Raging Blasters

 

Raging Blasters - PC (2021)

Developed by Terarin Games

Published by Terarin Games

Raging Blasters is a new release by indie developer Terarin Games, also known for games such as Missile Dancer and Gemini Arms. Raging Blasters is in a similar vein of old school PC Engine shooters such as the ones from COMPILE and Inter State/Kaneko. The game also has some nice references to Image Fight from Irem, however it doesn't inherit the punishing difficulty that Image Fight is known for.

The game is comprised of 8 fast moving stages with swarms of various enemy types with relatively simple attack patterns. There are several boss fights scattered throughout these stages which are also pretty simple in design but lots of fun to fight. There are also 3 difficulties available; Normal, Hard and Expert with scoring heavily based on chaining. There are several secondary pick up weapons that players can choose from and switch between throughout a stage as pick ups are spread liberally throughout each stage. There are definitely areas where some of these weapons are more advantageous to use in particular situations. For example the laser pick up is great for making short work of certain bosses while the homing weapon or the "wheel" weapon are great for crowd control in areas where enemies surround you. Additionally, there are 3 different ship speed settings available that the player can adjust at any time.

There is also a Caravan mode in which the player is given 3 minutes to score as high as they can within that time limit. That result is then uploaded to an online leader board allowing you to see where you stand among other players who have tried it. There is a free demo of this mode available as of this writing for anyone interested in giving this game a try.

I managed to 1CC the game on hard mode in a pretty short amount of time and I would say this game is quite accessible for those either new to shmups or going for 1CCs. The game is quite generous with extends, none of the bosses are too complicated and most of the patterns are pretty easy to get down in a short period of time. The challenge is ramped up somewhat on the harder difficulties making this a worthy purchase for those with more experience in the genre as well.

I should add that the sound track for this game is phenomenal which always helps add to the replay value of a shooter for me.

On the first line is my score for my 1CC run on hard mode.

Galvanic Gunner Aleste (Aleste Collection )

 

 

GG Aleste (Aleste Collection) - Switch (2020)

Developed by COMPILE / M2

Published by M2

GG Aleste is a shooter from famed developer COMPILE originally released for the Sega Game Gear in 1990 and more recently it was brought to Nintendo Switch and PS4 by M2 in 2020 as a part of the Aleste Collection. In this title you play as pilot Ellinor Waizen who is on a mission to take back a conquered earth from an enemy called Moon Child. 

The game exhibits many of the traits that compile shooters were known for. Despite the slowdown exhibited from the large amount of action happening on screen the game still gives the player a great sense of speed and urgency. The PS4 and Switch versions also come with an option to disable the slowdown as it was caused by the technical limitations of running such a frantic shooter on the Game Gear's hardware. Your ship speeds through enemy territory as enemy ships and defense units swarm you as you rocket toward the next stage boss. The excellent sound track serves to amp up the adrenaline as you take out as many enemy units as you can while simultaneously collecting as many power up items as you can. If you're playing the version included on M2's Aleste Collection there are also some nice gadgets added to the borders of the screen that add a nice flair while also providing the player with stats on their current play through.

The player ship is equipped with a basic automatic firing weapon that can be powered up with pickups throughout the stage. There are also several upgradeable secondary weapons that offer various degrees of multi-directional offensive power that can be picked up and used simultaneously with the main weapon. The game has a total of 8 stages with multiple bosses to battle throughout. There are a couple of bonus stages in between that help you power up your ship and extends are given out generously throughout the game. I would say this is an excellent game for those who are new to shmups or new to attemping 1CCs. 

One tip to make for a pretty straight forward clear: Get the Homing power up and stick with it. It really allows you to focus on dodging and not worry too much about where your shots are going.

Here is the final score of my run. I also had quite a few extends left afterwards.

Overall this was a very fun game that I would recommend to shmup enthusiasts of all skill levels based on the fun factor alone. I'm looking forward to spending more time with this title and the other titles included in this collection including the newly developed GG Aleste 3!

 

 

Welcome to Dave's STG Log

Hello to anyone who happens to stop by my STG/shmup blog. I'm currently on a mission to improve my skills at shmups/STGs. I've played this genre casually over the years but never made attempts to go for score or even go for 1CCs until now. I recently realized that this genre is perfect for what I'm looking to get out of gaming and I've found games in this genre very rewarding to play over the last year or so. Whether it's for a short 30 minute session or a multi hour session practicing a difficult level to try and increase my ability to achieve an ALL CLEAR. After coming across Edward's 1CC Log for Shmups I was inspired to start my own log, even if I do not yet possess the skills to achieve that many clears. This blog will outline my quest to improve by skills and hopefully keep track of 1CCs I manage to achieve throughout. I will also try to document skills and tips I acquire over time to hopefully helps others improve their shmup game as well. I'm looking forward to posting more very soon.

In the mean time, check out Edward's 1CC Log: https://1cclog.blogspot.com/

 Dave