Psyvariar 3 Review

Psyvariar 3 is set after the events pf Psyvariar 2 where a faction of Psyvariar decided that planet Earth was too precious to be forsaken. They vowed to reclaim and colonize it. After a few decades of tranquility and normalcy, Gluon particles are detected causing the planet to be under dread once more.

Psyvariar 3 is a vertical shoot’em up, shmup, gaming experience. You’ll need to bop and weave through waves of endless projectiles and enemies. One of the game’s strong point is the character/ship selection. There’s seven to choose from (six unique to the game and Cotton making a guest appearance) and each with their shot types, bombs/buzz and scoring system.

Unlike other shmups where you pick up power ups from destroyed enemies, in Psyvariar 3 you’ll level up as you survive and kill enemies. This will also have an impact on the difficulty. While you start off at Easy by default, as your level increases, before starting the following level, you’ll be able to choose the next available unlocked difficulty setting.

The game features a unique Buzzing mechanic. While you do have to avoid getting hit by enemy projectiles, the game encourages you to graze enemy bullets which rewards players with Neutrinos to build up shield chains which in turns allow your character to level up. Leveling up allows for a few seconds of invincibility and increases your firepower until you’re game over. And when in a bind, you can do a barrel roll which shrinks your hitbox allowing you to narrowly get through highly close projectiles.

The game has a plethora of game modes; Arcade is basically the main game with its unique mechanics. There’s Arrange mode where your attacks are always at full power and enemy patterns are faster and simpler. Otherwise, there’s Mission mode where you can tackle a myriad of challenges. And then there’s Caravan. You have two minutes to score as much points as possible. And we round things up with Endless and Practice modes; which are pretty self-explanatory.

The game looks great as a whole. Nice mix of darker toned background and colorful/bright enemies to make sure players can properly see incoming ships and projectiles. But obviously, a vertical screen shows a lot of more things is a smaller, compact screen which can make you feel overwhelmed at times. Each ship has a unique design and color scheme. The soundtrack is an upbeat techno/trance score that complements the on-screens action and chaos.

So one of the problems here is the lack of proper tutorial. While the genre is usally pretty simple and straight forward, each shmup has a certain uniqueness and aside from a hidden How to play, prompt, there’s nothing. The other problem is that it feels like some enemies won’t die no matter how many bullets you shoot or ship you use; even when fully powered up, feels like you barely make a dent in bosses.

Psyvariar 3 is a fun and addictive bullet hell shmup. The game has a lot of depth and variety due to the diversity of characters to use and the myriad of game modes to choose from. A proper optional tutorial mode/level would’ve been a nice addition here so newcomers to the series can be put through the ringer properly before jumping in the carnage. That being said, Psyvariar 3 is one of the best shmups out there. Whether you’re a hardcore fan of the genre or looking to take plunge, Psyvariar 3 is worthwhile entry.