One of two old-school shmups for this week: one side-scroller, R-Type Dimensions III, and a vertical shooter, Psyvariar 3. Both shmups, both retro, both ‘the third’ in the series. I know R-Type very well, but not this one, which was developed by Banana Bytes and Red Art Studios. So, what can we share that’s different from all the other titles that fill this category?
In fear of being predictable and talking how I’m narrative-led, I appreciate that a shmup doesn’t need to focus on how the Earth is doomed, someone didn’t return their library book, or the latest [appropriately titled end of the universe] weapon has fallen into the wrong hands, and your fleet of fighters needs to save the day. Maybe this is why I always enjoyed 1941? Anyway, there is a story here, and seven or so characters to choose from, but the narrative weave isn’t important. The character choice is.
Each character has their own style of bullet spray and the way they swing their hips. It isn’t just cosmetics as they genuinely have a different approach, meaning there’s an additional learning curve and, yay, longevity to find the best fit. For that part, Psyvariar 3 is pretty cool, but first you have to get used to this. One: the difficulty, two: the sound. I didn’t like the latter one bit.
As a vertical shooter that I couldn’t seem to get working on my Switch 2, but will have another look after drafting this up, it’s the same old, same old. Shoot waves of enemies in a scrolling environment, then beat the big kahuna at the end of the stage. They’re usually oversized and pepper the screen with stuff to hurt you. And no, these aren’t pithy comments, but lasers and stuff. On that part, it’s the same as any other title and expected. However, aside from obviously avoiding attacks to stay alive, there’s a great deal of emphasis on your finesse in dodging projectiles.
Not completely new to the genre, but the ships in Psyvariar 3 employ a barrel roll that helps with evasion, with this also serving as a counterattack to drop some bombs, depending on who you’re using. What really sets this apart from other shmups is dodging the incoming damage and chaining attacks levels you up quite ridiculously to become an absolute powerhouse. The caveat being, if you’re hit, you lose these powers. And you will be hit. Often.
This levelling system is really interesting as you can continue as you are fighting enemies in the easy mode, or you can opt to increase the difficulty as you level up. I mean, that’s up to you, as this is already a tough game, and the changes aren’t subtle. Granted, I shifted from Easy to Hard as soon as I could and felt quite silly. How on Earth can you navigate all this noise, or as mentioned in the game, ‘buzz’? A quick look on YouTube will no doubt show some perfect runs, but I’m not going to torture myself with inadequacy – this is genuinely a challenging game.
That isn’t what inevitably put me off about the game, however. I wasn’t that impressed with Psyvariar 3’s visuals, seeing as this was a Switch 2 version. Ships are animated and all, but with the scrolling aspect and descent through huge turbine-like things, the ship remains the same as if it were a mouse cursor hovering over rollercoaster footage. It felt off, as did the incessant levelling that sounded like a cheap pair of Bluetooth headphones from Temu. I didn’t like the audio experience at all, and let’s not skim over this as unimportant for a shmup – Sektori was excellent.
Gaining access to the game on release date, I dived in as quickly as possible, but the lure of R-Type Dimensions III (we go back) preyed my eyes and patience away. It’s not a case of ‘review done, delete it’ – I’m coming back to it after I write this, as I want to try setting up the vertical view in handheld mode, if it’s an option. The variety of characters adds to the appeal, as does the mazerunner-like bullet dodging, which makes it different to other experiences. Most shmups feel like skin-of-your-teeth survival, but Psyvariar 3 encourages some flair in the inevitable. I’m selling it back to myself and going to give it another stab
