First played on Switch. Liked for mostly silly reasons. Steam version was more revealing.
For a shmup that can't really decide what kind it is, even plowing through with your Forces (expectation, I think) is difficult due strange balance, or lack of. Shield power-up abuse is a blessing, since it takes a moment to dissipate and is upgradeable, but keep in mind that like your ship, and any truly old retro shmup, takes damage upon the slightest kiss.
Ofc, if you don't mind grinding the handful of stages available, though clearing tasks opens access to higher difficulties and better payouts, it will take fewer rounds to max out energy or develop a working payload. Mind you, in flight P-ups can still be hard to tell, but they're usually useful.
Still, far more issues present:
(1) Preset controls, keyboard only (gamepad if lucky). WASD for movement, arrows for drones /bomb. Mouse would be real handy, dunno why not. Pads can be switched with the right Steam tools and I recommend this.
(2) Glitches, even game breaking ones (screen freeze), can be caused by looping the whole screen or summoning drones at the wrong time.
(3) Overcrowding /slapdash. Looking well enough, despite the nice assets, they often appear cobbled together, probably in a rush to get the game together or to market. Personally, I can't tell if it's a "let's get this out" or "out of time" issue. Either way, kinda sad.
(4) Limited replayability. Yes, expanded difficulty presents the illusion that you have extra, technically you do, but basically, there are still only 5 genuine stages.
(5) Sound /music balance is terrible, also inexplicably ear puncture loud at times. A pity since the music isn't half bad.
(6) Forces /drones. Not just credits spent, they're a mixed bag. Hard to say when each [i]IS[/i] particularly useful--still not sure myself--odds are by the time you are, you've got the stages memorized anyway, and there's less chance of waste unless you're badge hunting or worse, quest completing (99% enemies, no ship damage, etc).
On the bright side, if you don't mind grinding, or an every once in a while, this is a helluva easy achievement hunter. Yes, over the top and silly, but so long as you're not nitpicking some hasty faux-rich graphics and pseudo epic metal, it's kinda fun. Just don't expect a great game, and you may just get a kick out of it. It's at least better and more rewarding than several of the other half-acted retro bungles around here.
TLDR?
Try last paragraph.
