Red Lightning

Twin-stick car combat is fun, but the game’s short length and frustrating final boss don’t leave a lasting impression. At first glance, this one looks like it was ripped straight out of the golden age of arcade gaming, with its vibrant pixel art and nostalgic design. But underneath that retro aesthetic lies a modern twin-stick shooter that throws you behind the wheel of a futuristic combat car on a mission to take down an evil spacelord and his relentless army. The story? Barely there. Driving a car in a twin-stick shooter might sound like a recipe for frustration, but this game takes an unrealistic approach to vehicle physics. Your car moves fluidly in any direction, ignoring the usual constraints of momentum or terrain. Controls are intuitive, with shooting mapped to the right stick, allowing you to fire off rapid bursts that may not have the longest range but get the job done. There’s also a dedicated upward shot button, useful in theory but rarely in practice. Your arsenal includes a shield, a limited-use defensive tool that can be activated at will, and a secondary weapon that starts as a humble grenade thrower but evolves into powerful upgrades like rocket launchers and even a deadly shuriken wave. Upgrades are earned by driving over helipads, with each power-up making your firepower even more devastating. Then there’s the red lightning, the game’s most powerful attack. A lot of these hidden collectibles can be found per stage, usually lurking in the shadows with only a tip of the icon giving them away. While it can be used to obliterate standard enemies, you’ll want to save it for boss fights because this devastating weapon deals a lot of damage. Levels are short and linear, which is actually a blessing since you’re on a (somewhat meaningless) timer. Even if it hits zero, nothing actually happens, so the urgency is more illusion than reality. Each stage also comes with five optional secondary missions, like avoiding death, collecting coins, or destroying specific targets. Perhaps the most exciting discovery is an icon that transforms your car into a spaceship, launching you into a frantic side-scrolling space battle. Found in special hangars near runways, these sections shift the gameplay into space shooter mode. Unlike car sections, time limit in space matters because your oxygen is running out. Here, you’ll need to mash the fire button or hold it for stronger fire, and while a twin-stick option exists, your car’s primary weapon is swapped for a short-range flamethrower. Dodging enemy fire while managing your dwindling oxygen supply makes these segments far more challenging, but completing them rewards you with an even stronger red lightning attack. Failure doesn’t matter, but you only get one shot. Between missions, you can spend collected coins on four different upgrades. Coins are earned by completing missions and grabbing them in stages. The priciest item is an extra life—important, since losing all lives sends you back to stage one. Other options include temporary weapon boosts, additional shields, and a permanent speed and firepower upgrade that can be bought up to three times and carries over across missions. The game is short since it only has three decent missions and a disastrously bad final boss fight. The final confrontation takes place in space, and while the boss itself isn’t particularly difficult, the fight quickly turns into a frustrating endurance test. The boss teleports frequently, heals itself, and drags out the battle long enough that you’ll run out of oxygen before you can land a finishing blow. If you didn’t hoard red lightning for this fight, you might as well consider your entire run wasted because even unlimited number of lives won’t help you here.

Charming little game. Reminds me of the stuff I played when I was a kid in the arcades. Definitely some love here!