MF-01 Aerostrike

[h1]From easy peasy to bullet hell.[/h1] [code] More cool game reviews on [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/28519188-Hardcore-Reviews] Hardcore Reviews! [/url] ⚡[/code] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3223583177 [b]MF-01 Aerostrike[/b] stands out as a very unique and interesting Shmup Metroidvania (It's more like a conventional twin stick shooter). Very fun and challenging arcade style with lots of exploration, weapons and upgrades. In my opinion, the game is definitely worth checking out, It's really good for the price. With a little more polish, it could be way better. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3223583431 [b]Don't get me wrong, I really like the game[/b], specially for a solo dev, but I think It needs some improvements, the music feels a bit boring and repetitive, I think there are great tracks outhere that would make this game shine. The storytelling also needs some enhancements, adding character sprites, dynamic text, and perhaps sound effects would help a lot. Lastly, I’d recommend refining the aim system and crosshair, as it can be frustrating to lose track of where you’re aiming and shooting. The current crosshair design is just ugly, and varying its color, size and type for each weapon would be helpful. [h2]in conclusion[/h2] While I think It may need some polishing, it already offers a good experience. The blend of Shmup and Metroidvania mechanics, along with Its arcade style gameplay, keeps players hooked. At its current price point, it’s a solid pick.

This game is SO fun. It is a Shmup-Metroidvania (think Hero Core/Knight Witch/Depths of Sanity), but unlike most the gameplay here is very refined and frankly addicting. It nails so many things - intense combat, fun exploration, a sprawling map, great quests, even an interesting underlying story. It is truly refreshing, in a sea of moody immersive Metroidvanias, to just have a simple action packed shooter that still scratches the Metroidvania itch. You may look at the screenshots and think “it looks… simple”, and it is. What you see is what you get, so if you require a gorgeous absorbing art style or a moody atmosphere - not for you. But the simplicity of the art really lets the gameplay shine here. I personally loved it visually, it’s bright, straightforward, and totally supports the underlying gameplay. I can’t think of many complaints… It’s one of the most fun games of the year for me and a total highlight. It’s also a great bang for your buck - took me about 7 hours to 100%. Highly recommended.

You Pew Pew for Family

[i]---see where this game landed on my Metroidvania tier list beneath this review!---[/i] I have been very surprised with how much I am enjoying MF-01 Aerostrike. I almost didn't buy the game because of the basic visuals. I knew it would limit the scope of how great the game could ultimately be, and I didn't know if I would enjoy it in the first place. While the graphics do hinder Aerostrike, there is perhaps some 90's charm, particularly when combined with the games music. While the music is also minimalist, I would say it at least has the right spirit. Being a metroidvania style of game, there are always a number of branching paths that you can choose to traverse. The map appears to be well labelled, making it easy to understand what still needs exploring, however it does not mark rooms which contain an item you might wish to return for later. You can mark rooms manually that you may wish to revisit, which isn't as good, but is much better than nothing. A noteworthy feature of the game that I want to highlight is the Radar which displays in the top right corner. It shows enemies as red dots and displays a line which indicates where you are aiming. Because of this you can line up enemies that are off the screen and unload on them preemptively. I can't think of a noteworthy Metroidvania that plays quite like MF-01 Aerostrike. Its closest relatives are underwater Metroidvanias and other floaters like Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet but the combat here doesn't feel like any of those. Combat is much faster and more hectic and is clearly designed for mouse and keyboard rather than dual-stick controller. Combat feels like any space shooter that uses mouse aiming. What makes the experience compelling to me compared to those games is the metroidvania-style world design. I really want to win those battles and derive far more enjoyment out of them knowing that if I survive the fight, I will get to progress through the map further. The areas could be designed to be more interesting. Most rooms are well, rooms.. A lot could be done to make the world more immersive. Combat, while hectic and fun, does get repetitive. While MF-01 Aerostrike is unlikely to become a favourite, it's certainly fun for what it is. The arena mode gives the game some replay value as well. MF-01 Aerostrike fills an otherwise empty void in this genre, as right now we really don't have anything else quite like it. ===================== [b]My Metroidvania Tier List[/b] [i] (excluding Metroid & Castlevania titles)[/i] ===================== [b]S Tier:[/b] Aeterna Noctis | Astalon: Tears of the Earth | Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | Hollow Knight | Cathedral | [b]A Tier:[/b] Doomblade | Afterimage | Elderand | Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Environmental Station Alpha | Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights | Depths of Sanity | [b]B Tier:[/b] Blast Brigade | Alwa’s Legacy | Steamworld Dig 2 | Islets | Blasphemous | After Death | Pronty | Haak | Outbuddies DX | Mortal Manor | Escape From Tethys | Treasure Adventure Game | Chasm | Haiku, the Robot | Monster Sanctuary | Rabi-Ribi | Elliot Quest | [b]C Tier[i] (enjoyed playing)[/i]:[/b] Momodora: Reverie under the Moonlight | Ghost Song | Lone Fungus | Aggelos | Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Death’s Gambit: Afterlife | Catmaze | Omega Strike | Plague of Yamorn | Sheepo | Infernax | [b]MF-01 Aerostrike[/b] | Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth | Carrion | Wuppo | Iconoclasts | Ato | [b]D Tier[i] (liked some things, but had issues)[/i]:[/b] Moonscars | Rusted Moss | The Messenger | Castle In The Darkness | Alwa’s Awakening | Pharaoh Rebirth | Yoku’s Island Express | Guacamelee! 2 | Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse | Shantae: Half-Genie Hero | Beholgar | Touhou Luna Nights | Headlander | Axiom Verge | Strider | Minoria | Souldiers | Bone Appetit | The Witch & the 66 Mushrooms | Transiruby | Destroy Space Aliens | La-Mulana | Guacamelee! | 8Doors | Gato Roboto | Super Panda Adventures | [b]E Tier[i] (Didn’t like)[/i]:[/b] Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap | Rain World | Dandara | Vernal Edge | Blaster Master Zero | Medusa | Sundered | Salt & Sanctuary | Valdis Story | Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet | Chronicles of Teddy | B.I.O.T.A. | Shadow Complex | Grime | Timespinner | Rex Rocket | Phoenotopia: Awakening | Aquaria | Nyaruru Fishy Fight | Apotheon | Bad Pad | Lootbox Lyfe | Angel’s Gear | Fearmonium | Dust: An Elysian Tale | ====================

While there have been plenty of metroidvanias without platforming, this game is debatably the first true metroidvania that is also a shmup. A smuplovania. It is possible that Ascenxion counts as being the first but because of how ridiculously linear that was, it is debatable whether that game was a metroidvania. Anyway, back to this game. This game features extremely primitive graphics in exchange for good gameplay and a cheap price. The story starts off weak but gradually becomes very interesting. The gameplay starts off easy but gradually becomes extremely difficult and you'll find yourself scaling your difficulty setting down to the easiest difficulty. Despite the game wearing off its welcome by the end, I still recommend this as it is truly unique.... at least it will be until either "Absense of Light" or "Minishoot adventures" are released.

I played this over on itch. A very solid shmup metroidvania. Don't be put off by the art style, it is a challenging game that can turn into bullet hell at a moment's notice (if you play it on the highest difficulty) with a lot of upgrades and exploration to do.

The good: An interesting bullet hell/shmup Metroidvania. A couple of games have tried this formula recently, including The Knight Witch, and I think this does a better job of encapsulating the feel of shmup games than that one did. There's a decent variety of weapons, and they each have their strengths and weaknesses, so I found myself switching between them a fair amount, at least until you hit the late game where the Railgun weapon is just far and away the best. The story is interesting and the core gameplay is mostly fun. The bad: Overall, it felt like enemies were a little too spongey, even on the easier difficulties, which made the combat gauntlets (i.e. basically every room) feel a little tedious. There was also some signaling issues on the final boss, where it looked like it was regenerating health any time you started dealing it real damage, which lead to several failures as I tried to outdamage its "healing" (when really I just had to keep shooting at it for an extended period through multiple seeming regenerations until it actually died). It also had a tendency to over-rely on story gating over ability gating, where a lot of stuff would just be blocked off at different points to force you into the next fight rather than providing opportunity for exploration. The graphics were also on the weaker side, with a lot of rooms being extremely plain and repetitive. Overall, it took me about ten hours, and I'd say it's worth playing, though not phenomenal.

A well crafted metroidvania mixed with a bit of bullet hell. a fun experience for anyone that likes these genres!

The shooting feels very satisfying, the sound design feels properly retro but still really good and the movement and combat are excellent! Reminds me of my childhood games when you just go BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR at max speed and kill everything! 8.5/10 Great game

This game is a super fun combination of 2 genres that have no business working with each other, and it makes them work super well! It has a glaring flaw, though. No spoilers, but the ending is ABSURDLY hard. I ended up lowering the difficulty during the fight, and it made little to no difference. Despite this, I had an excellent time with the game! 7/10