SHOCKWAVE TRIGGERS

[table][th] Review by [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34633003-Gaming-Masterpieces/lists/] Gaming Masterpieces [/url] - The greatest games of all time on Steam. [/th][/table] Is this game a masterpiece? No, but it is one of the better shmups released this year. Actually, one of the best. Great 16-bit visuals, highly playable, a ton of options. Four difficulties to select, short, but challenging levels. And the levels are diverse - you will not have to shoot the same 3 enemies without much of a challenge for 30 minutes. You will encounter different foes, different bosses, different backgrounds. One special thing is the shockwave that you trigger when you use your special attack or when you destroy an enemy. The shockwave damages a large area. There is a graze bonus for getting very close to enemy bullets. The best way to play it is in tate mode - turn your monitor on its head and use the full display for the gaming area - no borders on the sides. The game also works with an ultrawide monitor - although with large borders on the sides. Gamepads are of course supported, even with Xbox and PlayStation symbols, depending what you use. You will also get some nice extras - like an online/local highscore-list, a training mode, or some unlockable stuff like a boss rush mode or a jukebox with the soundtrack.  There are two characters to select in single player, in 2-player mode you have to choose: one player plays Amira, the other player takes over Turbo B. (slower, less defense, but heavier gun). Playing together is quite fun, but it also gets quite crowded. You have to concentrate which of the two ships is yours. The ships of Amira and Turbo B. look different and even play a little bit different, but they are both a bit red, so looking at the wrong ship can happen. [u][b] Conclusion:[/b][/u] All in all - a nice little shmup, made with love. Looking like one from the classic 16-bit time, but playing more like the newer bullet hell stuff from later years.

[後半に日本語レビューあり] [h1] A rare gem that revives the spirit of 90s arcade shooting in the modern age [/h1] This work is a vertical-scrolling shoot ’em up packed with thorough homages to the golden age of 90s arcade STGs, all within the simple principle of shooting, dodging, and erasing bullets. Rather than mere nostalgia, it “reconstructs” countless classics and expresses them through a modern tempo. That structure creates a pleasant coexistence between nostalgia and freshness. At its core lies the “Shockwave” system. The wave that erases bullet curtains creates chains, and instead of instantly destroying enemies, the player is rewarded with higher scores and satisfaction by daring to step into danger. It evokes the “aesthetics of explosion” and score design of the RAIZING lineage—Battle Garegga, Bakraid—and even seems to adapt those sensibilities into the dialogue layout and effect coloration. At the same time, elements reminiscent of Psikyo titles—particularly Gunbird 2 and Strikers 1945 II—can be seen throughout: camera compositions, magic circle effects, and sister character settings. The combination of high-speed bullet patterns and magical-girl design, and the fusion of “arcade orthodoxy × fantasy worldbuilding,” functions as more than imitation—it is a refined reinterpretation. Based on the pleasure of “reading” bullet formations, the sequence of counterfire, chaining, and shockwaves feels like an evolved form of Psikyo’s trademark rhythm. Furthermore, stage cutscenes carry the tone and rhythm of SNK / Nazca (Metal Slug 2/3) through expressive cut-ins and character drawings. The short demo dialogues and comedic exchanges featuring “female soldiers with sharp comebacks” are sure to make arcade veterans smile. The game’s use of meta quotation is particularly unique. The line “Your sister is in another castle!” that plays at the start of the first boss battle is, needless to say, a deliberate reuse of the legendary quote from Super Mario Bros. Yet it is not treated as a mere joke; instead, it is skillfully layered with the protagonist’s mission to rescue his sister. This structure can be seen as a clever elevation of “Nintendo-style meta.” Sega fans will also grin. Phrases like “Blast Processing” and “Mr. Blue,” which parody Genesis-era advertising and Sonic-era marketing, are scattered throughout stage backgrounds and signage. Additionally, the motifs of the evil organization “Mister W” and the white-coated mad scientist are clear homages to Capcom’s Mega Man series. The design of enemies, the phrasing of their attack names, and even the framing of cut-ins follow the expressive style of 80s–90s Capcom, redefining that familiar sense of nostalgia through the hand-drawn animation style. These multilayered references function not as mere parody but as a tribute to arcade culture itself—one of the game’s strongest points. RAIZING-style scoring logic, Psikyo-like pacing, SNK-style character drama, Nintendo-like meta humor, Sega-inspired advertising jokes, and Capcom-style villain archetypes—all converge within a single vertical screen. With the addition of the fast-paced retro sound by Big Impact Sound, the result is not the feeling of simply playing a retro-style shooting game, but rather the sensation of “piercing the archive of memories with a shockwave of recollection.” Simple yet dense, nostalgic yet new—this is a heartfelt work that revives the DNA of 90s arcades through modern passion. [h1] 90年代アーケードSTG時代の感覚が現代に蘇る貴重な一作 [/h1] 本作は、弾を撃ち、避け、消すというシンプルな一騎当千型シューティング原理の中に、90年代アーケード黄金期への徹底したオマージュを詰め込んだ縦スクロールシューティングだ。単なる復古ではなく、数多の名作を「再構築」し、現代的テンポで表現する。その構造が、ノスタルジーと新鮮さの心地よい共存を生んでいる。 ゲームの中核をなすのは「衝撃波（Shockwave）」システム。弾幕を消し去る波動が連鎖を生み、敵機をすぐに破壊するのではなく、あえて危険に踏み込むほど得点と快感が跳ね上がる仕組み。RAIZING系譜の『Battle Garegga』や『Bakraid』を思い起こさせる“爆発の美学”とスコア設計を、会話レイアウトやエフェクト色彩にまで落とし込んでいる印象すらある。 一方で、Psikyo作品──とくに『Gunbird 2』『Strikers 1945 II』を思わせる構図・魔法陣演出・姉妹キャラクター設定も随所に見られる。ハイスピード弾道と魔法少女的な造形、そして「アーケードの王道×ファンタジー世界観」の融合は、単なる模倣を超えた再編として機能している。プレイヤーが弾幕を“読み切る”快感を軸に、撃ち返し・巻き込み・衝撃波が連続していく構造は、まるでPsikyo式テンポの進化形だ。 さらに、ステージ演出の端々にはSNK / Nazca（『Metal Slug 2/3』）的なカットインや人物作画のリズムが感じられる。短いデモ会話や掛け合いで見せる“女性軍人＋ツッコミ系演出”は、当時のアーケードを知る人ならニヤッとする点だろう。 そして、本作の“台詞引用メタ”は一層ユニークだ。1ステージボス戦冒頭で流れる「Your sister is in another castle!」という一文は、言うまでもなく『スーパーマリオブラザーズ』の伝説的台詞の再利用。だがそれを単なるジョークにせず、主人公の妹奪還モチーフと重ね合わせている。この構造は「任天堂的メタ」を巧みに昇華させたものといえる。 また、セガファンならニヤリとするだろう。「Blast Processing」や「Mr. Blue」など、Genesis広告やソニック期のマーケティングを茶化したセリフや看板が随所に配置されている。 加えて、悪の組織“Mister W”や、白衣姿の狂科学者といったモチーフは、明らかにカプコンの『ロックマン』シリーズを踏まえたオマージュだ。敵の造形や技名の語感、カットインの構成までが80～90年代カプコン的表現スタイルを踏襲しており、見慣れた“懐かしさ”が手描きアニメの線で再定義されている。 これらの多層的な引用が、単なるパロディではなく“アーケード文化そのものへの献辞”として機能している点が本作の評価ポイントの一つだ。RAIZING的スコアロジックとPsikyo的スピード感、SNK的キャラ劇、任天堂的台詞メタ、セガ的広告ジョーク、カプコン的悪の科学者像──それらすべてが1枚の縦画面に収束していく。 Big Impact Soundによる疾走感あるレトロ風サウンドも加わり、結果として生まれるのは、ただのレトロ風シューティングゲームを遊ぶような感覚ではなく、「記憶のアーカイブを、追憶の衝撃で撃ち抜く」ような感覚だ。シンプルでいて濃密、懐かしくて新しい──90年代アーケードのDNAを現代の情熱が甦らせた、リスペクト佳作であるといえる。 [quote][b]Check out our Steam curator ([url=store.steampowered.com/curator/36364102-Horny-Hentai-Festival/]link[/url]) , YouTube channel ([url=www.youtube.com/curatorhhf/]link[/url]), and X(Twitter) ([url=x.com/hhfcurator]link[/url])![/b][/quote]

"That's a weird bird." A good CAVE-style shoot 'em up from the developer of Wings of Bluestar. The art and music are nice, especially the background art. The game does have scanlines (thin and thick, basically) and the thin version work well for me. 2 characters/ships, 6 stages, and 4 difficulty levels, plus a Boss Rush mode and online leaderboards. The game's uniqueness lies in it's shockwave bomb, an infinitely-useable special attack, but one that needs to be charged up (roughly 4 seconds) for each use. You then launch it from your ship and can either let it run into a target or press B again (same as the charge button) to explode it in place. This creates a shockwave-looking circle that destroys enemies and their bullets. So obviously mastery of this weapon is key, both offensively and defensively. I was finding the game a bit difficult at first, but oh yeah, maybe I should see what the special weapon does. Turns out it does a lot, duh. The game could use some light bug fixing, but it just hit the store so I'm sure that's coming. Also it's certainly on the shorter side, but it is a solo-dev shmup selling for 10 bucks. A few hours of good shmup fun seems completely worthwhile. 8/10

A solid shmup with a nice difficulity options for all skill levels, reminds me of games like Gunbird and donpachi, and the hand drawn style makes it even better. 10/10 would recommend.

Shockwave Trigger absolutely exceeded my expectations! I had been waiting for this game, especially knowing it comes from the same studio behind the fabulous Wings of Bluestar. The gameplay is smooth and intense, the visuals are stunning, and the soundtrack perfectly matches the action. It’s clear that the developers poured their passion into this project. A must-play for fans of classic shoot ’em ups

The gameplay and controls feel solid, the music is pretty boppin, its a really fun time in my opinion! If you enjoy shmups i think you can very easily find some enjoyment here. *edit* Just think its important to add, im very much new to shmups (only been playing them for the past month or so) and played through on normal and the 1 credit clear seemed very doable (i didnt get a 1cc but got to the last boss), so i think its a very good intro into shmups considering there is a easy difficulty if your struggling with normal and then a couple extra difficulties after normal to put your skills to the test if you want!

I’mma keep it short but basically this is a decent shmup. The artstyle is nice and so is the gameplay. I’d like to point out that I’ve followed Shinu for quite some time ever since they released Wings Of Blue Star. I’d say this game definitely shows their growth within the genre. You choose between two characters. Amria has the better speed but mid damage while Turbo has high damage but somewhat mid speed. Your bomb is more like a special that allows you to negate bullets and use it to damage enemies at a quick pace. This is also how you score as using this special on bullets + damaging the enemy creates red gems to collect. The game has 6 stages and the time of completion is around 20ish minutes which is fairly common for a shmup. There's a variety of difficulties to choose from which is accessible for casual or more serious players. In my opinion, I believe the game's difficulty doesn’t really derive from the difficulty itself but from choosing the characters like turbo which is the second character. He has a special that allows you to charge and shoot for big damage. This easily allows you to breeze through the game even on bullet hell difficulty, so it seems like the possible real challenge might be with the main character. I’m almost positive this was the dev's true intention. The game is still ironing out some bugs as my probably only negative thing to say is that I’ve had multiple runs where I’ll kill a boss or reach the next stage and the game will soft lock itself by not progressing. Maybe I missed it but I didn’t see a practice mode either in this game. A shmup for 10 dollars and it’s pretty decent. I’ll admit and say it wasn’t my favorite but I still had my fun with it and that's really enough for me :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ieqMrLvjU

It's sad to give this a negative review because the creator obviously put a lot of work and love into the game. The art is great, but the theme and core mechanics are not very interesting. It tries to feel a bit like Gunbird, and that's cool, but it falls flat for me. The dialog is god awful with all your base and blast processing jokes that totally take me out of the experience. You can turn the dialog off, but it just puts a bad taste in your mouth seeing it and knowing that's what kind of vibe it's going for. The saddest part is the music. It's probably the worst STG OST I've ever heard. Pros are that the art and graphics are nice, and the developer listens to feedback. I'm putting a lot of weight into the soundtrack, because that is half of a STG for me, but if you don't mind music or like what you hear in the demo, I'd say go ahead and give it a shot. It's not a bad game, it's just disappointing since I was looking forward to this and had high hopes. I wish the developer the best, and I would give this game another shot if it had alternate soundtracks.

Bullet hell shooter with simple rescue plot, two distinct pilots, six intense stages, and bosses that require dismantling. Shoot ‘em up games have always prioritized fast-paced action over intricate storytelling, and this one doesn’t change that. The plot is as straightforward as it gets, with a gang kidnapping your sister, and your mission is to chase down their leaders and rescue her. The simplicity of the perfectly mirrors the game’s control. Movement is handled in the traditional way, while your main concern is keeping your finger firmly pressed on the fire button to unleash continuous streams of bullets. You can also enter a focused mode that slows your movement, allowing for more precise dodging between waves of enemy fire, and use a powerful shockwave bomb to clear the screen of enemies and bullets when things get overwhelming. You can choose between two playable characters, each offering distinct playstyles. One is faster and more agile, while the other is slower but delivers stronger firepower. Their differences extend beyond speed and strength, particularly in how their bombs function. The female pilot can trigger her bomb instantly, creating immediate protection from incoming fire. The male pilot, on the other hand, needs to charge his bomb by holding down the button. The advantage is that he doesn’t need to collect bomb charges like the girl does. Remaining faithful to its arcade roots, the game doesn’t include an upgrade or shop system between missions. Instead, everything you need is delivered mid-battle through drones that drop power-ups. These can include an extra charge for your shockwave bomb, turret companions that hover next to your ship and add additional firepower, or upgrades to your main guns. Power-up delivery is quick and frequent, and it’s possible to fully upgrade your ship’s weapons before even finishing a single stage. The campaign is structured across six linear stages, each offering a short but intense burst of chaotic fun. Despite their brevity, every level is packed with visual detail, boasting vibrant pixel art that captures the energy of classic arcade shooters. Enemy designs vary from stage to stage, and they explode in visually satisfying bursts of color and light. Standard enemies are plentiful, but tougher ones appear marked with a skull icon, effectively serving as mini-bosses. These stronger foes are designed with multiple destructible parts, each with its own health bar. Only after destroying all of their components can you advance. Boss encounters follow a similar pattern but are even more elaborate. Each boss features several stages, changing attack patterns as individual parts are destroyed. Shooting non-critical areas doesn’t deal damage, so precision targeting becomes essential. Managing your bombs wisely is also crucial, as boss attack patterns can sometimes feel deliberately unfair, leaving no room to dodge unless you use the shockwave bomb to clear the screen and create an escape path. The bomb’s lingering effect can also damage multiple parts at once, making it an indispensable tool for taking something out fast. Being a bullet hell game, the challenge is unforgiving because a single hit means instant death. The hitbox, while larger than in similar titles, demands precision. Fortunately, you can activate a visual indicator of your hitbox, which helps gauge your safe movement area and lets you graze bullets more easily. By narrowly dodging bullets, you increase your weapon’s power and, in the case of the girl character, recharge her bomb. Destroying enemies quickly yields additional benefits. Upon death, enemies release shockwaves that transform nearby bullets into crystals. The larger the enemy, the wider the shockwave radius, and thus, the more crystals you can collect. Defeating foes with your bomb produces even more valuable red crystals. Besides raising your score, these crystals act as a form of in-game currency used to unlock extras in the main menu, such as additional credits, a gallery, a music player, and a boss rush mode. Fortunately, grinding for crystals isn’t tedious because you can unlock everything after a few playthroughs. Overall, the game delivers exactly what fans of the genre expect. Unfortunately, it’s not without issues. After defeating the fifth boss, I encountered a bug. It rewards an unearned achievement for completing a stage on hard mode while playing on normal difficulty, and worse, it can cause the boss to freeze during its death animation. Since the game lacks a save system, this glitch can erase your entire progress, forcing you to restart from scratch.

A very nice vertical shmup like the old days. Been play testing this game for a while before release. Works great on the Steam Deck btw.