I've been working on the top route in brief sessions over the last couple of weeks and got it tonight. I sat down to record some gameplay, thinking I'd probably have to use a credit or two, but I ended up getting a 1LC in the process. This game always seemed really tough to me, but through figuring out a good route (and playing some boss rush), it's much more strategic in nature than I realized and thus not as challenging as I thought. Great game and I think I will begin working on the other routes. Got a full recording of the run, here: https://youtu.be/b6MSNnfCJJ0
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EmperorIng
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by EmperorIng »

Awesome job Austin! Seeing you methodically take the game apart gives me hope that I can clear it too (it's one of my 2020 goals). The way Dual Horn zips around the screen has killed me so many times; I'm glad you didn't meet the same fate.

I achieved a goal I set for myself, which was surviving past 2-1 in a Psikyo game. I picked the comparatively tame Gunbird for that task, and after a few weeks, I finally prevailed~
Image
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/568848928

It was a real treat to learn how to 'solve' this game's bullet patterns. Each new safe-spot felt well-earned and not divorced from the possibility of death! There was a certain point in practice where bullets slowed down and I could 'see' everything. Nothing like being in the zone.
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Austin
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Austin »

EmperorIng wrote:Awesome job Austin! Seeing you methodically take the game apart gives me hope that I can clear it too (it's one of my 2020 goals). The way Dual Horn zips around the screen has killed me so many times; I'm glad you didn't meet the same fate.
Yep, Dual Horn was a roadblock for me in the beginning. Then I learned its patterns and I can get through him consistently. The way he zips around the screen is the same every time, so as long as you can anticipate it, it's easy to dodge. Best of luck when you give it another try!
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third_strike
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by third_strike »

A Garou: Mark of the Wolves MVS Survival Mode level 8 with Marco.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBCnlM3_nZU
Wanting all a lot of fighting games this year.
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Jaimers
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Jaimers »

Image

Image Fight no-miss 2-ALL!
Very hard and unforgiving game.

Video with thoughts included.
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Klatrymadon
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Klatrymadon »

Legendary stuff - well done, Jaimers! When I first got the 1-ALL I assumed it would follow R-Type in having a second loop that wasn't too much harder than the first. I was very swiftly corrected.
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NegativeElectron
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by NegativeElectron »

I broke 10mil in Darius Gaiden!

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XoPachi
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by XoPachi »

I...hm...
A blind first attempt, but I get the feeling this is not at all an impressive clear. I just shut off wait and jumped in. I assume Hell is what's really worth celebrating.

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This game is really satisfying for some reason.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Heaven and Original difficulty aren't hugely difficult shmups by any means, but they're still a lot of fun, especially to play for score. You've also got AutoGuard on which will make it a lot easier, and having AutoGuard OFF actually adds a significant bonus for lives at the end of the game and is necessary to do if you want to play for score. So whether you want a challenge or just to play for score more seriously, why not try them again with AutoGuard off?
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XoPachi
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by XoPachi »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:Heaven and Original difficulty aren't hugely difficult shmups by any means, but they're still a lot of fun, especially to play for score. You've also got AutoGuard on which will make it a lot easier, and having AutoGuard OFF actually adds a significant bonus for lives at the end of the game and is necessary to do if you want to play for score. So whether you want a challenge or just to play for score more seriously, why not try them again with AutoGuard off?
See I didn't know what auto guard even was until it I actually got hit by the second or third boss. I saw it in the options, but wasn't sure and don't like touching settings I don't know about. I'm practicing Hell right now.
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Jonpachi
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Jonpachi »

^^^ What game is this?
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

It's Blue Wish Resurrection Plus. It's a freeware game that had two releases, Blue Wish Resurrection and a "black label" style updated Plus version.

http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/x_xgameroom/
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To Far Away Times
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by To Far Away Times »

Blue Wish Resurection Plus is one of the rare intersections of easy and awesome.

Everything about that game kicks ass.
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clippa
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by clippa »

Yeah, it's a great "in" to the bullet hell sub-genre. I always bring it up when people are asking for a place to start.
With the default settings, "wait" and "auto-guard" on, no matter your skill level, you're going to have a good time, probably get a 1cc and teach yourself all of the fundamentals.

With the recent influx of new players finding shmups through the switch, it'd be great if this could be ported over.
It'd be fantastic seeing this guy making a bit of coin and these players having a great place to start.
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Austin
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Austin »

This is a dumb one, but I got my first 1CC on Darius Twin on SNES (technically a 1LC!). Back in the day I could only beat the game by cranking it up to 8 lives in the options menu. Figured out a decent route these last few weeks (including going to "H" which has the toughest boss) and have been able to get through it consistently. The game is a snooze fest overall, but the last level sees a large difficulty spike. With the few i-frames given after dying, it's easy to lose all of your lives in a short span of time. You're then stuck doing the whole run over again thanks to there being no continues, so it's important to follow a strict route on the final stage (sitting near the bottom of the screen and playing passively was my consistent strat). I also figured out that it's best *not* to collect the final weapon change upgrade that appears on the second to last level. Like some other Darius games, the game trolls you when you max out on firepower by making the top level shot *worse* than the tier below it. For instance, the top level shot doesn't cut through walls and enemies like the prior shot type does, and it feels weaker in general too. Really wish this one had a Hard mode. Feels like a missed opportunity there.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Licorice »

Fighting Hawk. 1CC ALL. Posted my score in the score thread.

I haven't played shmups for a while after getting stuck with Same^3 (MD). I decided to go for something similar, but easier, and Fighting Hawk certainly fit the bill. I managed to clear it in under 20 attempts, which is quite quick given my skill level.

It's considered a late 80s Toaplan clone, but it's different in a few ways:

1. You can't scroll the screen horizontally, which changes the feel, especially when comparing to Same^3 which seems designed around horizontal scrolling with its basic three way shot.

2. The bomb is an immediate bullet eraser alongside 5(?) homing missiles, as opposed to a controllable delay area of effect blast. Bombs are also very plentiful, but there is a maximum number you may carry at a time, so you may as well use them.

3. Most bullets seem to be less aimed. I'm going by feel, but what I mean to say is if in Hishouzame most bullets are aimed to the nearest n degrees, here they're aimed to the nearest n + 15.

4. Everything is bigger. Your plane, the enemies, everything.

5. There are no speed power ups.

Airborne enemies are quite monotonous and obnoxious, owing to their size. Ground enemies are, on the other hand, patterned well and quite fun to "fight good" against. Midsize enemies are rare, and the ones that appear from the rear are threatening only until you remember where and when they spawn.

All except the very last boss are just larger, sometimes multi component, ground targets. Some can be point blanked (including the final boss, if your shot is above a certain power level), while others require a steady side to center rhythm with some beat skipping thrown in due to ambushing enemies. Annoyingly, bosses which appear from the rear are usually still quite low down on the screen when they first shoot, and can often point blank you, requiring you to memorize the exact timing and react quickly with the bomb button. No boss overstays its welcome.

The home stretch of every level certainly does though. As a matter of habit, I often take my hands of the stick after killing the boss to scratch my nose, and let out a sigh of relief. In this game, this habit quickly earned me a few deaths.

I needed to employ much trial and error against the jet rush at the end before I discovered that you can use the same strategy for every wave - hug the left screen edge and slide in underneath the jets when they all spawn. It's just a matter of timing when you slide in based on the exact pattern, which you can memorize (in fact, it's 2 2 3 4 2 5 2 2 3 2).

My favorite 1 minute section has to be facing the second level 4 boss with the extending arms, after recovery, then proceeding to tackle the Slapfight-esque fortress that comes afterwards. Another favorite is the first boss in the last level.

The resources the game throws at you feel more like a means of allowing slightly sloppier play from less experienced players, rather than hiding any particular design flaw (except maybe uneven difficulty, if you consider that a flaw).

Overall, Fighting Hawk is a decent game. Would have loved it if I were playing it before having experienced real Toaplan vertical heaven. That said, it has its place as a training wheeled Toaplan-like, and I don't regret clearing it, especially given that it did not take me very long.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Licorice »

Batsugun Special. 1CC 1-ALL.

I didn't do any of the scoring tricks so just a modest score for a modest 1 loop clear.

So, this is my second arcade clear, the above discussed being my first. I picked it simply cause it was a 5 on Perikles' difficulty list and the last one was a 4.

I don't know how it compares to later bullet hell games, but compared to earlier Toaplan games, it certainly is very unique. It's Toaplan levels, but they're much shorter, with the emphasis put on the bosses. The tiny hitbox and strong shot really do force a different play style. Makes me wonder how e.g. Same!^3 would feel if you made similar tweaks.

Stage 1 and 2 are a bit forgettable, with the exception of the stage 2 boss which for some reason would throw me off rhythm in about half of my attempts.

Stage 3's fortification is fun to pick apart, as are those 2 large mechas that come after and rotate around the screen. Cho Ren Sha copied those right for it's stage 1 boss? I think I prefer Cho Ren Sha's version, because you can make them shoot each other, which I thought was quite clever.

I really enjoyed stage 4's constant onslaught of zako patterns interspersed with medium sized enemies and bosses. The battle ship at the end was a fun puzzle to solve too.

Stage 5 feels like a eulogy to Toaplan. Assaulting that Slapfight-like fortress to the sombre background music made me feel nostalgia for a game I only played a few months ago. I wonder if the developers intended it that way? Final boss was fun to practice, but during the real run I just bombed it cause I got to it with a stock of 6. Following my eulogy for Toaplan train of thought, the music playing when you face the final boss is very up beat, almost like it's saying "yeah Toaplan is dead, but the future will be OK, isn't this boss fight fun?" and indeed it was.

It's crazy to think this game came out in 1993. Will spend more time with it in the future.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Lethe »

DOJBL 1-ALL. I'm not very proud of this in itself because I dropped literally every chain I know how to do, panic flailed off route several times and completely screwed up the stage 5 boss in spite of having a chance to loop. But the important thing is this clear proves my fundamentals are getting better. A couple of months ago I can't imagine there would have been any chance of me appreciating how to play this game, whereas now I feel fairly comfortable with the first loop after maybe 6 or 7 hours total. Feels good to make progress.
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Licorice wrote:those 2 large mechas that come after and rotate around the screen. Cho Ren Sha copied those right for it's stage 1 boss?
I think these are a recurring feature in Toaplan games. Tatsujin and Dogyuun have similar enemies at least. And yeah, I suspect Cho Ren Sha's is an intentional reference given how much of that game resembles Batsugun Special.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Licorice »

MUSHA 1CC ALL

This game is really its second half. Or second two thirds I guess. The first three levels are quite forgettable from a game play point of view.

Most of the game is super easy when you're powered up, but quite perilous if you lose a life towards the end. This happened to me, and I limped my way from 7 (or 6?) lives in the 2nd last stage, to 0 when facing the final boss, with shot level 2 and arm level 0 (blue). Luckily, I practiced the final boss for like 2 hours over the past couple of days. As a result, I beat the machine to gain 1 life, lost my arms against the bouncing big purple ball, lost the 1 life I gained earlier in the tunnel, but managed to scrape through in the end. It was very thrilling.

I liked assaulting the ships in the level over the forests and cliffs, as well the ship in the second last level. I guess I have a thing for assaulting fortresses. That being said, I never quite "got" how the flashing bullets worked. They seem destructible? Or were they just colliding with my options. I really have no idea what was happening. I just assumed they were lethal and did herding and cutbacks etc. to dodge them, but I swear I got away with some stuff I really shouldn't have.

And that's really my main complaint with the game in general. I have real difficulty reading it. I don't really understand what can kill me and when. Like the stage 3 end/opening boss that shoots those disappearing bubbles. What on earth are those? Or that stage 4 chariot mid boss, where is its hitbox? When does it activate? I also experienced a glitch with the level 4 red arm. The homing black hole implosion thingo also made all the enemies spastic. Is this a known issue?

However, that sword cuts both ways. You could say the game is sloppy, but you can also say it has a gritty brawly feel. The resulting focus on macro dodging and spray and pray dives into the thick of the thickest fortifications are pretty cool, and not something I've experienced elsewhere, even in Sylphia, a very similarly structured game, from the same developer. The 2 hit, chance to get your shield back every 30 seconds, and destructible shielding options result in a format that really lends itself to the all over the place bullet design.

Aesthetically the game is amazing. The music, the enemy designs. Every boss especially is awesome. From the golden castle, to the mecha samurai, to the porcelain face, to that rival mecha, to the final alien thingo. I guess the stage 2 and 4 bosses are a bit forgettable in comparison. The changing scenery gives a real sense of assault course adventure. I love the plot twist at the end "the underworld was space all along!" psychadelic lol.

I don't really want to spend more time with this one on the higher difficulties or anything (and actually my opinion of a lot of my earlier clears has revised to "eh maybe revisit in 10 years"), but who knows I might get pangs. Anyway it's a cool super aesthetically pleasing "shmup brawler". Happy to have experienced it.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by To Far Away Times »

M.U.S.H.A is cool. Definately a "console shmup," but a good one nonetheless.

If you like M.U.S.H.A. and want something similar you should check out Spriggan on the PC Engine.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Kiken »

After several past botched attempts, I finally single credited Soldier Blade last night. I think most of it came down to having a plan of action for the stage 6 boss and all of stage 7. Seeing as I SCCed Final Soldier on my first play through, that just leaves Super Star Soldier from the main Soldier Trilogy on PC-Engine.

I had also been playing a dubious copy of Sapphire and despite steadily making progress through the game, I can't help shake a feeling of claustrophobia. The massive HUD bar at the bottom of the screen really does take up quite a fair amount of real estate. It doesn't help that three of the four ships are pretty damn slow for a Hudson Caravan-esque game. And outside of the cheese-metal soundtrack, the various sound effects are pretty awful. I guess all that Arcade Card memory went into storing all those frame intensive pre-rendered sprites.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Jonpachi »

Kiken wrote:I had also been playing a dubious copy of Sapphire and despite steadily making progress through the game, I can't help shake a feeling of claustrophobia. The massive HUD bar at the bottom of the screen really does take up quite a fair amount of real estate. It doesn't help that three of the four ships are pretty damn slow for a Hudson Caravan-esque game. And outside of the cheese-metal soundtrack, the various sound effects are pretty awful. I guess all that Arcade Card memory went into storing all those frame intensive pre-rendered sprites.
I've always found Sapphire to be wildly overrated. Not even in my top 10 among PC Engine shmups.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by To Far Away Times »

Jonpachi wrote:
Kiken wrote:I had also been playing a dubious copy of Sapphire and despite steadily making progress through the game, I can't help shake a feeling of claustrophobia. The massive HUD bar at the bottom of the screen really does take up quite a fair amount of real estate. It doesn't help that three of the four ships are pretty damn slow for a Hudson Caravan-esque game. And outside of the cheese-metal soundtrack, the various sound effects are pretty awful. I guess all that Arcade Card memory went into storing all those frame intensive pre-rendered sprites.
I've always found Sapphire to be wildly overrated. Not even in my top 10 among PC Engine shmups.
Sapphire kinda blows.

I'm not the most well versed in PC Engine games but I'd say the best shmups are:

1. Gate of Thunder
2. Spriggan
3. Lords of Thunder
4. Star Parodier

The others that I've played so far I haven't been that impressed with.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by xxx1993 »

You kidding me? I enjoy Sapphire...
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Kiken
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Kiken »

To Far Away Times wrote: Sapphire kinda blows.

I'm not the most well versed in PC Engine games but I'd say the best shmups are:

1. Gate of Thunder
2. Spriggan
3. Lords of Thunder
4. Star Parodier

The others that I've played so far I haven't been that impressed with.
I really enjoy the ports of Salamander and Gradius II along with the Thunder and Soldier series games.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Klatrymadon »

Yeah, the PCE versions of Gradius, Gradius II and Salamander have always been my favourites. Partly because of the gorgeous additional stages and the warmer, richer versions of the soundtracks (in the case of the HuCard games), but also because the controls feel slightly tighter, even when playing via outdated emulation.

Super Darius was the best way to play the original game at home for a fair while, too, and I still might just prefer it to the wonderfully vicious Hidecade port.
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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by Licorice »

Repulse (1-)ALL 1CC

I put the 1- in parentheses cause I don't know if it loops or not. I don't think it does.

This one is a literal quarter muncher, in the sense that losing your credit doesn't reset your score. Also, it is probably much harder without autofire. At 10 HZ, the bosses are an endurance test, you need to bump it up to 20 HZ for things to be comfortable.

Very much a game about threading a thumbtack (your hit box) through swaths of bullets, so in a way you can see the bullet hell ancestry. There's also the generous oh shit button. However, the oh shit button in this case doesn't clear enemies or bullets, it's just a shield. You also can't shoot while it's active. This results in a snowballing where even though you might get out of one tough situation, the drop in offensive power means you wind up in another one. You can ram the bullets and enemies that enter your field of movement when the shield is on, but at the cost of probably depleting it. Nevertheless, it's necessary in a pinch.

There are some cool enemy waves (the bouncing balls, the falling squares, the low flying UFOs, and the ground spawning tanks), some frustrating ones (the ones where the ground spawning tanks are combined with the parabolic dropping spikes) and some boring tl;dr ones (the formations that rush in behind you).

I like the boss fights with the spawning UFOs and then the stream of destructible but still dangerous bullets. Very fun. I can see why the bootlegs of this game presented it as a sequel to Phoneix, which had similar looking motherships.

Good skills training game. I don't know how it compares with other golden age or fixed shooters.
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Post by To Far Away Times »

xxx1993 wrote:You kidding me? I enjoy Sapphire...
So I looked into this a little and it turns out I had mixed up Sapphire with Sylphia.

Sapphire looks pretty cool. Like that game is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you, but in a good way.
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Post by Jonpachi »

Quickie 1CC of Spriggan on the TurboGrafx 16 Mini. No input lag worries on this one for sure!

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Re: I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

Post by To Far Away Times »

I 1CC'd Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (aka Sapphire) last night.

This game is really cool, you should give it a chance. I happened on it by chance after mistaking it for another game. I never had a PC engine, so I have a lot less familiarity with that system than the others. First up, the visuals are really slick, probably the best that I've seen on the system. There are tons and tons of assets, they look great, and animate really well. They also use a lot of pre-rendered sprites like Donkey Kong Country but I think it works pretty well and pulls off the illusion that you're seeing polygonal enemies and such. There are many enemies that only show up once or twice and they are just stage fodder (not even a mid boss). It's really incredible what they pulled off here. Backgrounds are changing constantly and you end up somewhere different than where you started by the end of the level. And major events line up with the soundtrack in a very satisfying way (unless you pause... weird oversight there). The music is really amazing too. It's a shame that the sound effects are too loud, since they drown out out that wonderful butt rock soundtrack. And you'll know those songs inside and out, since sapphire is HARD.

Where I could see this game being a bit divisive is in the stage design. There's a lot of stuff that you just won't be able to dodge or decipher on reaction without prior knowledge. The best memorizers, like R-Type, are designed in such a way that prior knowledge really helps, but a highly skilled player has a chance to make it through on reaction. In Sapphire, it definitely feels like there are some gotcha moments. There are other little quibbles like enemies firing pretty close to you where you might only have a quarter second or less between when the enemy fires and when you'd take the hit. These aren't issues that are exclusive to this game by any means but it's a little bit of a shame that the game is otherwise pretty close to greatness. I really had to learn this one inside and out and have routes for all the stages (including the first level) since if anything goes unexpected you can get point blanked quite easily.

That being said I think this game is currently hovering around my Top 25. I'm not sure if it makes the cut yet for next year's top shmups list or not. But it's in good company, for sure.
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