DRAINUS Reviews

Great little game.

[i]---see where this game landed on my SHMUP tier list beneath this review!---[/i] A fantastic SHMUP! This one uses a shield mechanic; You need to hold on/off the shield button frequently to pass through bullets and lasers. The shield recharges quickly and It reflects the bullets back when you release the button (often incentivizing or forcing you to move into the bullets). The game has some interesting scrolling level designs and well-made bosses with multiple phases that feel different from one another. I played another game from the same dev recently: [b]Blade Chimera[/b] and it wouldn't surprise me if they used the same soundtrack for both of them (probably didn't, but it has that same, lively-but-filler vibe). As is common in this genre, it's a little too short. Which is my only real complaint with the game. This is why my favourite SHMUP is the survivor-roguelite hybrid: [b]Gunlocked[/b]. I think genre mashups of that nature will eventually be the future of SHMUPs (for me, at least). ===================== [b]My SHMUP Tier List[/b] ===================== [i]-Simply personal taste. I’m excluding roguelikes, boss rushes and genre mash ups-[/i] [b]Loved:[/b] Jamestown | ZeroRanger | Super Hydorah | Tyrian 2000 | [b]Great:[/b] [b]Drainus[/b] | Super Galaxy Squadron EX Turbo | [b]Decent:[/b] Steel Empire | G-Darius | Ganablade | Dogfight | Angel at Dusk* | [b]Meh:[/b] Nanoforce | Steel Rain | Eigengrau* | Zenzizenzic* | Steel Vampire | Natsuki Chronicles | Nebula Fighter | Zangeki Warp | [b]Awful:[/b] Ginga Force | ===================== [i]-Probably played another 100+ Shmups, but I only started this list recently and am sticking mostly to modern releases[/i] [i]-Not including any 'flying anime girl shmups' as they don't appeal to me. Believe me, I've tried.[/i] * = Felt like I was on the same screen the entire time, which I dislike.

A very forgiving Shmup, well suited for beginners. The mechanics are creative and satisfying. The first half is a tad too easy for my tastes but the second half hit a fairly satisfying degree of difficulty for me. No endless repetition and memorization needed, easily beatable by just mastering its mechanics. Game is quite short and stages could've used more variety, but overall another satisfying Team Ladybug game.

Extremely solid shooter. Very short but good all the way through. Gradius fans must play this.

Ladybug have found a way to subvert the trope of "platformer with a lackluster shmup level somewhere in the middle" by making the shmup its own game, and by making it an actually fun one. Definitely on the easy side as far as the genre goes at least on normal difficulty, but fun, and the mechanical gimmicks feel good. It's a nice variant on the traditional Gradius formula that punishes you for taking a hit, but doesn't do so in a way that damns your run. I'm not sure how much this would appeal to the kind of person who can no-miss clear a Touhou game, but for a more casual player like me, it's definitely worth buying on sale.

I bought this game because it reminded me of Darius Gaiden. The mechanics of the game are pretty fun and very exploitable. I recommend it to any old school shump fan.

Great fun. Not too long. Not too easy. Not too hard. Looks gorgeous. Gives you an ample range of options to obliterate your enemies however you like. The story's pure cheese.

A really solid shmup that's reasonably difficult. You don't have to be an expert at them to have fun with it. Really good mix of pixel and 3D art. Has several fun references to Gradius. Also does a lot with the forced perspective, really visually impressive.