YOG wrote:
I really didn't like it. It's gorgeous, but it's a Euroshmup through and through, with simple whack-a-mole stage design, farty underpowered weapons, and a timing system in place of lives (you lose seconds off the clock instead of dying immediately, etc). I haven't seen such a frustrating penalty for getting hit since the original Darius, either; rather than simply being partially or fully lost, your power-ups spread out across the screen, supposedly giving you a chance to pick them back up again. Quite often, though, they'll be ejected in one big lump headed straight for one of the edges of the screen, which will mean an instant loss of everything if you're already close to an edge. And then you're left to play with a peashooter and slowly try to regain your power. It's just full of tedious shit like that*. It also has a rubbish story (hailed as a work of genius by professional journos) that breaks up the action every few minutes.
So, aye, I can't really recommend it. I heard it was dirt cheap on the PC, though - if that's true, you might as well try it and see what you think. You can definitely squeeze some fun out of the arcade mode. Make sure you have an analogue controller, though. It's not for standard sticks/d-pads/arrow keys...
After paying about 3€ for it, i have to agree with you. Enemy ships in shmups shouldn't have health bars on it. It just shows how weak your are. Besides, the pacing is all wrong when most of the levels are spent on boss battles and navigating the very annoying environmental obstacles. And also the story disrupts the action, even when you can speed up the dialogue.
It looks beautiful, but it only makes me want to play Jamestown or Progear.