Great SHUMP’s for Switch?

[Wools]

I was never the biggest fan of Japanese SHUMP’s back in the day, the exception being Ikaruga for the Dreamcast as it was so polished and beautiful, with a unique power mechanic, I really got into it.

After Treasures finest though, I fell away from them. But recently I’ve been watching a lot of Consolevania and the guys love SHUMP’S and after seeing loads of reviews, I really want to pick a few up.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for fantastic SHUMP’s? The only stipulation has to be the game is available on Nintendo Switch, not a pure bullet hell difficulty as I just won’t get on with it and be available on the UK store digitally or ideally physically.

I’ve currently got my eye on G-Darius HD and Raiden IV X Mikado, both of which are available physically in the UK. Both look epic, Raiden appeals to me more but I’m excited about G-Darius as M2 handled the port! After their Virtua Racing work, I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do.

Eitherway, any suggestions from long time SHUMP fans would be most welcome!

[CMcK]

Missile Dancer is great with a lock on mechanic for offense and your normal bullets to defend from enemy shots. The Ray'z Arcade Chronology is excellent too with three cracking games in there. Razion Ex is an enhanced port of the hori Neo-Geo shooter and well worth a look. Gunvein from the same developers is great but is kind of approaching bullet hell territory. Ghost Blade is a cracking vertical shooter and probably my most played game on the Xbox One. Banging soundtrack. There's a load of Psikyo games on the system too. Crimzon Clover is probably may favourite on the system but is firmly in the bullet hell style albeit somewhat easier. And Andro Dunos 2 is an unexpected sequel that's really rather good.

[importaku]

The switch is probably the most shmup packed system out there with the PS4 been the next closest. Played a hell of a lot of them on switch the one that i recommend to anyone over anything else is crimzon clover although lets be real why just stop at one shmup when theres sooo many to choose from. On the harder levels it becomes insane but in normal mode it's not too overwhelming it has a load of different scoring modes, from everything i have played so far, for me it easily outranks even caves finest even with thousands of pickups on screen it rarely if ever slows down to a crawl like other shmups.


Sol cresta is another that i adored the formation mechanic and the way the bonuses are achieved are really addictive plus try finding another shmup where doing fighting moves activates certain shots which gives it a stupid amount of flexibility when getting through tight waves. It's one that purists turn their nose up saying the graphics are horrible but it follows the legacy of the series perfect & graphics whores can go get stuffed


Drainus is another extremely good one the absorb mechanic combined with the flexiblity in adding new weapons to your ship & swapping them out makes each playthrough a interesting mixup. Also has some really fun bosses & a killer soundtrack, some of the secrets take a bit of work to track down.


Cotton rock'n roll is one of you prefer something a bit more cartoony it's a lot more simple compares to some of the others but this one & cotton reboot are really fun games.

[samanosuke]

How has this thread managed three posts without a single mention of ESP Ra De? Not just one of the best shmups on Switch, but one of the best shmups ever, and the Switch port is the first time it’s officially been released on any console. The M2 treatment is just the icing on the cake.

It’s a bit pricey to import as it’s one of those titles which holds its value but well worth every penny. Get yourself a Flipgrip and play in TATE mode for the best experience.

[Wools]

Thanks for the suggestions so far CMcK, importaku and samanosuke!

I treated myself to G-Darius HD as it's currently available for £9.99 on the Nintendo E-Shop and played a bit last night. It's really beautiful and feel more like an adventure through the world that Ikaruga did, taking in some beautiful sights. The gameplay isn't as hectic as I was worried about, so it's been fun to whack the difficulty down in Free Play and begin to get a feel not just for G-Darius but SHUMP's after being away for so long. The game feels really well put together and the choices you're given feel typically M2 in quality, which is great to see. So if any SHUMP (Semi)virgins like me are having my same thought, G-Darius HD is a great jumping off point! Also, Cotton Reboot is already in my collection, just havent' cracked the seal yet.

I'm going to treat myself to Raiden IV X Mikado Remix soon, and will then start reading up on and then buying a few more.

I took a look at the SHUMP's rated above and sadly, quite a few games were not for sale physically in the UK. I'll take a look on the eShop for the rest to see what's going.

One of the amazing things about SHUMP's on Switch, as you said importaku, is there's so many of the bastards! It feels like it's become a home for them and I think me becoming aware of that through Consolevania and then looking online, has re-awakened some old memories of me in my old local indie games shop, with a Saturn running SHUMP classics and not being able to decipher what was going on! As such, the idea of owning a beautiful OLED Switch and being able to acquire some classic games to run on this system, and play most of them for the first time, is quite a lovely feeling.

What does everyone here make of this list, feels quite a good selection, as it's where I first read about G-Darius and Raiden IV X Mikado? https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/...-switch-shmups

[Soundwave]

Might I recommend a few of these...



Obviously the CAVE titles are bullet hell at their finest (although I'd say that DeathSmiles aren't too bad compared to the others) also Psyvariar is bloody crazy too so maybe avoid them
The Cotton games are glorious & the Psykio collections are well worth getting, the 2 collections contain these titles & are great value for money...




Pocky & Rocky is quite a sedate little shooter but good fun & definitely don't write off HorgiHugh & Friends, I wasn't expecting too much but it's actually surprisingly good fun

Think there are loads more you should be investigating but I'm woefully behind in picking up titles that even I'm not sure what's out there now

Also I second the comments on getting a Flip Grip
I have one & it's brilliant for the vert shooters makes them so much more playable when you can TATE the title & fill the screen properly, probably the best peripheral I have bought for my Switch

Neil

[hudson]

Another shout out for Andro Dunos 2. An exceptional shmup! Music is excellent.

Cotton Reboot is gorgeous. I highly recommend it.

More shout outs for Darius. I absolutely love the series. Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+, but also Dariusburst CS Core +Taito/Sega Pack which features Chronicle Saviours mode and DLC from other platforms. The DLC are things like Space Harrier, Ray Force, Galaxy Force II, Fantasy Zone, Night Striker, Metal Black and also a collection from old Darius and new Darius games. These feature a handful of stages for each where the ship and it's mechanics are cleverly tailored into the world of Darius. They include of the musical goodness too!

I also love the Darius Cozmic Collections too.

[briareos_kerensky]

Rolling Gunner! Always pains me a little seeing this one going under the radar.

[importaku]

Another one i'd recommend, sadly there is no physical release of this but as cuphead nailed the feel of 1940's cartoons squad 51 vs the flying saucers totally nails the look & feel of 1950's B movies. The shooting is simple but oh the presentation is amazing, love it.

[Wools]

Might I recommend a few of these...

Now that's a nice collection! Seeing that photo of yours reminds me why I came back to Switch physical collecting; The boxes are so nice, takes up so little room and I do enjoy working from home and in an idle moment, leaning back in my chair and clocking my little games collection. Ahh, just like the 90's!

I've had a deep dive of SHUMP's today and going in deep, received Raiden IV X Mikado Remix in the post and despite not wanting any true bullet hell games, I stumbled across this individuals YouTube and they had a brilliant deep dive on the original Dodonpachi Daioujou in preparation for the M2 port on Switch. It looks and sounds amazing! I remember the OG back in the day but never owned it. Hovering over the Amazon Japan buy button now!

[importaku]

The problem with a lot of switch shmups is outside Japan a lot were released in low numbers by limited print companies instead of been a regular retail release making them pretty expensive now as most are now sold out and only available from resellers/ebay. Thankfully a reasonable chunk are also easily available from amazon uk ect.. Some like shikondo & caladrius blaze only got asian physical releases even Japan didn't get those, There's stuff like ikaruga that got a limited printing in all regions and then the price went stupid & i ended up been priced out the market as there was no way i was paying over 20,000 yen for a copy thankfully that got a second print in Japan so i grabbed it while the price was sane again. I wanted the darius collections but i have always been put of with how there's a ton of versions but they are all missing games that the others have its maddening i just want a complete compilation.

However there's a interesting thing a lot of limited runs singles and box sets are getting standard retail releases on amazon japan. Sol cresta was one, then espgaluda II & dodonpachi also got box set releases uner the superdeluxe label so if your interested in physicals those are a good way of grabbing them at normal prices. There's some that i had no idea were released & by the time i found out all the copies are snapped up and i refuse to pay upwards of £80-£100+ for certain titles which is why it pays to keep on top newswise of whats potentially coming out soon & making an effort to snag them if it's a type of shmup you may be interested in. I have found stuff like shmups & rhythm games are they types that quietly go out of print when you don't notice.

With how tate is so easy to do on switch without needing anything extra it makes it my preferred choice for playing newer shmups and re-releases although i gave in a while back & bought a dedicated monitor that i can rotate to play on a bigger screen. Sadly have no room yet in my new place to get it all set back up i need to hit ikea hard before i set it all back up.

[ZipZap]

You mentioned G-Darius, but personally I would say Darius Gaiden is the one to go for (available on the Darius Cozmic Collection). Definitely my favourite of the Darius series with some beautiful pixel art and unique music!

Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou is absolutely fantastic, but is definitely bullet hell....though bear in mind, bullet hell isn't necessarily harder. I fancy my chances with many Cave games more than I do the arcade version of Gradius III, for example.

If you're fairly new to the genre, I think Drainus is quite a nice introduction. It has some lovely artwork and it eases you in a little more than a lot of the arcade ports.

I quite enjoyed Andro Dunos 2 as well.

[Soundwave]

The problem with a lot of switch shmups is outside Japan a lot were released in low numbers by limited print companies instead of been a regular retail release making them pretty expensive now as most are now sold out and only available from resellers/ebay. Thankfully a reasonable chunk are also easily available from amazon uk ect.. Some like shikondo & caladrius blaze only got asian physical releases even Japan didn't get those, There's stuff like ikaruga that got a limited printing in all regions and then the price went stupid & i ended up been priced out the market as there was no way i was paying over 20,000 yen for a copy thankfully that got a second print in Japan so i grabbed it while the price was sane again. I wanted the darius collections but i have always been put of with how there's a ton of versions but they are all missing games that the others have its maddening i just want a complete compilation.

However there's a interesting thing a lot of limited runs singles and box sets are getting standard retail releases on amazon japan. Sol cresta was one, then espgaluda II & dodonpachi also got box set releases uner the superdeluxe label so if your interested in physicals those are a good way of grabbing them at normal prices. There's some that i had no idea were released & by the time i found out all the copies are snapped up and i refuse to pay upwards of £80-£100+ for certain titles which is why it pays to keep on top newswise of whats potentially coming out soon & making an effort to snag them if it's a type of shmup you may be interested in. I have found stuff like shmups & rhythm games are they types that quietly go out of print when you don't notice.

With how tate is so easy to do on switch without needing anything extra it makes it my preferred choice for playing newer shmups and re-releases although i gave in a while back & bought a dedicated monitor that i can rotate to play on a bigger screen. Sadly have no room yet in my new place to get it all set back up i need to hit ikea hard before i set it all back up.

Holy hell I love that monitor setup
what screen is it?
Does it TATE as standard or did you get a specific stand?

Neil

[importaku]

Holy hell I love that monitor setup
what screen is it?
Does it TATE as standard or did you get a specific stand?

Neil

Its an AsusVG249Q monitor it accepts hdmi and rotates as standard making it really good for switch shmup content also has a extremely tiny bezel so it doesnt look weird rotated. There's newer monitors with same model number so there maybe better upgrades but this one was the exact one i bought a while back.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-InchFHD-1920x1080-monitor-FreeSync/dp/B082NRKT4K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E27EMOKH7BI0&keywords=asus+vg249q+ monitor&qid=1705013298&sprefix=asus+vg249q+monitor %2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1

[Wools]

I love it, I specifically asked for recommendations for non bullet hell style SHUMP's and in the space of 2 weeks, I'm importing a copy of Dodonpachi DaiOuJou Blissful Death Re:Incarnation!

For anyone going on the same journey I am, here's Nintendo Life's wonderful review that got me into it, and here's the Amazon Japan link. This importing lark, takes me back to the late 90's and early 00's.