Angel at Dusk (Akiragoya) - out now (PC/Steam)

[FunktionJCB]

Developer Akiragoya's (Galshell, Steel Vampire, Maidens of a Hollow Dream, ...) new game, Angel at Dusk, is out now on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1405 ... l_at_Dusk/

[ttiki]

The whole text of the video is pure gold:

"Upon a mons pubis 2.3 billion years in the future, a heatwave of skeletal hard-liners rages"

[PC Engine Fan X!]

This new pc doujin stg from creator of Galshell looks be an interesting sub-genre of "body horror" gone all-out in terms of human evolution but 2.3 billion years later into the far-future with the Sun becoming a supergiant type-of-senario. This type of stg surely wouldn't be found on the Switch platform for sure. It'd be pushing it if it's "greenlit" for Exa-Arcadia as a highly controversial stg release (something different for a change of pace for sure).

Runs on Steam Deck without the need for a Proton fix necessary (nor is it required anyways). The evolution of your Angel character undergoes several transformations (strongly reminds me of the classic stg of IGS' Cybercore on the PCE/TG-16 consoles with it's "Rad Ralph" character undergoing such transformations throughout the entire game as well). You can play it in either Japanese or English text throughout. Interesting evolution/backstory with humanity evolving into something else entirely that sets the overall tone/vibe for the entire duration of this sub-genre "underground" danmaku stg.

Has online leaderboard support from the get-go which is nice/a plus in my book.

You can choose run it in either 640 x 720 or 1280 x 720 resolution (the latter resolution setting looks best on the Steam Deck's screen considering it maxes out at 1280 x 800 anyways).

The background scenery can be something found out of a Lovecrafthain inspired world/universe where the flesh has given away to nothing but just literally bones and what's left of highly-evolved organs to sustain life (meaning no need for clothing for that matter as bones are the new clothes "in fashion" to wear in regards to the characters/small fry/mid-stage bosses/end-stage bosses portrayed/depicted in "Angel at Dusk"). This type of visual aesthetic may not be to everyone's "cup of tea" (in regards to stgs in general) but in this case, it simply "works/gels/sells the story" with "AaD" as it is. So be it. As in the art world, anything goes.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Nahar]

I find it aesthetically compelling but the gameplay rhythm... I don't know what's exactly my problem with it, I can't pinpoint it, but I feel like the game is very slow-paced and then, in one second, it's very frantic and catches me off-guard. I still have to play a bit more, I clocked just two hours on it, but I don't know what to think about it.

Make no mistake, the game is a labour of love and you can tell so by the art, the music... everything, really, has been carefully thought. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea.

[Klatrymadon]

Angel at Dusk has been great fun so far. Like Steel Vampire before it, it encourages an aggressive, point-blanking playstyle - speedkilling enemies with your normal shot whilst using your charged shot as a defensive tool to slow down or cancel bullets. The more up-front you are, the quicker you'll gather 'lipids' which level you up. Very Hard, the game's normal mode, is actually very gentle (though the final boss presents a fair spike), and the tutorial is superb at explaining STG concepts to new players. Highly recommended!

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

boner

[RobotParking]

I’d had the demo for this installed for a long, long time and would randomly boot it up. Full release really delivers.

[EmperorIng]

This looks really cool. I admit that Steel Vampire didn't grab me so much but I am more hopeful that this game is more to my taste. If anything, the bizarre fetishistic visuals definitely stand out, lol.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

On the USA region Nintendo eShop site today, 10/09/2024, you can d/l the Angel at Dusk demo for either the original LCD based or OLED based Switch setup. It is a 542mb d/l (is at v2.04) at best with a slated 11/7/2024 release date and is priced at a mere $14.99 usd. The upcoming AaD Switch port is a 689mb d/l altogether.

The AaD Switch demo runs at a silky-smooth arcade-spec 60fps framerate and lets you try out the first two stages to whet your appetite to buy the full release version game courtesy of game publisher Sanuk -- quite awesome to see it up & running on the Switch gaming platform nevertheless. It'd seem that the AaD Switch demo and forthcoming full version as a digital d/l release -- am not sure if it'll get a proper official Switch cart release down the road.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[TerminalInternet]

This graphics look like an Chimera Beast mixed with Scorn aliens vibes than Galshell.

[m.sniffles.esq]

FYI: Famitsu peed their pants over this (8/9/9/9) if that means anything to anyone.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The "Angel at Dust" stg is finally available as a digital d/l on the USA region Switch eShop today, 11/07/2024, as a 754mb d/l at firmware Version 2.04 and instead of paying the original asking MSRP of $14.99 for it, a day-one release with an instantly 20% off discount applied on the eShop checkout screen brings it down to a modest and more respectable $12.99 pricepoint.

As usual, it runs at an arcade-spec silky-smooth 60 fps framerate with no slowdown whatsoever. How cool is that? It does have local leaderboard support for a solitary player stg experience (but no online leaderboard capability which would've been nice if it had been implemented from the ground up/get-go).

HD rumble effects have been added to add to further enhance the overall stg experience of AaD. By pressing the "+" button, it pauses the AaD stg if it needed be -- if one needs to take an immediate break or if nature calls, relieve himself or herself and resume gameplay at his or her own leisure/pace. You can register a user name for score registration purposes under the "Score Name" sub-menu screen prompt (other than the default one assigned to you upon initial d/l and booting up AaD for the very first time -- simply highlight the back arrow icon with either the d-pad or left analogue stick and press button "A" to delete the default entry and enter up to 15 characters maximum) if so desired and is recommended that you do so before starting a session. A whopping 77 separate achievements are possible with this Switch port of AaD + a grand total of 15 unlockable gallery illustrations found within the "Illust Gallery" sub-menu prompt await your viewing pleasure as well.

The essence of a modern-day danmaku stg distilled with a body-horror + skeletal aesthetical vibe/theme going on from beginning to it's eventual conclusion (with it's overall five stage presentation/play-through) making it a truly different and unique stg not to be missed (especially on the Switch gaming platform as it is). AaD really does come alive and is quite razor-sharp in overall color fidelity if played on an Oled Switch setup.

Akiragoya delivers another finely tuned and well-honed danmaku stg worthy on the Switch (and released less than a year later after debuting on Steam/PC to give it a wider point of sales, distribution-wise, on the venerable hybrid gaming platform) as the wait for it is finally over -- something different for a change of pace -- color me very impressed with this Switch port release of AaD.

A Switch physical release of AaD would be most welcome for the discerning and hard-core Switch stg player -- could it be done in possibly the upcoming 2025 timeline/timeframe? We'll see if that is to be or not.

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The other thing about AaD is, if it's developed and released as a potential (or as a real & genuine bona-fide) Exa Arcadia stg title, the major upgrade, obviously, for it would be to present it as a true tate based danmaku stg with some new additional content or perhaps a new game mechanic added to give it more player longevity in an game center type of environment + even implement two player co-op capability (to double the amount of income/profit for game center operators -- any extra amount of yen spent with a Exa-AaD gaming session will certainly be beneficial in the "long run/grand scheme of things" as far as trying to "capitalize on monetary gains" with an expensive and justified arcade game purchase/investment as it is -- it's a part of doing business as usual) as well.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[beer gas canister]

This is quite an impressive bit of work. I picked up the Switch port and ended up spending a solid few hours with it last night and had a damn good time. The "bullet hell beginner" tutorial is remarkably useful, and contains a bunch of shmup design commentary by Akiragoya. He explains a bunch of common bullet patterns, including a few things I never understood before, like "n-way" bullets.

Basically, if a spread shot pattern contains an odd number of bullets (3-way, 5-way etc), it will hit the player if they don't move. If the pattern has an even number of bullets (4-way, 6-way etc), the center of the pattern is a gap and will therefore miss the player. I've done a lot of reading about shmups, and have gotten my ass beat by most of Cave's library at a scrub level, and had never heard of this before. The tutorial is included fully in the demo, so now there's a great free in-depth shmup training tool available on Steam and Switch. Rad!

[Sima Tuna]

It's like this game was made for me. Beautiful gothic cyberpunk-bodyhorror art! A fun gameplay loop! Perfect controls! The best shmups tutorial ever made (possibly?) And lots of extras/unlockables that change how you play.

I expected to get hit with a wave of "Space Moth" disappointment, but instead I have a "Mushihimesama"esque shmupsboner.

I purchased super XYX and graze counter at the same time. This is the best of the three games.