Reach for the Skies
Publisher NIS America has announced that it will bring its shmup compendium Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha to western Switch users in January 2020, bringing six arcade bangers to Nintendo’s small-screen console.
The six games featured on Alpha are the Strikers 1945 trilogy – which released in 1995, 1997, and 1999 respectively – as well as 1996’s Sol Divide: Sword of Darkness, 2000’s Dragon Blaze, and finally 2001’s Zero Gunner 2. Each game features crisp HD visuals, local co-op support and, best of all, can be played in horizontal or vertical rotation, one of the reasons the genre is perfect for the Switch format.
This also looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as NIS America already has a Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo in the works, no doubt be filled for more chaotic arcade shmups as we speak. The Bravo pack is tentatively scheduled for release in early 2020.
Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha launches on Nintendo Switch in North America January 21, with Europe following a few days later on January 24. A limited-edition physical release – including a soundtrack collection, art book and collector cards – can be pre-ordered over at the official NIS store for around $60.
