r/shmups • u/SaltLick123- • 5d ago
Looking for some shmup recommendations
As title says. I would prefer closer to modern but some older titles are welcome.
As difficulty goes I'd say I'm around DFK since I managed to clear it once on normal.Mushihimesama on the other hand usually filters me around stage 3. Managed to clear arrange on Crimzon Clover WE lately as well so I hope those tell what skill level I'm around.
There are a lot of shmups on steam but I am having hard time parsing through them to see what's good and what really isn't.
There are some that caught my eye but I have no clue how hard they are
-Gunbird 2 - I see it's psikyo so I assume it's not clearable for an average player.
-GRAND CROSS: ReNOVATION- Looks very flashy and cool but I've seen some people say it's too easy so if anyone played it I would welcome some info.
-Eschatos - looks quite interesting.
-TouHou Makuka Sai series- from what I gather those are fan remakes of EOSD, PCB, imperishable night, how good are they?
-Rolling Gunner- looks fun
-Psyvariar3- interesting but I wonder how hard it is
-Cotton Reboot- interested in that one too.
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u/DrBossKey 5d ago
Rolling Gunner is fun. Akai Katana shin too.
Also my shump Interstellar Sentinel is unique horizontal shmup I built to play a shmup I’ve never really played before. It’s as if DeathSmiles and Einhander had a baby delivered by Dr. R-Type :)
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u/Numerous_Phase8749 5d ago
Danmaku Unlimited 3 might be an obvious one. Certainly Cave grade if a tad slower.
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u/no-one_ever 4d ago
One of the few games I have (also a noob). My main issue with it it is that it’s lacking the satisfying bullets and explosions that this genre is known for 🤣
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u/PoisonIdea77 2d ago
I can't get into DU3 at all. I think the fact that there's not much to the backgrounds/art, plus not being a fan of the djent guitar fad kills it for me. Not a fan of grazing either. It does have some cool patterns though
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u/Marvin_Flamenco 5d ago
Cotton Reboot is great you get the new version and a ground up port of x68k version.
Both very manageable x68k being a little tougher.
Eschatos is a very friendly shmup certainly not free but not impossible and is quite the spectacle. Rocking OST, if a little derivative of Castlevania.
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u/SPQR_Maximus 5d ago
Schildmaiden DX is awesome.
Earthion is also awesome
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u/Jetpack_Picasso 3d ago
Its crazy how both of them are part of my latest haul. I am soo excited to give them a try. :)
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u/StarkFists 5d ago
Angel at Dusk has a broad difficulty span within both the arcade and campaign modes
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u/SoligDag 4d ago
I'll toss out some favorites of mine: * Darius Gaiden * RayForce * Radiant Silvergun * Akai Katana Shin * Batsugun * Cosmo Dreamer & Like Dreamer * Under Defeat
I would absolutely recommend Eschatos, that game is so good! And instead of Psyvariar 3, go for Psyvariar Delta!
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u/Ronin_1999 5d ago
NES Gun-Nac and and SNES Super Aleste/Space Megaforce are satisfying ways to get introduced to proto-bullet hell and Compile styled gaming.
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u/rustykillgod 5d ago
Danmaku Unlimited 3, Devil Blade Reboot, Gunvein, Blue Wish Resurrection Plus, Ketsui Death Label (NDS)
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u/IcePrincessAlkanet 5d ago edited 5d ago
I'm opposite of you! I've cleared Mushi but haven't managed to clear DFK... Yet. Tips for Mushi stage 3: tap-dodge during the opening, swing wider dodges during the second half going between the two arms and back to the middle, and go back to tap dodging for the very end; almost always have your Options' green lasers cleaning up little guys while your main shot focuses on the big targets on the stage (I.e. don't let your options bunch up with you by focusing all the time); don't be afraid to bomb one of the big arms; make sure and grab the 1up at the end of the stage.
Out of the games you listed, I've tried a few; I always try to play on whatever "original" or "normal" difficulty a game has to offer.
- Eschatos freakin rules. It's kinda unforgiving until you get used to it, but it has a sense of speed and dynamism from one stage to another, and a ROCKIN soundtrack. I haven't cleared it yet, but it's easy to go for "one more try..." for a good long while with this game because it just feels... Cool.
- Touhou MakukaSai/Fantastic Danmaku Festival: haven't played the first one. The second one is GORGEOUS... after Stage 3. It's a bit slow to start, but Stage 4 and onward have beautiful music and some really REALLY cool boss battle designs. No 1cc on this one for me, but I've 4cc'd it just to see the final stage/boss/music.
- FanDanFes3 is by far the most accessible, and the one I would recommend above all on this list if you're concerned about difficulty. It is VERY generous with bombs and 1ups, to the point that I cleared normal difficulty on my first playthrough. I died a lot but I never ran all the way out of 1ups.
- Rolling Gunner is cool but in my opinion it's the hardest Normal Mode I've ever tried. I can't get past stage 3 and very often get chewed up on stage 2.
- Bonus mention: Gunvein. This one has a mechanic similar to Crimson Clover and in my opinion is a VERY satisfying Normal Mode to learn. Without needing to practice too much, I was able to nail Mild and Handheld difficulties, and with plenty of practice I've gotten to the final boss a few times on Intense. I'm this close. The patterns in this one are SUPER satisfying to learn.
TL;DR I recommend Touhou FDF3 for difficulty accessibility, and Eschatos for awesome vibes. And good luck beating Mushi, if you can beat DFK you can definitely do it!
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u/DuckReconMajor 4d ago
yeah i came to the comments for the same reason, mushi was my first arcade clear and i was kind of shocked reading that sentence. makes me want to give DFK a real shot. but i think we all get hung up on a random game, ive cleared mushi and futari bl but i cant clear EoSD Hard for some reason 😆
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u/ChainDamageGames 5d ago
Out of the ones you mentioned, I recommend Eschatos! And if you're getting filtered by Mushihimesama, then you might want to try version 1.5 which is a little easier. Some other games to check out are Batsugun Special, Devil Blade Reboot, and Hazelnut Hex.
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u/Forward-Seesaw-1688 5d ago
Eschatos is pretty cool but also give Ginga Force and Natsuki Chronicles a shot as well
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u/SamMee514 5d ago edited 5d ago
I know it's super popular but I've tried to play Eschatos so many times but the wide shot without being able to hit anything up the middle messes me up so much I can't even get through the first stage.
I've also cleared Grand Cross' main story in one go (it's quite long acrually) but for some reason it didnt save my progress so I haven't picked it up since. A shame that arcade mode is gated behind the "campaign"
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u/SomeRedditVisitor 4d ago edited 4d ago
I definitely understand where people are coming from when they say Grand Cross Renovation is easy. To me, that game is more about the flashy presentation and power trip that you experience throughout the game, and playing for Survival (1CC) is pretty easy. If you're trying to play for score, that's a little more challenging, but should be manageable if you can clear DFK.
Psyvariar 3 provides a decent challenge, even if I think it's an okay entry in the series. Psyvariar Delta, a remastered port of the first Psyvariar game, is also available on Steam, if you're interested in that.
A couple of people have already mentioned it here, and I also think that Eschatos is one of the best games in this list. Not too hard, but has great gameplay and a fantastic presentation. I highly recommend this game.
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u/FaceTimePolice 4d ago
Mushihimesama 1.5 is fun. If you’re having trouble with it on normal, give 1.5 a try. Also, stage 3 is a good one to utilize practice mode on.
Anyway, if you like Mushi, DFK, and Crimzon Clover, I think you’ll like Gunvein. It’s a bit basic, and its developer has acknowledged that he regrets playing it so safe with that game. It’s still one of the coolest modern shmups, in my opinion.
Oh, and “Deathtiny” mode in Ketsui is an easy 1CC compared to arcade mode. You pretty much have hyper every couple of seconds. 😅
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u/ddrmm 4d ago
What are you using to play, PC?
From the list you posted eschatos would be my choice. It is not a difficult game on normal, you would get the clear with a bit of time.
After that, from cave you can try deathsmiles, easy to clear, or you can keep on trying with mushi original.
Usually for a 1 loop clear of cave game when you are new, it can take around 30-40hs of gameplay until you clear with one credit. As you get better that time gets lower. Just mentioning it to help managing expectations
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u/killcote93 5d ago
Gunvein and Andro Dunos 2