itch.io

Any time, thanks for making this demo available

As a rabid Ketsui fan I've been eagerly anticipating this demo. The look and feel of playing Ketsui are pretty close even in this early build, which is great.

Pros: 

• Lock-on is a little more predictable than Ketsui's, meaning you're spending less time trying to get the lock to focus on the right target like in that game. Takes some of the guesswork out of locking on, which I view as a positive.
• Enemy bullet visibility is good, and the patterns seen so far strike a good balance between being challenging but not impossible to maneuver through. 
• Ship and enemy design are really good, manages to capture the near-future military feel of Ketsui while having a style all its own.
• The demo level's soundtrack is pretty good

Cons:

• Current build lacks sound effects, without them some of the destruction lacks impact. 
• There's currently a rather pronounced pause when switching to focus shot, it took a bit getting used to. I understand the tension of needing a little delay when switching shots back and forth, but it seemed to take a bit too long.
• Hitboxes might need a bit of fine-tuning, I would sometimes attempt a Ketsui-style wiggle dodge through a wave and get a miss. Maybe that's more me expecting the tiniest hitbox possible, but there were a few times where I got hit by a projectile that it looked like I should clear.
• Campaign mode seemed a little too disjointed with how the levels are just short bursts with an abrupt finish line, but perhaps I'm not understanding how it's supposed to work in the final game. The discontinuous gameplay loop of the demo campaign felt more like Bangai-O, in a way.

Overall:
Super early build obviously, but an extremely promising shmup. As someone who loves Ketsui I can see the influence and it's already doing the inspiration justice while maintaining its own identity. I can't wait to play more with added sound effects and music, as well as seeing all the levels in store (there look to be a lot!).