HOTWING HELLIONS

My original review is down below. Having listed all my issues and spoken to the dev, I am certain that an early build version was downloaded on Launch Day and not the Current Release. If you want to read my many complaints about the old build, then please feel free to read the original review below, then go play the game and you will see how much the devs improved the game since that early version. They actually took care of basically every complaint I had by the time they released the true Release Day Build. Infact, they improved readability so much (they also add an improved visibility setting option) that I am now finding the game a breeze. The grass is always greener on the other side. Am I right? haha. Okay, so much has been improved: I can see the bullets. Bullets are layered properly. The drones block shots (maybe they did in the old build? But they didn't make any feedback sound if they did, and the colors use to be so pale and sloppy that I didn't even know). Now there is also an electrical spark animation when the drones block bullets. Amy is actually beatable now. You have to use reflective shots to accomplish the kill but it works. Oddly enough, the newer build has eliminated some of the enemy bullet shots, and it appears they lowered the HP of many enemies, and it seems the new build dropped some of the enemies. In some moments, it has lost a touch of its challenge, but I suppose if the game gets off the ground more, then maybe they could go thru and add a Hard mode with suicide bullets or a few more enemy bullets that was in the old build I played. I'd say it could use some tweaking bc I actually had two instances on Lvl 1, 4, & 6 where the screen was just scrolling with nothing on it for a few seconds bc everything was dead. Anyways, I want to go play. Great job ! ------------------- Review of the Old Build: sOME of the worst bullet readability I have ever seen.... The Player's White Bomb Bullet sprite uses the same sprite as one of the Enemy's Bullets. Enemies' Big Bubble Bullet Chain is layered above the enemies' pew pew bullets, therefore, many enemy bullets get hidden under these 1/5 the length of the screen by 1-inch size bullet chains that also seem to randomly appear on the screen about 1/4 - 1/3 from the top. Sometimes these white bullet chains don't even appear to be attached to an enemy. They just appear lol. (Edit. Upon playing level 6 Amy the Arms Dealer, I realized these white bullet chains are the Player 2's attack when they have maxed out their weapon. Picking up anything over maximum weapon power-up clears some bullet and also sends a bullet chain to Player 2's screen. This is a neat idea, and it is necessary to use the bullet clear on Level 6 to make it past entire screen's width of enemy bullet chains...more on level 6 later). Some enemy missiles have a long flare emissions tail. Even at the very tip of this emission's tail, bullet collision is present smh. In gamedev, you must give players a bit of leeway, but why the long tail is part of the bullet hitbox is beyond me. Player bullets and enemy bullets and point medallions need to be different colors. Seriously, level 1 you have gold medallions dropping alongside yellow/gold enemy bullets. LMAO what. And it doesn't help b/c there is no page or two tutorial to tell you what anything is. So you go in blind which sure: it's a shmup this is easy and self-explanatory, except some of these sprites like the power-ups looked like an enemy bomb upon first seeing them. Way too many enemy bullet colors. Literally, the whole rainbow is in here, and the paler colors, like the white'ish blues blend into some of the gravel backgrounds. You start out the levels uber underpowered. Basically, you have to use two bombs to even blow up some of the first enemies you encounter so you can nab 3 or 4 power-ups to blow something up. Could use an explanation for what some of these weapons do. Only the spreadshot seems worthwhile, tho I did beat a couple levels with the other weapons. At least on The Junker level, Rushing the top 1/5th of the screen speeds up the scrolling background. So if you keep rushing it you can finish the level faster lol. D-Pad for controllers are not mapped initially, so I had to configure it in Steam. Only joystick or keyboard are programmed (these kind of details make you question if the dev has played many shmups). Boss fights are short. Two bombs and you usually win. Poor game design but a relief given how the levels are challenging due to readability. While on the bomb topic,,, Bombs seem to only partially destroy enemy bullets. Sometimes they remain on screen. Tho I think the bomb grants some i-frames so not too big of a deal i guess. A couple BS steam achievements have been thrown in also, such as, complete all levels without losing a life. Yeah okay lol. If I could read the screen then it'd most likely be possible, but still its one of those achievements that leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. I believe the reason no one has achieved "Beat Amy the Arms Dealer" is b/c she may be impossible for Player 1 to kill, or maybe it is possible but somehow Player 2 (AI) who is often 20seconds behind me (not even at the boss) will finally catch up to me and clear the final boss in about 30 seconds, maybe less. Further, Amy's level and some other boss fights in general seem to track player lives incorrectly. I've lost 2 lives on Amy's level and been greeted with a game over, and other tries I've died 5 times, but the counter at the bottom usually reads x3, then it will often skip to x1, or you may just get the Try Again screen. Imagine my surprise when I get to Amy with 3 lives. I decide I'll die to get more bombs to beat Player 2 this time. I die. Drop two bombs. I die again, and it's just Game Over. Like wtf happened to my other lives, I've noticed this several times when the life counter says x3 , but at a boss fight one death takes 2 lives lol Anyways, back to Amy the Arms Dealer. Her second phase doesn't die even after dropping 4 bombs on her and dancing around shooting her some more. And before I know it, it says Player 2 wins. Honestly, I was quite shocked when I No Deathed my way to her and still lost to Player 2. Haha a flawless run, and still no dice. The game does say "Bounty Cleared," but no achievement pops. So anyways, after 5 or 6 fights with her, I can't even carpet bomb the Boss fast enough to beat the computer for the Bounty Win. Lame. ------------- I like the look of the game minus the bullet readability. The music is bebop, and the menus and theme are also heavily influenced by a well-known anime. The sidekicks shoot in the opposite direction of your movement. It was annoying at first. And then I just ignored them b/c they are pretty much unnecessary and often useless. Tho given the design of the game: many enemies don't scroll off the bottom of the screen, they just stay put if not destroyed ....these little sidekicks can come in handy to scroll the opposite direction of the lower enemies, so you can aim and shoot the buggers. Plenty of enemy sprite variety. Could possibly use a few more bullet patterns. idk given the style of the game, it is more straightforward rather than dodgy, so maybe that's fine. Good level variety and environments. Trains, alien intestines, factories, etc. Price for an indie shmup is also more than fair, and it definitely prevents me from refunding over these flaws. ------------- Now, I am fairly frustrated at many of these issues, but I'm not gonna drop a Not Recommend here for now b/c some obvious heart has been put into this piece of art, but I think the dev needs to go back and correct the readability flaws and layer the enemy bullets properly. And also check the collision on all their enemy bullets b/c I got "knicked" outside the player sprite on several occasions. Also, program the D-pad to work right off the bat. My enjoyment of the game would easily double with a few fixes.

Fun and Frantic

Competitive shoot’em-up where you race a rival to defeat enemies and bosses. Control speed by screen position, rely on drones for defense, and power up weapons while surviving dense bullet hell attacks. In this shoot’em-up, you do not only have to defeat enemies and the stage boss, you also have to do it faster than the opponent on the other side of the screen. The premise puts you in the role of a bounty hunter, with each boss representing the bounty. Although the game is primarily designed for competitive play against another player, you can also play alone while your rival is controlled by AI. Unlike most similar games, where the screen scrolls forward at a steady pace, speed plays an important role and gives you more control over your movement. Flying closer to the top of the screen increases your speed, but it also makes you more vulnerable to collisions and enemy fire because you have less time to react. Staying near the bottom slows you down, yet it allows you to clearly see everything coming your way. Regardless of your speed, both players fill a progress bar, and the boss appears once it is full. There are six bounties, or stages, all available from the start, while the last one opens when you beat all the rest. They follow a loose difficulty curve, although the game is challenging even on the first stage. Your tools are limited to movement, holding down the fire button for continuous shooting, and occasionally using a drone to clear the area. However, drones are best saved for near death situations because they are a lot more valuable intact than destroyed. They circle your ship and follow your movement, blocking any projectile they collide with and absorbing unlimited damage. With proper movement and drone placement, you can block everything. This becomes vital because stage progression and enemy attack patterns follow bullet hell mechanics. You can shoot down certain types of projectiles, but most must be dodged or blocked. Losing both drones makes the game significantly harder, since a single hit will destroy your ship. You only have one ship to fly, but you can choose your weapon before starting a stage. The three options are spread, blaster, and grenades. Each weapon starts at its lowest power level, and there is no way to upgrade between stages. By collecting weapon power ups during play, you add more projectiles and increase damage. The downside is that if you are destroyed, your weapon resets to its basic form. During a boss fight, this is usually disastrous and often makes your extra lives feel meaningless. Enemies are generally fair. Before firing a dangerous attack, they signal it so you have time to prepare. Visual indicators also appear when enemies approach from behind or from the sides of the screen. Destroyed enemies drop plenty of shields, which act as points when collected, though they can also become distracting among the many projectiles you already have to avoid. Some visual settings can be turned on or off, but doing so removes much of the color and chaos that give the game its energy.

I’m super biased — I’ve been playing it endlessly throughout development — but this is a spectacular game. What’s not to like? An excellent soundtrack, challenging gameplay, and a space-western Bebop vibe throughout. You’re flinging little anthropomorphised drones into the void as they scream for their lives. The ricochet-shot mechanics force you to think about angles and positioning rather than just react. There’s also a real racing element — you’re constantly pushing into the dangerous upper section of the screen to beat the AI (or your friends) to the bounty.

Hotwing Hellions – A Pleasant Surprise Visually, it’s a treat. Every sprite and bullet animation looks like it has been crafted with care. The music is spectacular and clearly inspired by Cowboy Bebop, which also seems to influence the game’s overall aesthetic. I found it challenging but fair. I’m not very good at SHMUPs, but I was drawn in by the visuals and music and found myself entering a sort of flow state while playing. I died a lot, but the lives slider in the options helped me out quite a bit. Overall, it’s a stylish and satisfying shooter that’s easy to get pulled into, even if you’re not normally great at the genre. My favourite thing is yeeting the little drones into oblivion as they scream for their lives. It’s not the most effective in-game strategy, since you often need them to block shots, but it’s a lot of fun. As a last-ditch Hail Mary against a boss on your final life, it’s a pretty cool way to go out.