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This is a freeware, open-source horizontal shooter from Japan, where the player controls a witch flying in a broom across the screen, shooting projectiles from its tip while carefully avoiding collision with all sorts of bizarre enemies and their incoming shots. Like in R-Type and other classic shooters, holding down the fire button charges the special shot, that when released goes directly to the foes. Destroyed enemies drop the standard power-ups of the genre, like speed boosts, satellite spheres that orbit around the witch and attack the incoming waves of flying adversaries, and other upgrades. The enemies are plentiful and imaginative, although they are 2D sprites rather than full 3D-rendered, so some of the less-detailed ones look like cardboard cutouts floating around the screen. The witch herself looks very good, though, and so does the tiny little helpers you will get once you collect the right power-ups. There are many power-ups and different weapons you can use, and their effects are rendered in full 3D colors that look great even in DirectX (version 8 required) software-only mode. Like most other quality Japanese shooters made after 2000, anyone with 3D card will truly appreciate the production value of this game. You can keep your button pressed to "charge" your shot power (as shown in the "force" indicator at the bottom of the screen), and another key ('C') to do autofire. Too bad the game has only one big level, but hopefully the author will add more in the future. Overall, it's a fun, addictive, and drop-dead gorgeous shooter that, like many of its recent brethren, will make you admire the designer's decision to make such a high-quality freeware game as opposed to a commercial one. |
