Scroll shooters for pc. Big Review: Scrolling Shooters

Good day to all readers of the site. As usual, at the beginning of the week you will find a new issue of the weekly digest of applications for operating system Android.

In today's Big Review, we decided to take a look at shoot 'em up games. Such projects were most popular in the late 80s and early 90s. But with the development of the industry computer games they receded into the background, giving way to more advanced and dynamic projects.

However, Shoot 'em up was not forgotten. With the rise of mobile devices similar games began to seize slot machines and consoles, but smartphones and tablets. Today at Google Play and App Store You can find quite a lot of such projects. We will talk about five of them in this digest.

So, in today's Big Review, you'll find: Aces of the Luftwaffe, Sine Mora, Radiant, AirAttack, Sky Force 2014.

A project called Aces of the Luftwaffe has been around for a long time. The first versions became available in the era of the popularity of Java applications. However, the solid age of the series did not prevent the project from reaching modern "smart" platforms. Today the game is available on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

If we talk about the gameplay, then everything is pretty standard. Users are waiting for a plane that flies from the bottom up and automatically shoots. The task of the players is to shoot down enemies and dodge machine gun bursts, rockets and other deadly "gifts".

The developers have not forgotten about the bonuses and improvements that greatly diversify the gameplay. True, in some especially hot battles, due to the abundance of various shells, explosions and aircraft, it becomes very difficult to make out where yours are and where they are strangers. It is also worth highlighting the nice graphics. The game is made in the corporate cartoon style of HandyGames.

A game from developers from the Digital Reality studio called Sine Mora came out a few years ago. However, this side-scrolling shooter first appeared on home consoles and desktops before it hit mobile devices.

The game stands out for its very high-quality graphics (which is not surprising) made in a steampunk style. Users are waiting for dynamic battles, rather complex gameplay, colorful bosses and even a short story. You can also highlight the presence of the "main character" of several abilities.

The disadvantages of Sine Mora include not entirely successful management, which sometimes adds headaches to players and a relatively high price. But, despite some shortcomings, the project definitely deserves attention.

Radiant is a well-known pixel scrolling shooter for mobile devices, similar in style to the legendary Space Invaders. The game from developers from the company of users is waiting for colorful graphics, dynamic gameplay and even a small plot.

The authors decided not to deviate from the classic mechanics, so in Radiant players will control a small fighter that moves around the level and fights with a wide variety of opponents along the way. On the way, you can meet both a small alien ship and an impressive ship.

Radiant Free

The game called is well known to fans of vertical flying-shooters. Despite the fact that the project appeared on Google Play and the App Store for a long time, it is still popular.

A distinctive feature of AirAttack is the graphics. The developers tried to create the impression that the player's plane is not flying on a flat surface, but, as it were, moving forward towards the horizon. Otherwise, the game almost 100% follows all the canons of the scroll shooter genre.

In AirAttack, users are waiting for dynamic battles with a wide variety of opponents (there are even flying saucers in the game), which have their own characteristics and various bonuses. Probably the main disadvantage of this project is a small number of levels.

AirAttack Lite AirAttack

This year, the developers from the Infinite Dreams studio decided to revive legendary classics and re-released to android games at Sky Force. The novelty not only received the prefix "2014" in the name, but also boasts advanced graphics and classic gameplay.

The first thing that catches your eye is a radically updated graphics. Externally, the game is much prettier. Users are waiting for colorful landscapes, detailed opponents and impressive explosions. However, for all the "beauty" you have to pay. Compared to other scrolling shooters, Sky Force 2014 is quite demanding on the hardware of the device. Therefore, on budget devices in especially "hot" battles, slight slowdowns can be observed. By the way, the game is translated into Russian. True, this applies only to texts. The characters speak English.

Probably the only major downside of the Sky Force re-release is the distribution model. The game itself is available on Google Play for free, but it should immediately be said that this arcade has an in-game store.

Scroll shooter, or more simply, classic manic shooters have come to android world games from the distant computer past and allow fans of the “fly ahead and kill everyone” style to pass a dozen hours in a sudden rush of nostalgia for the days when desktops were several times less productive than modern smartphones. What impoverishes these games is the casual gameplay, the plot in one or two lines, the ability to install and run on almost any modern (and not so) smartphone and the absence of the need to download hundreds of megabytes of cache. play market ready offers dozens of options for games of this genre and sometimes it is extremely difficult to find worthy contenders to pass the time. What is worth downloading, and what is better to ignore, we will try to figure it out now.

One of the few games of the genre in which the plot is given at least some attention. It is presented in the form of a fairly well-drawn comic strip. As in most games of the genre, the goal of the game is to fly forward destroying enemy spaceships and asteroids that interfere with your maneuver. There are many enemies, the graphics are unobtrusive, there is unobtrusive humor, it is possible to choose different types of ships, from each destroyed enemy balls fall on the player, the collection of which brings additional experience points that can later be spent on pumping the ship and equipment. However, various weapon incriminators and repair kits fall on the player right during the battle. The ship has a bar showing the remaining HP, the damage of opponents is quite small, which adds casualness to the game. There is a choice of difficulty modes, there is additional modes after completing the main campaign. Of the minuses, it is worth noting the obsessive pay to win. In general, A Space Shooter is more suitable for the entertainment of a child than for an Old School gamer who decided to remember his youth. It is quite possible to download and pass if a dozen other games of the genre have already been completed and you want something new.

One of the best games of the genre, the graphics are stylized as PC games of twenty years ago, to satisfy an attack of nostalgia, that's it. The player is waiting for a hundred levels, thousands of alien enemy ships, a dozen bosses, three difficulty levels, 6 types of weapons with pumping each up to level 10 and a classic system for pumping ship parameters using money honestly knocked out in battle. Upgrades drop out and money is rare enough, so each of the knocked out bonuses is quite valuable. The player's ship does not have an HP indicator, almost any hit on it takes the player's life, of which there are only three. Periodically, opponents enter into dialogues adding a share of humor to the game. The game has only one drawback - it is incredibly addictive and can steal ten hours of your life. For fans of the scroll shooter genre, Radiant HD can be safely classified as a must have.

Another game from the distant past, the first versions of which were created for Dendy consoles. In Air Attack, we have to break forward on one of the three proposed military aircraft and shoot enemy fighters, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, airships and the like. The developers have taken care of the variety of goals - 64 types of enemies and a dozen unique bosses have been announced, one for each level. There are a lot of opponents, their single damage is small, HP stripes of hits. However, choosing the maximum of three difficulty levels, it is quite possible to lose your life after several hits. From the destroyed enemies fall abundantly different kind bonuses: first-aid kits, credits, extra lives, shields and weapons. After each level, the obtained credits can be exchanged for improved weapons and extra lives. The graphics are quite good for games of this genre, special effects are pleasing to the eye, but do not distract from the gameplay. The game is played in one breath and this is perhaps its only drawback, full walkthrough all ten levels will hardly take a few hours.

Battleray is an example of how innovative ideas and an attempt to deviate from the canonical laws of the genre can ruin a theoretically good game. The main claim to this young project, judging by the number of downloads, is a non-standard management system. It seems to be a good idea to allocate a separate area of ​​the screen for controlling the movement of the ship in practice turned out to be so inconvenient that it kills any desire to play. Although there are enough good ideas in Battleray. The plot is in the form of a beautifully animated comic book, three different races, as a result, different ships and different styles of combat to choose from, bonuses in the form of energy blocks fall out of opponents like from a cornucopia, increasing the effectiveness of weapons on the go. Additional Content game as conceived by the authors of the game will be unlocked as the activity of fans of the game increases in in social networks, we have not yet encountered such an approach to popularizing the project. game on this moment in beta status, perhaps in the future the developers will bring the control system to mind, but for now it is better for fans of the scroll shooter genre to refrain from installing Battleray Starfighter Beta.

A "hello, world" level game among the representatives of the scroll shooter genre. There is no plot, no campaign, one passage mode - an endless battle for survival, opponents run in waves, the type of alien ships acting as targets is also the same, only the number of targets and their strength change. Of the few positive points - the presence of a strip of HP over each target, although this does not particularly save the overall dull picture. In the presence of 4 types of weapons, each of which can run out of ammunition, which, given the only available firing mode (automatic), is perhaps bewildering. But the game is able to display ads wonderfully. The general impression of getting to know the game is that the project is not worth the traffic spent on downloading it, even if you have it unlimited..

The game is very similar to Air Attack HD, the goals are the same - ground and air equipment of the Nazis. The player will have to shoot targets over eight missions with a traditional boss at the end of each. There are a lot of enemies, shooting everyone is not required, but it is encouraged by regularly dropping bonuses in the form of first-aid kits, improvements for weapons, allied aircraft and other little things that make it easier to pass. Stars and medals also drop out of opponents, but you can’t use them for anything. There is a choice of three levels of difficulty, while passing even at the simplest requires certain skills. The player can choose from 5 types of aircraft that differ in characteristics, while some of them can only be obtained for an additional fee. ifigter 1945 leaves a pretty good impression and may well compete with other games of the genre for the right to help you spend a couple of hours of your life. In general, if Air Attack HD has already gone far and wide, and as opponents you prefer to see planes, but not spaceships, then ifigter 1945 is just right.

A continuation of ifigter 1945, everything written about the first part can be fully attributed to the second. Six new missions, new backgrounds, you have to shoot ship cannons instead of tanks, visual effects have been changed and enemy models have been redrawn, but in general, we still have the same iFighter. From the destroyed opponents, as in the first version, all sorts of bonuses generously fall out, both useful and not very useful. If the passage of the first part did not cause you any special problems, it makes sense to try the second.

Raiden Fighter Classic 2013

Quite a controversial game. On the one hand, all the elements of the classic scroll shooter are present, we fly forward, shoot enemies, collect weapon-enhancing bonuses, and prepare for a meeting with the boss. But it's all presented in a strange way. The logic in the game ends with the first location, then the sheer nonsense begins. You just fought with aliens in space, and the next moment the game throws you into a location with a completely earthly background, alien ships attack you mixed with helicopters and tanks using the same weapons. To complete each level, you are allocated nine lives, but crowds of motley enemies quickly reduce them to zero. The density of enemy fire is such that it is almost useless to dodge and maneuver, and this does not fit in with the classic canons of the genre. The situation is aggravated by the impossibility of choosing the level of difficulty and the lack of a system for pumping the ship. Each next level you start with basic weapons, the bonuses collected at the previous location are canceled. The riot of colors on the screen quickly becomes boring and even a fan of the genre has to force himself to go through the next level. As a result, after the fifth or sixth location, you can continue to play this creation only if you write a review on it) An ordinary player, perhaps, should not even start playing this game. Benefit of others worthy projects from more talented developers is enough.

Serptentine

Another example of a game made in one evening. Ship movement control is implemented as in Galactic Shooter by selecting a separate zone in the corner of the screen, with the difference that in Serptentine the navigation circle is made even smaller, which makes control even more inconvenient. But the developers of Serptentine went further and added a fire control button. As a result, you need to use both hands to control. The game has no plot, there is only one type of opponents, there is no choice or possibility of improving weapons and ships either. From level to level, the player encounters the same static background. Even the ads built into the game are static.. In general, a complete Epic Fail, worst game from those presented in the review.

One of the best games in the genre. Almost everything is done in highest level. Perhaps, if you first decided to try to play scroll shooter, then you should start with this project. The newcomer shogun will be greeted with a video that reveals the plot, an unobtrusive training mission showing the basics of the game and tips in the process of completing missions. To save the Earth from the invaders will be in the process of dozens of missions, cleaning the territories of individual countries with the help of five types of weapons. The weapons in the game deserve a special mention, everything your heart desires is available from homing missiles to a light beam that allows you to regenerate the battered shields of your own ship. Each country has its own unique colorful background, so there is no need to complain about the monotony of the background. Enemies are different, there are always a lot of targets, occasionally regenerators fall out of them. The gameplay is captivating and, unlike many other games of the genre, is not boring. The only frustrating thing is the lack of the ability to choose a difficulty level, for a beginner, the later levels may still be too tough.

Behind the unpretentious name lies a fairly solid representative of the scroll shooter genre. The player will have to save the next galaxy from motley hordes of space aliens over ten levels, with a difficult boss at the end of each stage. Opponents cannot boast of diversity as in Air Attack HD, but a dozen different opponents are enough for the eyes. An asterisk drops out of each destroyed enemy ship, collecting which the player receives credits, which can later be used to buy improvements for his ship. Here and an increase in the strength of shields, and pumping guns and additional weapons. The firepower upgrade system is made in a rather original way - first you need to buy an upgrade, then pick up the appropriate bonus in battle, and only after that it will become easier to destroy opponents. There is only one spare life, since the ship is able to survive more than a dozen hits. There is no plot as such. But there are four difficulty options, passing all levels on each of them opens one additional gaming location. For those who have gone all the way and across, a special “Survival” mode is available, when choosing which all ten levels will have to go through one by one without being divided into separate stages. In general, very good, except that the relatively small length of each of the 10 stages is frustrating.

sky force

Another midranger of the genre. The gameplay is standard, moving forward destroying everything in its path. There are few models of opponents, but there are enough means of their destruction. An indispensable condition for passing the level is the destruction of at least 80 percent of opponents. There are eight locations in total, and they are quite short. Once in two locations, a boss comes across with the destruction of which you will have to tinker. Traditionally, downed enemies drop bonuses, most of which are absolutely useless. You can not choose the level of difficulty, you will have to be content with the initially set one. The graphics are quite average, but in general the picture on the screen looks more or less decent. As a result, you can play Sky force if there are more than a dozen interesting games genre has already been completed.

The game is more about the ability to dodge opponents quickly flying towards your ship than the classic Scroll shooter. The whole gameplay is reduced to throwing from corner to corner of one single location in order to let the enemy fly past you in crowds, while shooting before meeting with the boss is not at all necessary, you can go further simply on piloting skills. In order to somehow motivate the player to destroy fast-flying targets, they occasionally drop out bonuses in the form of weapon amplifiers or repair kits. Despite the high overall pace of the game, after a couple of minutes you start to frankly get bored. Choosing a different level of difficulty, and there are three of them in total, does not save the situation in any way. Opponents of the same type evoke boredom, which there is neither desire nor strength to fight. A worthy representative of the genre space war it is difficult to name, it is better to pass the time with the help of more interesting games.

Star defender 3, Star defender 4

The series already includes several episodes, each of which consists of hundreds of levels divided into separate locations. With an unpretentious gameplay, the game can quietly steal more than one hour of time. There are thousands of enemies, dangerous and not very dangerous, for shooting them, in addition to useless experience points, amplifiers of the main and additional weapons, extra lives and so on are pouring like a generous rain. There are dozens of means of destroying the enemy, and with each episode, the developers add new, even more effective ones. In addition to all this, colorful, but unobtrusive graphics, moderately vivid effects of the use of special weapons and an adequate level of complexity. Perfect Game genre, with one single drawback - the control of the movement of the ship could be more comfortable.

Another noteworthy project of the scroll shooter genre. The game is distinguished by the frantic pace of combat and the density of fire of numerous opponents. The variety of goals is impressive - 44 different types enemies strikingly different in style of combat and degree of danger. You can meet them all throughout the 15 levels of the main campaign divided into four episodes. As a bonus for completing all levels on each of the four difficulty options, an additional location opens with its own unique boss at the finish line. The player is given three lives to complete each level, the ship, in addition to its own HP, also has a shield, it is necessary to replenish health and improve weapons during the battle by knocking out bonuses from enemies. Passing the game in one breath takes several hours, if all locations are completed and there are not enough impressions, the same levels are available for passing with a different difficulty option. In general, the Xelorians are getting close to the best games genre and deserves attention.

A genre almost as old as video games themselves, scrolling shooters are a source of mystery and speculation. Once accessible and close to any player, today scrolling shooters seem mysterious artifact. And for uninitiated gamers, there may be rejection when looking at the mutations that have occurred with the once simple genre. Of course, modern scrolling shooters can be called a product of time and evolution. Every game genre has gone through a similar process, starting with a simple template that was hammered into detail as the audience demanded more and more nuances. Unpretentious beatemups have become a fashion show for stylish combos on the ground and in the air, and role-playing games more and more go into action.

The reason that scrolling shooters are foreign to us is the fact that we rarely see them. Shmaps' original habitat, the arcade halls, has all but disappeared with the spread of home console and PC gaming. It's hard to say where this migrating genre will appear next. We can ask ourselves: do we care? If this once proud genre dies, will it be missed? Scrolling shooters are not just relics, but part of a rich gaming heritage that runs deep in our hearts. Although they seem simple at first glance, those players who find the strength to give them a chance will find the purity of the gameplay, which is comparable to rare other genres. The pursuit of scoring may seem dead, but it's even more appropriate now, in the age of games with friendlists and online leaderboards.

"You're Playing Wrong"​

This feeling is normal because many scrolling shooters fade when played this way. In the natural environment of an arcade room, scrolling shooters are a battle for survival, because death means losing quarters that you can no longer buy yourself a sandwich with. When that survival aspect is taken away from you, the original game design intent is lost and the gameplay becomes a mess. Scrolling shooter fans play 1CC (one coin playthrough), giving value to every available life and bomb. It may seem strange not to use the available unlimited resource, but studies have shown that this approach increases the enjoyment of the game tenfold.

Of course, many players happily use "continue" after "continuation", paving their way to the end with endless coins and loving every second of the game. This is fine. And it's not a wrong way to play as long as you're having as much fun with the game as you can. Unfortunately, this behavior often leads to feelings of waste of time. It's not about whether you play right or wrong. It's about the joy and feeling of reward from the process of playing. Fans of the genre are targeting 1CC because they know it increases the attraction and length of the game.

It may sound far-fetched, but I can tell you from experience that it really does work. Games, once stingy with entertainment, are becoming extraordinarily entertaining, and time spent playing them can lead to careful study. game mechanics. If fans of any other genre would give me the same surefire option to increase the appeal of their favorite games, I would do it without hesitation. Once you've set your sights on 1CC, start by setting small goals for yourself. Maybe you just want to survive the first boss fight before you run out of lives. There is no rush to progress through the game. Just enjoy the process. You'll get better at scrolling shooters in general faster than you thought. And you will like what is happening.

The next few games focus on the core mechanics that make them fun to play on 1CC. Play them if you can, or look for any other scrolling shooter you'd like to play. Remember not to get too upset about failure - sometimes 1CC of the same level is already a cause for celebration.

Gate of Thunder (1992)​

Zero Gunner 2 (2001)​

Metal Slug 3 (2000)​

Scoring - when playing alone or with someone​

But as soon as home consoles became widespread, the situation changed. Games focused more on the playthrough itself, and scoring was pushed out in favor of story-driven content. Scoring in its original form has become atypical for the bulk of games. However, the very principle of scoring has not sunk into oblivion. In multiplayer first-person shooters, the ratio of frags and deaths plays a role. Fighting games keep track of the player's chain of victories over opponents. In races, the fastest lap is recorded. Classic scoring plays a central role in scrolling shooters. It is a constant reminder of the player's mastery of the chosen game, improving it through the days, months and years. Each game becomes a challenge to itself and to all those who played this game. Each game is a record to be surpassed.

Adopting a scoring system is the hardest part of understanding scrolling shooters, but it gets more familiar as you play over and over again. Once you understand scoring, you will discover a world of deep details that were not visible at a superficial glance. Scoring systems are often intertwined with game design, and ignoring them can make the game feel disjointed or unfair. Some games tie the scoring system to slowing down or canceling bullets, combining scoring and survival. The rest raise the difficulty when the player scores and lower it when the player dies or uses a bomb, allowing the difficulty to be adjusted each time the game is played. One of the things that brings up scrolling shooters is the notion that they all look alike. Everywhere you look - dodging bullets and shooting in two-dimensional space. But, as with any other genre, the difference is in the details. Attack patterns, enemy positions, power-up system. Bombs, shields. And endless possibilities for scoring styles: combos and chaining, medals and milking, close kills, cancels and cash-ins.

Try to play and replay the following games in order to beat your score. If you want to know more about gaming system scoring, watch a replay on YouTube or look for strategy threads in a particular game.

Star Parodier (1992)​

Twinkle Star Sprites (1996)​

Battle Garegga (1996)​

Trying to understand "bullethell"​

I had the same reaction. But when you stop looking at the pictures and start the game, everything falls into place. The first thing you notice is that they are not as heavy as they seem. Hundreds of bullets pulse on the screen, but many of them will miss your ship. As complex as they are, Bullet Hells are tolerant and honest. You dive through clusters of bullets surprisingly unharmed. In fact, the character sprite is not something that the player can navigate to. The player can only be hit by the hitbox, the small spot in the center of the sprite. This allows the developer to fill the screen with action without unbalancing the game. The increased number of bullets allows developers to experiment with bullet patterns. With a single bullet or multiple groups, the player must completely dodge enemy shots in massive bursts. With hundreds of bullets on the screen, you get fast aimed shots, slow arcing waves and other options, limited only by the imagination of the developer. Being complex, these patterns allow players to find their way if they are skillful enough to dodge neatly through rows of patterns.

At first, patterns filled the same role as traditional bullet bursts, only en masse. They were fired in clusters at a given speed and in a given direction. But with the development of bullet-hells, the bullets finally revived. Patterns have become varied, sometimes resembling a wave of a whip or a blossoming flower in their structure. They create new situations, locking you in or forcing you to move forward. Each massive wave of bullets is a puzzle to solve, a key element of danmaku level design. Many fans of classic side-scrollers complain about the lack of obstacles and terrain in bullet-hells. But these barriers were there from the beginning. These are bullets: living, breathing obstacles. Patterns are often visually intimidating. Their complexity may be off-putting at first, but breaking through a complex pattern becomes a dance between fireworks. Bullets become artistry in motion, an optical barrier. There is nothing like it in any other genre, and their intricacy sometimes puts the player in a trance.

Bullethall games may or may not look worthy of your attention, but don't let yourself be fooled by the pictures. While initially challenging, boolethells provide an incredibly rewarding sense of progress. Mastering complex bullet patterns and scoring requires both puzzle-solving skills and quick reflexes. Give these games a chance before you write them off. It is possible that this genre will become your favorite. As you try out the games below, think about playing 1CC and scoring. Some games are more suited to one or the other - experiment and see what you like best. If you find them too difficult, lend-feed a couple of times to learn the levels and try again.

DoDonPachi (1997)​

Eschatos (2011)​

Mars Matrix (2000)​

Keep shooting!​