To try and make these next few months a bit better, PlayStation has launched a Play at Home program. As part of this, ten games have will be gifted to PlayStation users. It started earlier this month, with players able to get a free copy of the 2016 Ratchet & Clank game - which is still available until March 31st.
One of the games on offer is Enter the Gungeon, a frenetic bullet hell game that makes you crawl through dungeons while avoiding seemingly endless amounts of enemy projectiles. These types of games combine twitch reflexes with good knowledge of one’s surroundings, so they can be pretty tough. If that sounds like your sort of thing, here are some of the best you can get while you wait for Enter the Gungeon.
7 Cuphead
Cuphead is one of the toughest games out there, the ability to beat it is a badge of honour for many. It’s a game so hard it sparked an online controversy when a journalist was bad at it. Despite its difficulty, Cuphead has received near-universal praise for its design and animation.
The game is made to look like a 1930s Disney animation, and it really does. The bosses are tough but imaginative, and Cuphead is responsive and powerful, so the game doesn’t feel unfairly hard - most of the time. This is a must-play for fans of retro platformers and bullet hells who want a game with some polish.
6 Jamestown+
Jamestown+ is a four-player co-op bullet hell set on 17th century British Colonial Mars. You read that right. The game features gorgeous pixel art and a stellar award-winning orchestral soundtrack.
This game is definitely better played with friends, as you can revive each other after death, making the game a lot more forgiving. It also has several difficulty modes, so you can up the challenge if you and your friends think you’re tough enough. If you like the idea of colonising Mars, check out these tips for Surviving Mars.
5 Shoot The Bullet
Shoot the Bullet offers a unique twist on the bullet hell genre. Instead of shooting back at enemies, you take pictures of the bullets and bosses. Taking pictures clears the projectiles and you get points based on composition, number of bullets, and how close to hitting you they are. The game has a surprising amount of depth for what sounds like a simple concept.
Film has to be loaded into the camera before you can actually take a picture. When taking the picture you enter a focus mode that slows bullets and prevents your character from moving. Hold the shoot button too long, however, and the shot gets overexposed, making you reload the film and risk getting shot. It’s a cool concept and definitely worth checking out.
4 Bullet Heaven 2
Don’t let the nice name fool you, Bullet Heaven 2 is a bullet hell through and through. The unique spin on the bullet hell genre? Everything is utterly adorable. You might feel like a monster shooting all the cute things, but you’ll have a damn fun time doing it. Play through 70 unique levels of cuteness.
This game has some great difficulty tweaking features, opting to let you customise the challenge for yourself, rather than deciding you need to just git gud. The game has three built-in difficulty levels as well as cheats and handicaps to really tweak the kind of experience you want.
3 Batsugun
Batsugun is possibly the first ever template for the bullet hell genre. Born out of a necessity to compete with technologically advanced 3D shooters, 2D games sought to outdo their higher dimensional counterparts by just throwing as many projectiles on screen as possible in a bid to impress gamers.
Well, it worked. Batsugun is a 1993 arcade game where you take control of a fighter jet and shoot at the enemies appearing from the top of the screen while avoiding the projectiles they fire at you. Sounds pretty standard, but the game has an additional feature that adds some depth to the experience. As you defeat enemies, you earn experience points which go towards levelling up your ship’s gun. Once you reach the maximum level, you get extra bombs that can clear enemies off the screen in an instant. It’s a nice system that rewards good play. If you like arcade games, check out some of Capcom’s best.
2 Tadpole Tales
If you love the gameplay of bullet hells but don’t want to deal with the intense noise or flashing animations most of them have, then Tadpole Tales is the game for you. It’s currently free-to-play on Steam and has you take control of a cute little tadpole tasked with cleaning up a river. It’s a very sweet take on the bullet hell genre.
The game is beautifully hand-drawn and has a stellar soundtrack, as well as many river-based enemies and cleverly designed bosses to take on. The overall plot about removing pollution is also a nice touch and a good lesson to impart to everyone.
1 Do I Smell Pizza?
Do I Smell Pizza? is an indie tower-defense bullet hell crossover game. It’s about as silly as it sounds. Your pizza has arrived and your family wants a slice, but you don’t want to share. Set up tower defenses along their path that will spew projectiles at them.
Oh, and watch out for the rats that will burrow under the floor and emerge anywhere on the level. Do all this while also avoiding the bullets your defenses are firing everywhere and you just might be able to keep all that tasty pizza to yourself.
