Nociception ~ Voltaic Marketplace Reviews

An outstanding look into the future of shmups! Takes the Touhou formula into something very uniquely special with its abstract fantasy setting and exquisite world-building discoverable due to the scanning mechanic. Despite it's advances into the potential of the bullet hell genre, it's actually very easy for a bullet hell! It makes this a great introduction for new players that would want to explore this genre as it's quite forgiving with it's amount of lives as well as bullet patterns which make this very approachable for something of this caliber before getting into the harder difficulties. The cast of characters are great! The playable characters all have unique special attacks and their perks that are worth a try although Empitts is hands-down the easiest character to do a full run with as she gifted with bonus lives and the best balance of speed and utility. The bosses and the enemies are unforgettable with their surreal appearances and multi-media visual style that tell vast stories with their looks alone, which applies to the boss spell cards as well. (When was the last time I've seen rotting teeth being used as projectiles in a bullet hell? Let alone any game!) Learning about each of the colorful characters and their settings throughout playing the game and unlocking journal entries is really fun and worth a look into the vastness of this universe's themes of mortality and time. The music deserves a shoutout for being wonderful and a PERFECT match to this colorful visual style. My favorite songs being the Stage 2 Boss Fight (Audrey), the Extra Stage, and the nostalgia-inducing beauty that soundtracks the Journal pages. I can't recommend this game enough! Despite a bug here and there, (nothing game-breaking as far as I found, just some visual or input hiccups.) as well as lack of controller support and volume options, this game is absolutely worth it! It's supplied with a lot of content to chew on despite being an arcade bullet hell. I'm endlessly excited to see what Ethereal Airport does next to add to their already diverse collection of indie games. Check it out!