SHMUPS have become such a dime a dozen in the indie and homebrew scene. As if major Japanese developers and publishers weren't churning out enough STGs in Japan, there are plenty of aspiring indie developers that push out bullet hell manic shooters, not to mention the retro homebrew scene (particularly Dreamcast) that produces a couple of new SHMUP releases almost every year. It’s hard for these shooters to distinguish themselves from the pack, as even the fanciest of cover artwork can’t quite shake the feeling of genre reaching a saturation point of same old. Still, once in a while something attention grabbing with its own unique sense of style emerges. Blue Revolver, a SHMUP by Woofy Cakes, has just gotten Steam Greenlight approval and is steadily coming along. A free demo containing the first level is also available to the public, and playing it will leave you salivating for more.

The first thing that sticks out about the title is its sense of style, Blue Revolver has a unique look about it which instantly grabs your attention. Its aesthetics are quite unlike any other modern SHMUP, which tend to overwhelm you with stark and vibrant neon color tones and dazzling particle effects. Blue Revolver is all about soft and dull colors, giving it a very warm and pleasant aesthetic. There’s also an interesting shade and finish to the sprites, with everything coming together to give off a serious Neo Geo Pocket Color vibe. The art style is just as charming and unique too, with character designs strongly resembling the visuals of Japanese indie classic, Cave Story. Complementing this offbeat visual style is an upbeat techno music which like the visuals, does not overwhelm your senses, instead exhibiting a comfortable rhythm which hums at the back of your mind.

Blue_05

In terms of gameplay -- and based on the first level alone -- Blue Revolver doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the pack, but sure as heck does a darn fine job of executing the tried and tested with a lot of polish. The first level has a nice design and layout about it, with enemy patterns and placements feeling organic and yet not predictable -- a subtle balance that only the finest of SHMUPs exhibit. Then there is the boss battle, which is tough as nails and goes through three distinct phases, each bringing in a distinct offensive pattern and tactic. The first level is a challenge that can eventually be accustomed to after a couple of tries, but the boss battle is in a whole other league. That said, each attempt at the boss is always entertaining and stimulating and never frustrating or unfair.

The core mechanics of Blue Revolver have all the staples of a CAVE developed SHMUP like DodonPachi. There’s a rapid fire which covers a pretty wide radius, and you can hold down the button for a concentrated beam at the cost of your ship’s mobility. There’s the screen clearing bomb too, typical of the genre. Finally, a special charge meter is used to unleash a powerful stream of missiles. What’s cool is that these missiles can be unleashed in conjunction with other attacks, which is pretty useful against larger foes.

Blue_06

Blue Revolver is still in its alpha stage, and at the time of writing the second level is still being developed. In the meantime, the game succeeded in its Steam Greenlight campaign and so we can look forward to it landing sometime this summer. Blue Revolver is likely going to be an awesome release, but if you don’t want to take our word for it, then try the demo right now and prepare to be impressed.