Hopefully you will all have been playing the fabulous Maldita Castilla, the Ghosts 'N Goblins inspired 2D platformer available this month. If not, then why not? Secondly, there is more Locomalito news with the release of version 1.1 of his epic shoot-em-up Hydorah.
Hydorah is not only my
favourite indie shoot-em-up (or shmup if you want to be a part of the
cool crowd), but my favourite horizontal shooter ever. Usually I go
for the more 'bullet hell' orientated variants of this niche genre,
but Hydorah absolutely blew me away. With its wonderful pixel
graphics, and excellent Japanese style soundtrack by the talented
Gryzor87, Hydorah captures both the style and spirit of the 80's
coin-ops perfectly. It is bastard hard too, with enemies and
projectiles coming at you from every angle. Even the environment
hates you, with alien plants spitting bullets at you, and rocks
getting in your way.
Luckily it is such an
enjoyable game to play that you will keep continuing until you have a
decent strategy for surviving a level and defeating its large
guardian who awaits you at the end. The level of polish on display
here is typical of Locomalito's usual high standards, with everything
put together with the utmost care and consideration. It's clearly
inspired by games such as Gradius and R-Type, but personally I find
it more enjoyable than both of those classic titles. I found
Hydorah's method of instant use power ups more convenient than the
manual selections required by Gradius. Here enemies drop power ups
that alternate colours until you collect them, different colours
giving you either speed up, weapon, or drone ship assistance power
ups. The branching paths you can take through the game adds a nice
level of variety and strategy to proceedings, and you will have
master your preferred route if you are to succeed. Many levels are
extremely large, allowing you to, not only scroll to the right, but
move up multiple screens to reach the top. It creates a more
immersive and open world compared to the single screen height stages
usually seen in this genre.
I am sure many of you will
have already experienced this excellent game, but what does this new
1.1 update bestow upon us? Well, firstly there are a few graphical
tweaks, and extra display options. The excellent scan lines in
particular are a welcome addition and result in Hydorah looking even
closer to an original horizontal arcade screen. You can now configure
your controller buttons, though using an Xbox 360 controller on the
default settings is my control method of choice. Gameplay wise,
Locomalito has listened to feedback from the gaming community about
the game's intense difficulty, as has there fore toned the difficulty
UP. Yes that's right, he has made it slightly harder. You have to
love this guy's ability to stick to his guns. There is some
assistance in the two extra saves that you are allowed though, and
your little ship escorts that help you can now shoot through
obstacles, hitting targets that you otherwise wouldn't be able to
get. There are also some tweaks to the score system and other minor
behind the scenes fixes that help everything run more smoothly.
Hydorah is simply one of
the best indie games out there, and in its new, updated, guise it is
even more impressive and enjoyable.
Head over to Locomalito’s
website and download Hydorah immediately. Just be prepared for the
mighty challenge that awaits you.
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