Best cute-em-ups on the megadrive/genesis

[andykara2003]

As per the title - what are the best cute-em ups on the console?

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

Super Fantasy Zone

Super Fantasy Zone?

Super Fantasy Zone.

[Herr Schatten]

Keio Flying Squadron, Super Fantasy Zone.
I think that's all the cute'em-ups on the system, actually.

[Rastan78]

Can we put Panorama Cotton on the list?

[jehu]

The Trouble Shooter games are on the cute 'em up side of things, I'd say - and are just great shooters in general. It's a tad easy, but make a point to play #2 if you haven't before - slick graphics, great music, fun stages.

[andykara2003]

Nice one, checking these out now. How highly do you guys rate super fantasy zone?

[davyK]

Super Fantasy Zone is a splendid redux of the original. Depending on your tastes you might think it actually looks better. It's more an enhancement of the game than a sequel with new weapons, levels and bosses.

Coded by Sunsoft who did a really nice technical job. The original music is hidden in the game too if you prefer it.

[Udderdude]

Keio Flying Squadron if you want to throw the Sega CD in there.

[subcons]

Not technically a cute ‘em up probably, but Twinkle Tale is pretty damn good.

[Sengoku Strider]

Not technically a cute ‘em up probably, but Twinkle Tale is pretty damn good.

I think it definitely fits the bill. It's considered a shmup, and revolves around a cute witch. That's basically the Venn diagram for fans of this genre.

I would also contend that Arrow Flash, though not coloured like a candy store, exudes mecha cuteness:





There's also Gadget Twins, which would likely scratch the itch for those other than genre purists (you punch rather than shoot):

[To Far Away Times]

Not technically a cute ‘em up probably, but Twinkle Tale is pretty damn good.

A cute 'em up, or walk 'em up or shoot 'em up... what ever you call it, I like this game a lot.

[BrianC]

I like it quite a bit too, though one warning with Twinkle Tale. It's one of those games with heavy use of dithering, so expect to see a lot of straight lines if played on anything other than composite. Still looks nice despite this, though.

[To Far Away Times]

One thing I find funny about Twinkle Tale is that I find the walk 'em up parts quite easy within a few attempts and I can pretty much breeze through them, and then I get to stage 7 - the shoot 'em up stage - I get shut down pretty hard, lol.

[o.pwuaioc]

Not technically a cute ‘em up probably, but Twinkle Tale is pretty damn good.

Agreed. And it turns into a proper shoot em up at the end anyway.

Twinkle Tale fast turned into a top 10 Genesis game for me.

One thing I find funny about Twinkle Tale is that I find the walk 'em up parts quite easy within a few attempts and I can pretty much breeze through them, and then I get to stage 7 - the shoot 'em up stage - I get shut down pretty hard, lol.

Oof, I feel this. It's such a tough level. At least getting there is fun, though!

[MidnightWolf]

Zero Wing... But you have to 1CC the thing to actually see the cutsey bit. It's a very weird ending scene.

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

Zero Wing... But you have to 1CC the thing to actually see the cutsey bit. It's a very weird ending scene.

hey