Zaxtron EXPLUS

Got this from Curator Connect. Compared to the dev's previous game it's sliiightly more polished and has way more options In excange it's kinda shorter but that's fine. Hard mode has a TLB tied to it, and the mode itself can be rather challenging at times, even if for QoL reasons (unbalance between being too fast & too slow being the main factor, and some stages being quite oppresive) I'm more looking forward to the proposed content updates before doing anything else with the game, but I had fun as is. Would I recommend this at full price? If you don't have regional pricing, probably not. Remember to bomb before losing all your HP.

Zaxtrun EXPLUS is a fun Shoot 'em up, with good bullet patterns and variety in stages and a cute art style that resembles early 90's DOS titles. The difficulty is quite hard, but once you figure out the patterns, it will become more manageable. A higher difficulty alongside more goodies that you can play with here. For the price, I think this game might be worth your while :)

Zaxtron EXPLUS hits hard. This is a brutal shmup that will have you white knuckling the whole time. The difficulty is cranked past 11 and it does not apologize for it. You either keep up or get crushed. Some of the bullets and effects get a little lost in the color palette, but it is part of the chaos that gives it that raw arcade feel. The weapon power ups are awesome, lots of combinations to experiment with, and the gameplay throws off serious Truxton vibes mixed in with some ludicrious speed bullets in a way that straps your eyeballs into the back of your brain. :) The dev is active with the community, tuning controls (top speeds and focus speeds need more balancing), cleaning up visuals, fixing bugs, and actually listening. That kind of energy keeps a project like this alive. If you want a no nonsense challenge that burns your focus and tests your reflexes, this one delivers.

A nice indie shmups. The game can get very challenging and practice required. Recommended.

The game is punishing in a good way. Every run feels rewarding once you start to figure things out. The music instantly takes me back to the good old days of arcade places. The variety of weapons is super fun too! It makes you want to keep experimenting and find the best weapon for your playstyle. If you love awesome bullet patterns that push you to your limits, then this game is for you!

Very fast paced old school shooter, the difficulty is tough but you can get a lot of practice in with the 99HP mode.

Great arcade style shooter with tons of charm! The intro immediately sets the tone, fantastic presentation and some really impressive pixel art. I love the chiptune music and for some reason it reminds me of the NES game Little nemo (who is dreaming if I'm not wrong... Hmmmm...) adding a nostalgic feeling for sure. Gameplay is very satisfying. Gabbing score items and using the super weapon never gets old. Enemy bullets are fast and very aggressive, so this is not an easy game, I need to play more for sure. Rescuing soldiers (or penguins) gives the game a very classic arcade feeling and overall makes it perfect for an easy pick up and play sessions, that's my case on my steam deck. The arcade screen to play the mini games is also amazing, a really good extra that adds personality to the whole package. Pro tip on the main game: use the bombs wisely!

Fun Danmaku bullet hell style shooter with colourful and imaginative retro graphics evoking games from the snes/megadrive era and clearly an inspiration. i liked the faux 'game released in 1983' bit, also my favourite year from my youth. The levels are short and score based with collectables released on destruction and bullet cancelling. Levels feature many different interchangeable weapon sets, a classic 'bomb' button, and a super shot, activated upon the super gauge being full, a mid and end of level boss require you attention! (prepare to weave!) Bonus games include a boss rush mode, hard mode (normal mode hard enough for a newbie like myself), and a space invaders type sub game resplendent in all it's retro table top arcade glory! Perhaps as an admission to new players that danmaku games are deliberately hard as nails, the developer has thoughtfully included an option to have 99 hit points on your first life to see you through the levels, a nice inclusion. The level are quite varied in design and enemy formations/attack patterns, with the bosses in particular throwing some really impressive patterns at you. The little story centered around the 'sammy' player character is very endearing too (skippable if you want to just murder stuff!) Nice job.

A very fun game for you to play with younger people or your family that is made with love by a great developer Highly recommend playing!

*Updated The GOAT + Story The Good + Minigames + Good looking weapons + Awesome dev The Bad - Felt short but more content will be added - The game speed is misrepresented I updated my review since the dev responded and the game is more affordable now! My previous opinion was: "I liked what I saw in the trailers but the game was way too fast for me and as other reviews say, punishing." I have been playing Touhou games lately (You know, very slow clumps of bullets) which is a different kind of challenge. Now, to be honest I haven't played much lately and ZAXTRON got me by surprise. "I won't grind like crazy to reach that level of gameplay, so I refunded." In fact, other reviewers say you will have a better time when you realize the patterns... that didn't tell me much LOL! But indeed, I felt I was starting to see through the patterns and positioning better but I got kinda impatient. And now come to think of it, I can also see resemblance with games like the Tawashi. The story is Dantesque and completely unexpected. The twist is a good reward if you push through. The game is imaginative and I'll give it another try when I get the time and I am changing the review from negative to positive. Although, while the game is meant to be fast, I would suggest to slow down the speed of the power ups flying down a bit and increase it's size.