I'll be the first to admit that I don't really know a thing about shmups but I do know an impressive trailer when I see one. Heaven Variant is an old-school arcade shooter that is looking pretty amazing considering the team behind it consists of only three people.
Zanrai Interactive is currently blogging the development of Heaven Variant and there's a wealth of information on their website, including concept art and selected music tracks. The game looks promising and hopefully we'll have a release date and platforms announced soon.
okay, the beginning of the video is actually hilarious now that i've watched it a few times. the hangar doors open, but the dude says fuck it and crashes out of the building instead, smashing some cars just driving down the road.
and you thought your trip home during rush hour traffic was rough.
You guys are on the money, reminds me TONS of Einhander. I wish more people knew about that game it's one of my favorites. Costs an arm and a leg to get a copy now, though. So yeah, if this looks interesting then definitely check out that game. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Sidenote: Another shoot em up to be interested in is this: http://echostormx.blogspot.com/ . He hasn't posted anything in a while (that I know of), so I hope the project is still alive. Looks pretty cool.
Looks promising. I loved 2D shooters growing up... Gradius, Lifeforce, Thunder Force, etc. Oh, and let's not forget River Raid on 2600 <3
One thing I don't like in the trailer is the lack of obstacles and varied terrain. Part of most old-school shooters was navigating and memorizing the level. They weren't just an empty play area with enemy formations like a bullet hell shooter.
@Jinx: This is probably why so many are drawing parallels to Einhander. Despite its 2D setup, the levels were relatively open and you usually had very little chance of ramming walls or anything. This game is more Einhander than Gradius.
@DF:
Ah, okay. Never played Einhander. I might still like this, though. A lot of old school shooters like UN Squadron and 1943 didn't have a lot to the levels other than enemies, but they weren't quite "bullet hell" either. Though Gundemonium has me enjoying those a bit lately, too.
Not a huge fan of these games. I buy them and play them, I just suck at them. I gotta say though, this game is fucking beautiful. The fact that the design team is only 3 people is inspiring as fuck.
Also, Einhander was really fun back in the day. I miss it when Square actually developed interesting games instead of attempting to publish everything.
"The game looks promising and hopefully we'll have a release date and platforms announced soon."
If you had checked the damn FAQ on the site you would see that it is for the PC... Of course because it doesnt mention any Consoles, thats not worth writing about now is it!!!!
"HEAVEN VARIANT is an indie side-scrolling action game under development for PC by Zanrai Interactive, a very small band (or rather gang) of developers headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA."
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Contest:
10:00 PM on 02.23.2012 | 
thank god.
and you thought your trip home during rush hour traffic was rough.
Sidenote: Another shoot em up to be interested in is this: http://echostormx.blogspot.com/ . He hasn't posted anything in a while (that I know of), so I hope the project is still alive. Looks pretty cool.
Awesome.
One thing I don't like in the trailer is the lack of obstacles and varied terrain. Part of most old-school shooters was navigating and memorizing the level. They weren't just an empty play area with enemy formations like a bullet hell shooter.
And damn if it don't look good at that.
We're about to release our indie shmup which is proper old skool but with teleport mechanics.
www.velocitygame.co.uk
*Indies gotta grab any chance they can get to get their games under people's noses :)
Ah, okay. Never played Einhander. I might still like this, though. A lot of old school shooters like UN Squadron and 1943 didn't have a lot to the levels other than enemies, but they weren't quite "bullet hell" either. Though Gundemonium has me enjoying those a bit lately, too.
..On another note, Dat logo!
Also, Einhander was really fun back in the day. I miss it when Square actually developed interesting games instead of attempting to publish everything.
If you had checked the damn FAQ on the site you would see that it is for the PC... Of course because it doesnt mention any Consoles, thats not worth writing about now is it!!!!
"HEAVEN VARIANT is an indie side-scrolling action game under development for PC by Zanrai Interactive, a very small band (or rather gang) of developers headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA."
DO IT NOW.
In all seriousness, do it! It's number one on my shoot 'em up list, I hold it to such a high regard.