GeminiArms

Shmup with twin-stick controls. Use the right stick to fire a reflect beam that is ever so satisfying; it bounces multiple times off of walls to allow you to create a zig-zag beam of terror. You'd think you can mow through enemies with ease with the laser, but enemies take multiple hits before dying so there's a bit of challenge. The game is fast-paced, levels are short and so are the boss battles. There is a good amount of creativity in level design; the developer chose to create a short game with creative levels instead of a longer game with repetitive, drawn-out levels. There are no power-ups but you can transform your mech into a jet with a stronger straight-firing horizontal beam. You also have a CPU sidekick that shoots almost at the same rate as you. With your meter full, you can join forces with the CPU to unleash a super-powerful beam. The art is minimalistic and rudimentary at times but quite decent. Music is okay. It's a great 15-minute diversion for a busy dad like me. ...

The review is positive but the game has a few issues. It is the first real twin stick shmup i ever seen. Yes we had good pseudo prototypes in the past like zero gunner, but in that time the control was not twintick in the true sense (we had buttons to rotate the ship and that was it). You have character that you can switch betewwn two types: a robot that can fire multiple directions with twin stick controller and a ship with straightforward shot. You also have a cpu controlled character with the same mechanics to help. when you fill a bar you can fusion with the cpu robot (does not work with the fusion) for a short period of time and fire a larger and poweful shot.could have a option without assist. The game has 8 stages, wich seems too much for a shmup, but the stages are super short and in reality has a short duration for a shmup. Fortunaly the stage design is good, fun and quite experimental, with interesting enviromental hazards, enemy placement and sense of movement, but i thin...