SHMUPs definitely hold a special place in my heart. Whether it's twitch dodging of bullets, or precise movements needed in the bullet hell games, controlling a ship and blowing shit up never gets old for me. Jets n Guns Gold was the most satisfying SHMUP experience for me, not only because of its solid gameplay, but its many innovations to the genre.

Usually, I don't like the horizontal shooters. I prefer the vertical ones, because I find dodging bullets easier in those types, and I'm not really sure why. Regardless, Jets n Guns solves the problem of frustrating deaths due to a mismovement by giving you a health bar, capable of taking multiple hits, instead of being one-hit kill.

However, the game is by no means a cakewalk. The difficulty ramps up significantly after the first couple levels, and if you didn't earn enough money by purchasing the right equipment early on, you will have a hell of a hard time trying to kill enemies. You also only have one life, so once you die, you're done (Mercifully there are checkpoints, though you start with the same health as when you triggered it). If you are not very good at the genre, I'd suggest playing on easy mode to save yourself some major headaches.



Part of what makes the game difficult is the fact that enemies sometimes pop out of the left side of the screen, which is traditionally a safe zone. When those bastards collide with you, you lose about half your health, and it can be really cheap at times. That's the only downside I've found with the game.

Some of the levels are downright hilarious. One has you fighting a colony of Beer aliens, another has you destroying a facility overrun by zombies, and another has you serving as an executioner by just bombing the hell out of a bunch of convicts. It's a bit sadistic sometimes I guess, but its definitely part of its charm.

The strongest feature of the game is its weapons system. You sell weapons at the price you bought them for, allowing you to experiment with some of the crazier weapons. And there are some kooky ones, like a "missile" type weapon that shoots mini Supermans, a gun that shoots a swarm of insects that home in on enemies, and a big ol' hunk of metal that you simply crush enemies with.



What is also cool is that you can switch your weapon configuration whenever you want. You can swap in a more appropriate bomb type if needed, and if enemies all of a sudden start showing up behind you, you can move your most powerful gun from the front of the ship to the back (assuming your ship has a back weapon slot).

Give the demo a try, and if you like it you can buy it for $30. It's a bit pricey, I know, but it is extremely fun, and it lasts a good while (43 levels).