Vito Cassisi – Tech Blog Delving into technology

S.H.M.U.P Game Review

A new side-scroller has arrived on the scene. But does it deliver?

Website: http://charcoalstyles.com/SHMUP/
Price: $9.99

S.H.M.U.P is a new age side-scroller aimed at the casual gamer demographic. The developer Charcoal Styles describes his creation as "...a side scrolling shooter that doesn't need pixel perfect positioning, lightening reflexes or for you to remember bullet patterns. All you need to do is make stuff explode", which is quite an enticing prospect for those who refuse to dedicate countless hours to mastering tactics. It integrates the classic 'ship' vs 'intruders' style of gameplay where the player controls a series of circular ships via the humble mouse. The continually oncoming intruders are made up of basic shapes with a range of offensive and defensive mechanisms to keep the protagonist challenged. It's the duty of the player to protect the wall on the left hand side of the screen.

The game has an interesting movement mechanic where your ships follow (read: lag behind) the mouse cursor. This can make precise movements difficult, which is an interesting challenge in itself. Rapid movements are not simple to pull off, so it takes some forethought to dodge tricky enemy bullet/rocket patterns. The ships are not unlike a homing missile, as they strive to manoeuvre toward the cursor as quickly as possible.

Speaking of missiles, each ship has the ability to shoot these wonderful projectiles at oncoming enemies. They're particularly useful when there's a dense array of menacing shapes charging toward your precious wall. They're enemy seeking, so careful aiming is not necessary. However, if you pay attention to the paths they take, you can get them to hit particular areas with reasonable accuracy.