[quote]Just saying, but I do have a curator page. If you like my remarks about games, you can find more of them here: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44130985-TDP%27s-Gaming-Escapades [/quote]
Being a PC player, I did not have access to famous shmup games such as R-Type, Galaga, Gradius and Thunder Force. Granted, there were many worthy shmups available on PC storefronts such as Airstrike 3D and Astro Avenger (which featured music tracks from who later went on to compose music for The Witcher 3), but none of them felt truly special. I mean... even with all of the differences, the games felt the same; With most of them just being another "ship shooting other ships in space". None of them tried to drastically outdo its competitors because no one felt the need to do that...
[h2]And then came Jets'n'Guns[/h2]
It's not hard to see why Jets'n'Guns became a cult classic and acquired a small, yet very dedicated fanbase that still fondly remember it. This game went [b][i]way too hard[/i][/b] on the audiovisual spectacle in a time when PC games were mostly casual experiences and almost no one tried to go above and beyond, greeting the players who booted it up with something they never expected to see in a game like that.
It was pretty hard to be a kid and not get thrilled by all of the awesome stuff that appeared in front of your eyes while playing this game. The levels were filled to the brim with enemy ships and the environment exploding in spectacular fashion, leaving a path of utter destruction behind. And all of the carnage that you unleashed was accompanied by music tracks from Machinae Supremany; A Swedish SID Metal band that you might have heard some of their works either through their albums, or games like Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams and Bionic Commando.
Now, I'm honestly not a fan of all of the tracks, but those that I like are honestly really good and energetic, either completely fitting the game's explosive identity and the frantic action that goes on in the levels (like the opening music and the "Missiles of Metal" track) or simply having the composers going too hard on something that really didn't need a lot of time and attention dedicated to it (the shop theme).
[h2]The Dark Souls of shmups - Probably some reviewer[/h2]
Unfortunately though, a lot of us back then were unable to get to and enjoy everything the game had to offer as it was, and still is, really hard. Jets'n'Guns is a [b][i]brutal[/i][/b] shmup game, to the point that even a simple task such as beating a single level can become impossible, even on the lowest difficulty. As for why this is the case, certain factors are involved.
For starters, the game has a lot of gameplay features to keep an eye on. The money you earn is directly tied to the amount of destruction you cause, so you absolutely have to upgrade your firepower to be able to inflict as much damage as possible. Not only that, each level might have different hazards in it, rendering some of your equipment useless and forcing you to replace them for an optimal playthrough. And while managing all of this, you also have to watch out for your ships' cooling systems, as each upgraded weapon generates a specific amount of heat and will temporarily cease to function if it overheats.
Then we have the levels progressively getting harder and harder, with stronger enemies arriving in higher numbers, and having more deadly environmental hazards to look out for. These prompt you to also watch out for your ships' hull integrity (HP), as not only any kind of physical contact with the enemies or the environment causes you to lose health, but also the screen sometimes gets flooded with enemy projectiles. So you absolutely need enough health available to tank the hits (something the game advices you to do whenever necessary), survive to the end of each level, and face the bosses at the end of some of them.
Even though the shop system is designed in a way to prevent most monetary softlocks by keeping the shop prices the same and allowing you to sell your equipment for the exact price that your bought them, this game still requires you to bring your A-game or it will make you regret it later, especially if you play it on any difficulty other than easy. But sometimes, even doing that might not be enough, as the game does also utilize some unfair tactics to challenge the player.
[h2]Everyone is here... literally...[/h2]
Jets'n'Guns consiously makes use of every single one of the most prevalent issues in shmup games in order to increase its difficulty with. The entirety of your ship has an active hitbox and will get damaged as you make contact with enemies and the enviroment. The focus on causing desctruction will create tons of explosions on screen, which can mask incoming projectiles and threats such as grounded oil tanks that shoot upwards and explode after taking damage. Some of the enemy projectiles are pretty thin, thus hard to see in chaotic situations. Even enemies arrive from above and behind you without any prior warning.
As much as I love the game for shaping up my interest in shmup games, I really cannot defend it here, as it would be hypocrititcal of me to complain about other games having these issues and not do it here because of nostalgia. There were [b][i]so many moments[/i][/b] when my ship suddenly blew up, with me not knowing what the hell actually happened and how the hell I got hit, just to realize what the reason was a few attempts later. Now, some might try to defend this by bringing up the fact that every shmup requires a certain amount of pattern/level memorization. But I'm sure many of those who say that will change their minds after I mention the level lengths.
The levels in Jets'n'Guns are very long, longer than probably any shmup you have played so far (probably with the exception of Raptor: Call of the Shadows), to the point that each level is broken into several parts through mid-level checkpoints. Additionally, these checkpoints save your ship's current status (HP and cooling) alongside level progression. So, most of the time, it's much more preferable to load your last save file rather than try to continue from the latest checkpoint. Add the fact that the game is NOT an arcade shmup and has over 40 stages to the mix (instead of 4-7 stages which is the norm for arcade shmups), and you can easily see why replaying every level and memorizing the patterns is probably not a good idea here.
So, after all I have said so far, would I recommend Jets'n'Guns?
Despite the game having a special place for me, I really cannot recommend it to the masses. Those who are newcomers to the shmup genre or play these games casually will find themselves utterly stumped with Jets'n'Guns and its very high difficulty. Arcade shmup purists will never bring themselves to try this game due to how wildly different it is compared to what they always play. And the others? If the visual clutter/clarity issues are not enough to deter them, the game's technical complications and the mouse movement emulation in its menus (as it was originally a PC game designed with older technologies and also mouse input in mind) would certainly cause some headaches.
Still, there are things to like in this game. The music is amazing, the presentation is chaotic, and the overall experience you get is way different compared to what you have experienced in other shmups so far. Therefore, I can only recommend playing this game to those who already have a sense of nostalgia for it, or those who are willing to deal with its many shortcomings to experience something different.
[h2]TL;DR[/h2]
Can't be recommended to everyone as its brutal difficulty, various shortcomings and gameplay style will act as deterrents. Old fans and those wanting to try different things will make the most of it.
