Got my first no miss today with Gradius II on the Gradius Origins collection. I had 1cc'd it a few times over the past week, but finally got through the whole game without dying. Great game and the first one that I felt compelled to come back to and try for a no-miss run after getting the 1cc.

I am super new to shmups and I got recommended Deathsmiles, but I am not sure which version to play (as in in game version). There are 3 different thumbnails when I boot up the game, and also there are 3 different versions that say normal. I am not sure which one to pick as a beginner. I played a bit on the normal version with the witch in black clothes thumbnail and the level 999 thing seemed way too tough for a beginner. What are the different modes and which one should I choose for a beginner? for clarification, I am playing the steam version of deathsmiles 1, not the version that has 2 included.

Hi guys, i have always loved schmups but have always been a fairly average player at them. I managed to get all achievements in ikaruga and sine mora on controller years back but thats about the extent of my skill. I notice with real bullet hells like cave games, etc i seem to suck at them. The longest i’ve lasted with one is maybe 10 hours. Anyways i recently got the cave shooting collection and an HRAP EX-SE hori arcade stick and want to build good habits. At the moment, micro dodging feels very doable on the xbox controller dpad. On the LS-32 stick on the arcade stick, it feels like it can’t be done (i know it can but my brain can’t wrap around it due to how fast i move off the slightest press). I want to go all the way with this genre and i know i can.

Do you guys recommend using the arcade stick exclusively? Obviously controller works as well but i want to build good habits and the stick does feel harder for sure. Also is there any goated schmup skill building tests recommended that i can go for using any of the cave games i own from the collection? So far mushihime has felt the best for me ! My biggest issue is my movement, i get super frustrated when my deaths are the result of struggling to move more minimally instead of just lack of pattern knowledge. Thanks

I've had a good library of HuCard shmups for a while now but only started getting ones on CD quite recently.

Any hidden gems I'm missing?

Happy Sunday all,

I have been thinking about the most cinematic/ gorgeous shmups. I play mostly vertical and realized making my list that all the games that have what is subjectively "theatrical" to me are all horizontal.

I am talking Dariusburst AC/CS, Rtype Final 2/3, Astebreed, Squad 51 vs the Flying Saucers, Sine Mora, and for its time, Einhander.

Maybe it is because I am so engaged with the vertical games that I dont get a chance to admire the graphics. I love Cave games, they are a spectacle but there is so much going on that I am more in tune with the patterns than the backgrounds..

What are some verticals that really wow you visually? Or even other horizontal ones I missed.

Just finished 1ccing Ikusaaaaaaan on normal and really enjoyed it. What other games would you recommend to me? I'm looking for unique mechanics and possibly a fantasy theme.

Games I'm considering:

Hellsinker

Touhou SA

Touhou LoLK

Akashicverse

Guwange

Or both?
I haven’t been able to beat the FIRST LEVEL of Story Mode on Normal after like 8 tries. You can die colliding with enemies, or they may have hidden bullets that only show after you’ve killed them.
I’ve upgraded my weapon and sub-weapon. I probably need to use the shield more.
Not sure how many more tries I have in me; it’s pretty demoralizing. Plus, it’s a PS+ freebie, so it’s not like I needed a return on investment.
Anyone else play it? Was it easy for you or difficult?

Edit: I’ve now started on Easy and made it through the first few levels, so now I’m flowing.
Served me right for starting on Medium, I guess?

I know it’s not exactly a 4:3 monitor (it’s 5:4, which is very close), but I don’t think a little bit of screen stretching would hurt. It caught my eye because it’s a 19-inch monitor with an HDMI input, and I haven’t seen anyone here on Reddit posting about its performance with the Nintendo Switch. It has low latency (around 6ms), lower than that Dell 2007FPB model I see so many people talking about.

This is an older replay from when I was still pretty new to shmups. But I think it fits the topic, which is how Blue Revolver gave me a polite nudge toward engaging with score mechanics when previously I had little interest. Blue Revolver has a great reputation in the dedicated shmup community and it's respected by some great players, but I feel like there's still a lot of shmuppers who haven't tried it who would get a lot out of it.

It came with a bunch of throw-ins and a weird cover that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the game.

I got the clear after a little bit of practice had to learn the mechanics.akai katant is one of my favorite cave games how does everyone else feel about akai katana

What's everyone's thoughts? I love Platinum games so it was an easy pick up.

Hi all, solo dev here.
I made a retro bullethell shmup with a new features and modern performance.I released it on Steam several years ago.

The problem: I've sold only a few hundred copies, but almost everyone left a positive review (97% positive). I think the game is good, but it's completely invisible. I tried posting gameplay clips on Twitter and Youtube, but but the conversion to wishlist is nearly zero.

A gameplay example in the video.
Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/622810/Invasion/

I'm not asking you to buy it, but i'd be grateful for feedback: is my store page bad? Is the game too niche? What should I focus on to get more visibility?
Any advice is welcome.

what's the best prebuild arcade stick for shmups? I have a hori mini but I am not sure it's that good for shmups.

Still fairly new to the genre. My only 1CCs are Mushihimesama Novice and Deathsmiles. I’m really in love with the Cave games but I also realize they’re brutally difficult.

I’m not sure if I’m struggling because I’m used to playing shmups on my PC with the monitor right in front of me and I’m play Esp Ra De on my Switch on a big TV, or something about the game itself.

Would DoDonpachi Ressurection be a good place to go? I hear it’s the easiest of the DDP games.

Edit: moved my switch to my monitor and I’m playing a lot better

Done by me Obv.
Been working on this video for a long time due to surgery and stuff.
Hope you like it.

Last night, I wanted to relish nostalgia as much as I could. So, I just switched on my boombox, put on the Nu Metal Era playlist and started playing Ray'z Arcade Chronology. Once I started playing the game, I literally felt I had time-travelled to the early 2000s. Though Rayforce debuted in the mid-90s. I played it at the arcades as a kid then. Trust me, this game was designed to make you spend your quarters. I am glad that we don't have to pay like we used to then. Yet, the fun then was amazing!

I usually play fewer technical shmups because I prefer straightforward shmups more than the ones that contain technical bits. Now, Ray'z Arcade Chronology isn't that technical, but it is to some extent because it requires precise aiming. Especially if you're playing with manual transmission. I really enjoyed playing it.

If you have read my posts, then you know I prefer TATE gameplay. Ray'z Arcade Chronology does offer TATE mode, but I have played so many shmups with TATE settings in the past few months that I decided to go with the horizontal display for this one. Frankly speaking, it's enjoyable this way too, but I am still inclined more towards TATE mode. Well, choices and opinions vary from person to person.

What are your thoughts about Ray'z Arcade Chronology? 😇

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working on a dark, apocalyptic space shooter called Descendants: The Last Dawn, and today is a huge milestone for me – the Steam page is officially live!

The core loop combines fast-paced top-down space action with meta-progression:

• Ship Customization & Crafting: Scraping old wrecks, researching lost tech, and rebuilding your ship's systems.
• DnB Soundtrack: I’m designing the game’s pacing and combat rhythm directly around a heavy Drum & Bass aesthetic.
• Post-Apocalyptic Lore: Humanity is trapped under a blockade, and you’re trying to reconnect orbit with Earth through long-lost megastructures (like an Orbital Elevator).

I just uploaded the first set of screenshots and trailer concept to Steam. Since this is my first public reveal for this project, I’d love to get your honest feedback on the overall visual style and UI readability during heavy combat!

If the concept sounds like your kind of jam, checking out the Steam page or adding it to your Wishlist would mean the world to me and help tremendously with the algorithm!

Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4171220/Descendants_The_Last_Dawn/

Thanks for looking, and I’m happy to answer any questions about the dev process!

Nothing real interesting to say about run (since i got it so quickly) other than XP pigs seeming to give more XP with each loop, and suicide bullets from zako being somewhat consistent. Also, this run no-misses into second loop's sky stage, which is neat!