It's straight out of 1997
This game is fantastic. CAVE, the Japanese company known for their manic shooters, released their first U.S. game ever, Deathsmiles. Deathsmiles was released in Japan in April of 2009, but U.S. gamers without an imported Japanese Xbox were not able to play it. Luckily, Aksys Games released it here for everyone to enjoy. The game itself is instantly addictive, devilishly difficult and incredibly addictive. The crisp, colorful 2D graphics shine through the waves of bullets and enemies and even with hundreds of bullets on screen, everything is easily visible and highly detailed. The music matches the feeling and mood of each level, from pumping metal to eerie classical. The game's dark lolita theme is brilliantly captured by CAVE...each level has its own life and personality. The gameplay is where the game really shines. This is CAVE's second horizontal shooter (the other being an arcade game from the 90's--Progear) but they have really shown their versatility with it. The character can shoot both left and right. Enemies attack from both sides of the screen, a formula that is very unique and very entertaining. It's the kind of game you can play in an hour but spend a lifetime perfecting. Highly recommended for any shooter fans, vertical or horizontal.
As good as DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou from 2004. I am reliving 1997/2004!