Blaze of Storm

[h1]One of the best modern Vertical-Scroller Shmups![/h1] [code]This fantastic game and more on [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/28519188-Hardcore-Reviews]Hardcore Reviews! [/url]⚡[/code] Blaze of Storm is a very cool vertical-scroller shoot ’em up with stunning pixel art. Developed by Terarin, one of my favorite indie shmup developers today, the game offers extremely fun and satisfying gameplay... Its difficulty curve is well balanced, making it enjoyable for both newcomers and hardcore players looking for a real challenge. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3678162946 The artistic direction is fantastic. From the ship sprite to the enemy and boss designs, you can feel the love and care put into every detail. The soundtrack fits perfectly with the fast paced action, creating an intense and high quality shmup experience. The level design clearly carries Terarin’s signature style, with seven areas to fight through and master. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3678163536 Combat feels great thanks to a solid weapon system. You can choose from five different secondary weapons, including homing missiles, directional shots, orbital attacks, direct fire, and diagonal four way shots. Each weapon can be upgraded up to three damage levels, and your ship can have up to three health points. https://youtu.be/Q1KvQ3BzK6g In short, Blaze of Storm is highly recommended. Terarin’s games always deliver great quality and tight gameplay, and this one is no exception. If you enjoy shmups, follow the developer, add this game to your wishlist, and give it a try as soon as you can! Thanks for reading!! :D

Another simple but quality shoot 'em up from Terarin Games, this being their ninth on Steam. It has their usual art style, kind of chunky and low detail but handsome looking, something like a well-made DS game. I really like the five special weapons in the game (six really, as there's one called Optimal that shows up once in a rare while) -- they all vary quite a bit from each other and each one works a little bit better than the others during some sections and against certain bosses. It's also one of those shmups where you constantly hold both the shot and special buttons and they keep auto-firing, and thankfully there's controller remapping in the game so you can map 'em how you'd like. There are 7 stages and 3 difficulty levels, plus a mode called Caravan that is a 5 minute score attack, score as much as you can in that time. It's not a particularly deep game in looks or gameplay but it still does everything well and will be a nice one to have around to pick up and play in short bursts.

[quote]A review copy was provided by the developer.[/quote] [quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote] [h1]Overall Rating - Seriously Flawed ★★☆☆☆[/h1] [h1]First Impressions[/h1] For whatever reason, certain trends or themes will cluster up in the batch of review keys that are available. Horror games often show up as an option, but lately, various SHMUPs have been the cat's meow. Since I'm reviewing Blaze of Storm (BS), something about it must have stood out, and it was the inclusion of around 20 bosses. I wondered how that'd be incorporated into the genre, and found that it was handled reasonably well. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for every other mechanic included. Also, for some reason, the achievements aren't working. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] As expected of any SHMUP, there's an Arcade Mode, where you clear all seven stages using a limited number of lives and continues. Technically you start with only a couple of lives, but you earn extra ones from earning enough points, so you'll accumulate a decent amount as you clear levels. Any given level will have more than a single boss fight, so paying attention to the bar on the left lets you know how far you've progressed. Caravan Mode is merely a minor distraction, as you try to earn the highest score possible completing a five minute mission. You officially clear it if you finish before using the entire time limit. Unfortunately, this game has a glaring Achilles heel, and it pertains to how the sub-weapons work. With the image projected on the right, I thought you'd be able to freely switch between these options, cycling to whichever was most convenient in the moment. However, you have to find the right power-up, and gather it if you want to switch. Just try looking for the right words on-screen while fending off enemies. For whatever reason, these are spammed throughout every level, so you'll likely change when you have no interest in doing so. Direct is the worst sub-weapon because it's based on the last input you make. In a game where you have to dodge enemy projectiles, it's likely that your attacks just as often veer off into the void, rather than somewhere useful. In my perspective, tying this system to a physical pick-up, instead of giving players full control over which they use, was a mistake. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3668924724 [h1]Controls[/h1] I didn't have any issues with the game's controls, as everything responded well, even when the screen was full of enemies and projectiles. There was never any lag or delay from my inputs. Instead of problems with the controls, I'd say the bigger issue with this SHMUP is the screen clutter, between the power-up spam, and odd background design. Even with excellent controls, it's hard to dodge enemy bullets when it's hard to focus. [h1]Story[/h1] Drawing from real-world hubbub around the role of AI, this world is entirely controlled by a super computer. However, it's a benevolent force, maintaining peace and order for everyone. This is easily enough hijacked by one nut job who somehow uploads himself into the data stream, throwing a monkey wrench into the entire system. Thankfully, as in all SHMUPs, a lone pilot is able to fly through overwhelming forces, and defeat an entire armada. The ending is incredibly bereft and brief, without so much as a satisfying screen scroll, showing your pilot cruising through space. A few random images of an anime girl doesn't carry any weight when she hasn't so much as a name. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3668924937 [h1]Visuals[/h1] Although it displays your hit box in the tutorial, not being able to see it during gameplay is a disadvantage. The visual of your ship is considerably larger than the central target where you actually take damage. Based on the game's premise, I have to wonder if everything seen is some form of digital projections, but this wasn't made crystal clear. Either way, it'd have been nice to know if the changing themes pertained more to how the super computer and systems were originally in place, or had been twisted to fit the maniac's own twisted imagination. No matter the story implications, due to all the power-ups, which will forcefully change your sub-weapon, the screen is cluttered with unhelpful distractions when you need to dodge enemies and attacks. I'd think this is something they'd have noticed often during all their testing, so I don't understand why it works this way. [h1]Sound Design[/h1] Honestly, I would have described the music in this title as chiptunes, but that's the name of the alternative option in the secret settings. You unlock the access code from beating the game on any difficulty, so it's not hard to obtain. When I compare the two styles, I certainly prefer the original, as I find those sound effects to be much more refined and pleasant to listen to. The soundtrack was one of the game's highlights, as I enjoyed the variety across the tunes. It makes me somewhat curious where they're sourcing the sound files from since they're so different, and what the inspiration was for producing the alternative version. At least in this regard, the developers didn't hold back feature-wise, but sadly it's not in much more vital places, such as the game modes. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3668925130 [h1]Pros[/h1] 🌟 Although they may be a touch easy, fighting against several bosses makes you feel accomplished. It does blur the line on where the level's actual end is though. 🌟 Power-up spam somewhat mitigates the issue of the spiral of death if you take damage. 🌟 This SHMUP had so much potential to be really gratifying, but it misses the mark. [h1]Cons[/h1] ❌ The game doesn't clearly identify the differences between the difficulty levels. I believe the enemy waves and bullet patterns were fairly similar to each other. If anything, I think it might be that enemies have more HP, and projectiles move faster. ❌ Enemies, and one boss in particular, had an attack pattern that blocked me from obtaining power-ups, which was both remarkably effective and annoying. ❌ There's too much visual clutter on the screen; more often than not they're power-ups you don't want. [h1]Tips[/h1] 🔍 Satellite has to be one of the best sub-weapons. It's powerful, deflects projectiles, has decent range, and hits enemies behind you when it comes up. Homing is a good coward's choice, as you can stay out of the way, but keep attacking. 🔍 There's little reason to not constantly spam your sub-weapon alongside your primary projectile. Unless you lose it from taking damage, the game is balanced around you having one equipped. [h1]Final Thoughts[/h1] The simple problem with BS is how it doesn't go beyond the basic features you might expect out of a SHMUP, including its barely existent story. There's one additional mode aside from clearing Arcade Mode at different difficulty settings, but it's not enough to extend how much time any reasonable player would spend in this title. Plus, why do I want to play through the only levels three times, increasing the difficulty each playthrough? That gets boring quick, and SHMUPs need more to hold a player's attention. You can't even pick other ships with different attacks. Considering I have no reason to play the game further, I can't recommend anyone else getting BS either. [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [table] [tr] [th]PC Specs[/th] [th]Performance[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Ryzen 2700 RTX 2070 16GB RAM ADATA SSD 1920x1080 [/td] [td]The game ran without incident on default settings. 💖 - BS is healthy [/td] [/tr] [/table]

Congrats to Terarin on 10 years of ace shoot 'em ups. This one is a Future Classic. Absolutely brilliant and the soundtrack is just incredible. Hope there is many more STG in the future!

- Si un año no saliera un shmup de Terarin, habría que preocuparse - Este hombre nos está malacostumbrando a recibir 1 o 2 propuestas del género al año, y encima siempre intentando diferenciar los productos aunque ya haya una línea marcadísima o una autoría bastante consciente. Ese "ADN Terarin" se plasma, como siempre, en sistemas de puntuación escrupulosos y estudiados para la rejugabilidad y el pique. De nuevo confía en un sistema de pseudo-caravan para el modo aventura y un modo caravan propiamente dicho en otro modo distinto. El sistema de avance es placentero y creo que ha conseguido algo más simplificado esta vez si nos fijamos en sus anteriores juegos. En Blaze of Storm bastará con elegir una de las armas secundarias (recomiendo la que se llama "Satellite"), llevar nuestro fuego principal a nivel 3, preocuparse de eliminar las balas enemigas dentro de lo posible y en resumen esquivar, ya que las rutinas enemigas son sencillas de prever. Una cuestión interesante y que se acerca un poco a la filosofía de diseño M-Kai (ESCHATOS), es la cuestión de los objetos llamados Flash. En algunas fases veremos unos power-ups F que servirán para romper todo lo que hay en pantalla, lo cual es bastante estimulante y que pienso que podría haberse usado más. Estos objetos deben usarse de forma estratégica con micro-decisiones para poder contener todo, aunque no serán tan necesarios como parece, de ahí que esté echando de menos un mejor uso. Por lo demás, una banda sonora bastante buena (destaco la del nivel 6, qué maravilla) y MUY asequible incluso a su máxima dificultad (1cc a la primera, sin haber visto ni el tutorial). De nuevo Terarin quiere una experiencia balanceada pero que se decanta más a favor de los principiantes en la cuestión aventurera que de los veteranos. Sin embargo, para todo lo demás, ya está la capa de scroring, que suple todo lo que un experto busca en el factor pique. Terarin, el día que dejes de sacar shmups me preocuparé seriamente.

サブウェポンはサテライトを選ぶのだ

Gosto dos games do Terarin, são acessíveis, e os principiantes de navinhas não terão muita dificuldade de terminar este jogo. São 3 níveis de dificuldade: Normal, Hard e Expert. O normal é razoavelmente fácil, consegui 1CC de primeira. Já o expert exige um pouco mais de atenção, aparecem muitos elementos na tela que podem confundir, mas nada que um pouco de treino resolva. Fazendo 1CC nas 3 dificuldades e também jogando o modo caravan, já platina o jogo. Recomendo!

自機の火力は高めなのでガンガン撃って突き進む感じが爽快で、場面によって選択する武器を考えるのが楽しい。おなじみのBGMもとても素晴らしいです。オススメ

Blaze of Storm é um shoot’em up vertical que aposta forte na nostalgia arcade, combinando ação rápida com visual pixel art em temática cyberpunk. Desenvolvido pela TERARIN GAMES, o game entrega uma experiência clássica, mas com mecânicas modernas que renovam o gênero. A jogabilidade é o grande destaque: o uso estratégico dos subweapons, que causam explosões contínuas ao atingir inimigos, adiciona profundidade tática e incentiva diferentes estilos de jogo. O ritmo é intenso, com fases curtas e mais de 20 chefes variados, mantendo a experiência dinâmica e desafiadora. Visualmente, o game aposta em gráficos retrô estilizados, que agradam fãs de shmups clássicos, embora em alguns momentos possam prejudicar a visibilidade durante combates mais caóticos. A trilha sonora e o sistema de pontuação com leaderboards reforçam o fator replay, típico dos arcades. No geral, é um título sólido para fãs do gênero, oferecendo ação direta, mecânicas interessantes e alta rejogabilidade, mesmo sem grandes inovações estruturais. ....... \_☠_ ▄▂_ .........[█|||███████]▄▄▄▄▄▃▂ ..__▂▅█ Mafia do Retrogame █▅▄▃▂ I████████████████████████████] ...◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲◤ MAFIA DO RETROGAME - YOUTUBE @mafiadoretrogame https://www.youtube.com/@mafiadoretrogame GAMEPLAY ATÉ ZERAR! https://youtu.be/wX8C1nOajD4

I haven't been disappointed by any of developer Terarin's STG games, and Blaze of Storm continues that trend. All I need from a shmup that pays tribute to the 80s and 90s are: quick game length, simple mechanics, a great OST, a sci-fi setting, true pixel art, easy (normal and hard) and hard (expert) modes, and snappy controls. Terarin launched this game with an instant 20% discount, which is generous for a one-person developer team (two if you also include the OST composer.) That was enough to convince me to support this game at launch. The only major issue was the online leaderboards. They weren't working at launch, but Terarin quickly released two updates to resolve the issue within a day or so. They were also great at communicating this issue on social media and the Steam discussion board. As a subjective and minor nitpick, I think the game is too generous with providing sub-weapon pickups. It got to the point where avoiding the pickups was part of the challenge. But maybe that was by design. Still, it is impressive how Terarin has stayed consistently good at making these types of games by himself for 10 years.