Z-Warp Reviews

[h2] Very good little SHMUP with innovative ideas! [/h2] I believe we live in the golden era of video-games. If you dig enough, there are plenty of fresh ideas everywhere, especially coming from indie developers — who are something like the (now) cult movie directors of the 60s and 70s discovering new ways of expression through visual form. Z-Warp is a perfect example of how lucky we are to live in this golden era. Although it is not a masterpiece of a game (actually it is a very short and simple one), it is extremely fun, accessible and joyful. Plus, while being classical in its gameplay, it has some mechanics that renew our perspectives on how to approach shmups. The core mechanic in this game is the bomb system. In Z-Warp, you have unlimited bombs, but they take a while to charge and must be managed wisely, with precision. Also, you can touch the bosses with your spaceship (which is quite unusual), and this makes their bullet-hell shootings very fun to avoid. The graphics, cadency, sounds, gameplay and hitboxes are nice. It is also an easy game to platinum, but moderately hard to master. A good acquisition in anyone's library. EDIT: I said that it is not a masterpiece. Don't listen to me. In fact, it is. After playing more, I realized how good the level design is: ingenious, never repetitive and without a dull second in the entire gameplay. The short length of the game is good in this case, because you will be replaying it a lot. I can see myself returning to this little gem again and again over the years.