Elixir (@shmups on Twitter) has created a Discord server for shmups fans, players and developers. You can join it by clicking this link: disc.gg/shmups
The forum here is very quiet these days, most people have moved away from forums to Facebook and Discord for their online discussions. I recommend this Discord channel to anyone interested in shmups! It’s a very active community with high-score runs, discussion of new-releases and developers posting their work.
Pawarumi is a verizontal shmup, inspired by the likes of Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun but with its own original mechanics, set in an universe based on south american folklore and 90s pop culture reference.
It’s currently on Steam Greenlight, so vote for it to see more high-quality shmups on Steam.
The game is being made in Unity by some experienced developers who have previously worked on titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Ruse and The Crew. Take a look at the forum post to see some development screenshots from the Unity editor.
A Quiver of Crows will be available on Steam on October 20th.
The game features:
View the forum post here to read more about the development of the game.
OPQAM’s new shmup “Dogos” is launching on September 6th on PS4, and September 7th on Xbox One and PC.
Great to see an original high-quality shmup getting a console release. Dogos expands on OPQAM’s previous title “Project Root” with fantastic canyon flying stages and multiple weapon upgrades.
I particularly like the design of the main Dogos ship – it’s very reminiscent of classic shmup aircraft like those in Raiden or Gradius, but with a modern feel.
Find out more about the game here: http://www.opqam.com/dogos.html
There are lots of interesting new shmups on the forums at the moment – here are some highlights:
Witchinour
Witchinour is a low-res cute-em-up by sofutogeimu. There’s a demo available on itch.io here. It’s also up on Steam Greenlight so vote for it here.
OUT-OF
Out-Of is a side-scrolling space shooter by Next Gamelevel. It’s still in development and will be available on Windows, Mac and Linux. Find out more at the Next Gamelevel website here.
An Oath to the Stars
An Oath to the Stars is a vertical danmaku shmup. It has already been approved for Steam release. You can follow the development of the game on the blog here.
DOGOS is a new shmup in development from OPQAM, the team that developed Project Root.
This is an early development test video, showing some boss bullet patterns. It appears to be building on the open-world style of Project Root. You can discuss the game in the forum here.
Two new shmup releases this month.
Steelbound Sky is an iOS game, using touch gesture mechanics to play.
The official site is here: www.steelboundsky.com
And Battle Crust, the retro style vertical shmup has been released on Steam. You can buy it here.
The forum thread for Battle Crust is here, and Steelbound Sky is here.
Battle Crust is a new vertical shmup on Steam Greenlight. You can vote for it here.
It looks like a classic shooter, and the audio reminds me of R-Type 2. Forum post here.
A very useful video tutorial from Sebastian Lague on Object Pooling, a technique that every shmup developer should know.
There are lots of other great game development videos on Sebastian’s YouTube channel, but this one is particularly relevant to shoot-em-ups. Discuss it on the forums here.
Racketboy is the winner of the recent Indies Vs Gamers competition at Gamejolt. It’s a shmup / block-breaker hybrid. Lucas from Double Dash studios talks about the game in the forum here.
The game looks like a lot of fun, and the team are hoping to expand it for a full steam release in the near future. You can back the game on indiegogo to help it along.
