Shoot ‘Em Up Squad
I’m a hit or miss kind of guy when it comes to shoot ‘em ups. Most times they’re fine and offer me a couple of hours of entertainment, but I never get into them fully. Occasionally, one comes along that changes things up and really sets out to try something new. Shoot 1UP DX is that title.
Players take control of not one ship, but a fleet of ships. This phalanx of ships is cruising though areas firing rapid bullets at all enemies in their path. They can also change formation to expand their fire, as well as close in on each other for better dodging. The story is there, and I’ve sat through the intro twice, but all the player needs to know is bad guy aliens need to be shot down.
Platforms: XB1/XSX, PS4/PS5, Switch, PC
MSRP: $5.99
Price I’d pay: $5.99
The gameplay, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, is what makes this game stand out. As I said, players control a band of ships and can expand the formation or close it in. This applies to both attacking and dodging bullets. If I want to cover more area with my shots, I can expand my ships. This also charges up a massive line laser that does even more damage. When the bullets come flying my direction, I could pull my ships in to each other so that my hitbox is smaller.
It’s a simple but effective technique that makes the game so much better. Not firing for a second gives all ships a shield that can negate a single hit, so holding down the fire button is not always the best course of action. Players can also collect 1Ups that give the player another ship in the formation. Getting hit removes one of the ships from the formation, and with the ability to have up to 30 ships in my formation, it was a great game of expanding to maximize damage and shrinking to keep all my ships intact. It’s such a smart idea that really works.
There is a two-player co-op mode as well, where a local partner can control their own set of ships, allowing for up to 60 ships firing at the same time. While things can get hectic on screen, allowing the players to keep going even when getting hit keeps the action from coming to a halt. No need to wait for a respawn, just keep going and try to get another 1Up to replace the ship I just lost.
If I had one gripe, it would be the look and sound of the game. It’s not a great looking game, but I think the developers are going for that old school look. It sometimes looked like a photoshopped JPEG moving around the screen. It never bothered me too much, but it was something that stuck out to me when I first started the game. The music and the sound effects just come off generic. Of course, this has no real bearing on the actual gameplay. Good thing the gameplay is fantastic.
For six bucks, you get a really thought out shoot ‘em up that both plays fast, strategic, and more importantly, fun. Any fan of the genre should check this game out without question. It may not look the best at times, but man, that doesn’t stop it from be a fun time.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
