Shutshimi (vita)
disclaimer: I got this code free from the dev.
First up, this is a shmup. And if you like shmups, this one is definitely worth getting for novelty and uniqueness alone, though there are better shmups out there.
This is a game that doesn't take itself completely seriously, and expects the same from its players. Gameplay, at first, is wildly chaotic, although with repeated play everything will start to come together and you'll finally come to realize it's a finely crafted arcade game.
So... first. Pick your ship! Each has different ratings, but this will be your first clue [assuming the goldfish with muscular human arms carrying a goldfish on the title screen didn't clue you in] that this game is an odd one. Each ship has 4 different ratings... but who knows what they are. Each ship is rated on different criteria... 'literacy', 'fashion sense', 'tv trivia'... if there are differences between the ships [and i believe there are] then it's left to you to suss out for yourself. This is true throughout the game.
Each wave only lasts around 10 seconds. Each is a super short bursts of shmup goodness, and after each one you pick 1 of 3 powerups. The powerups are just as confusing as the statistics, though over time you'll figure out what is what -- what does a donut do? An anchor? The descriptions may or may not help. One might give you a shield, or change your weapon, or invert controls, or put party lights on, or change your speed... there are countless different effects, and a lot of them are negative. This is where the 10 second waves come into play -- no matter how bad the powerup you choose is, you only need to survive ten seconds. Most powerups only last one stage, although some do persist [namely, a fishbowl shield and weapon changes seem persistent]. And while this seems utterly chaotic your first few games, you will eventually start to remember what does what, and this slight bit of control over the course of your game will help out your game considerably.
Survive enough stages and you'll encounter a new boss [and unlock them for boss rush mode]. Even boss stages only last 10 seconds or so, and if you kill them you get a big bonus. If not, they come back a few stages later, health still depleted from any previous rounds. Waves get more intense; more enemies, more bullets on screen... and suddenly 'bad powerups' can be devastating [inverted controls with a screen full of bullets!]. But the genius is that you only need to survive 10 seconds, and hopefully you've earned some extra lives...
I doubt the game will convert anyone to the genre, and the chaoticness will not be for everyone -- it doesn't have the consistency and pattern recognition that games like Soldner-X or Sine Mora do. But as a score attack shmup with a sense of humor? It's pretty solid and worth picking up at some point.
The amount of time you put into the game will directly influence how much you should pay for it... if you like learning the ins and outs of games and enjoy score attack games, I can see someone putting a lot of time into it. If you're just going to get in one 'good' game then put it aside, definitely wait for a sale.
