The Last Archwing

Pretty fun shmup! While the powerups in game are somewhat low level, you can upgrade your ship permanently by using earned credits from destroyed enemies which is cool. The story is campy but serviceable. Fully voiced too. If you're not really into story in your shmups like me though you can easily skip it. It would be cool if there was a separate arcade mode which would remove all the chatter entirely (besides maybe at the beginning to get olyou started and at the end after you beat the game), but it's no big deal. Only other thing I would like added is to be able to revisit previous levels after completing the game to grab some achievements, credits and upgrades. Life bars on bosses would be welcome too. Dev is also really responsive to feedback and generously added a patch which makes upgrades much better so you feel better suited for the later levels and achievements too. There's also a hardcore mode added in which is great as well. Looking forward to more from this dev. Great ...

The Last Archwing nails game balance. It's frustrating enough to keep you interested, but not in a way that's discouraging. The variety of enemies is just right. The pacing is on par with the best of 2D side scrolling and vertical scrolling games. It's nostalgic in a way that brings back the classic game feel, but because of the story, music, graphics (specifically lighting) and voice acting, the game is firmly placed into the modern era of games. A shout out to the barrel roll game mechanic for being easy to use but hard to master. Smashing multiple enemies with one roll is immensely satisfying. Deciding between using barrel roll and Death Wave adds a layer of depth that is compelling. The music choice for the different levels and opening sequence is superb. I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I am enjoying this game.

This game has a gripping intro sequence and hilarious, well-acted dialogue throughout the whole game. The difficulty level on Normal mode is perfect. It starts out quite easy as you are learning the game, and quickly ramps up around level 5. The upgrade system allows you to continue to repeat levels and buffing your ship to compensate for lack of skill. The final few stages are extremely challenging and really test the skill you have developed along the way. There is a variety of enemies that require you to learn their patterns and develop strategies to defeat them. The development team is efficient is addressing any problems with the game that you identify if you just email them, so if you encounter any problems, make sure to email them. Overall this is a great vertical shooter and you should definitely check it out, especially if you are a fan of the genre!!!

Overall, I am loving this game so far! The gameplay is addictive and the story is very fun to experience. I highly recommend it! Gameplay --------- I played on Normal difficulty and the game gets pretty challenging after the first several levels. However I would describe it as "deliciously difficult". The game gets challenging, but doesn't feel "unfair". Each time I died I felt like it was because I had personally made a bad choice. You are also given all the tools necessary to overcome the obstacles. It requires precise use of the barrel roll and screen clear bomb to be able to make it all the way to the boss. I love how the game requires you to make very strategic decisions about how you manage your resources. You have a meter that fills up as you pick up the goodies that the enemies drop, and your abilities use up the meter: the barrel roll gives you a short temporary invincibility (consuming one charge of your meter), but the screen clear bomb, while powerful, completely drains ...

I really enjoyed playing this game. It had a fun story with different interesting characters with witty dialogue. I liked that cute bug character who thought that his ship was very effective because it kept spinning and spinning yet it made him sick. The gameplay was fun too. There were a lot of different boss fights and space ships that always made me think of the best strategy to win. I enjoyed collecting these green and red capsules that made my ship stronger and enabled me to use the Super Death Wave. It was very satisfying to see all the enemy ships being blown to pieces with the Super Death Wave. I'd like to note that I especially loved the level where you meet Hamut (I believe that was his name): the combination of his evil German accent and trance music during the gameplay created a very atmospheric experience.

Playing through the game, and these characters have hilariously awesome personalities. And better still, the mechanics are really tight. It feels oh so satisfying to smash through another ship with your barrel roll. Oh, and the difficulty curve is right up my alley. I hate games where it feels like you're on autopilot (pun maybe intended?). Anyway, this is not that. You actually have to use the range of abilities on your ship to get through level. Definitely worth the price of admission.

pretty fun bullet hell space invaders type game. neat gfx and moves chezy story but made me laugh

This game is really fun. Hard but fun. I got a couple of chuckles out of the silly characters too.

I really enjoyed this game as a whole. It has a nice mix of great gameplay and story telling. There are a bunch of really fun bad guys that are very satisfying to finally beat! I really enjoy that you can upgrade your ship as it helps keep you competitive regardless of your skill level, which mine isn't particularly high lol. It may mean you have to grind a little bit if you suck like me, but not long enough for it to get tedious. I thought it was very clever that the little orbs you collect during the levels also fills up your special bar, which you then use to use your special abilities. The barrel roll really gets you out of sticky situations, but sometimes its better to use the bomb. You have to figure out what needs to be used when. I like that feeling of accomplishment when you inch forward farther into each level, and finally beating the boss at the end is so satisfying!

Update Be aware that the game difficulty can scale quite a bit at later levels. =========== I like the game mainly because of the nice story and the villain. Very well done. The game itself is entertaining but nothing too special. Graphics and sound are good enough. A bit stiff destroying animation but the talk between the characters make more than up for it! Overall recommended.