Shoot 1UP DX review

Shoot 1UP DX tells the story of a nameless pilot and his ship who had his homeworld ruined by mechanical-tentacle hybrid aliens forces. It’s up to you and your detached battalion to lead the charge and avenged your now destroyed planet.

Shoot 1UP DX is a top-down, vertical auto-scrolling shmup where players go through various levels killing every enemy in their path, picking up power-ups and survive intense and massive boss battles. What makes it stand out from the bunch is that you control more than one ship at once. They all follow the same movement, but it leaves you more vulnerable to damage when too many enemies are on-screen or against screen-wide bosses.

The way it works is that you first start by controlling four ships. Using the triggers, you can either space out the ships or regroup them as one. If you form a circle where all ships, the power will concentrate their power to fire a huge laser beam that will mow down everything in its path. When you get a hit, the ship explodes. But fear not, you can amass more. As you destroy enemies, you’ll sometimes find 1UPs which will give you an additional ship.

This feature adds a new layer of strategy here because you need to figure out the best times to either split them out into a circle to use your super-powered attack or if the screen is filled with enemies and their projectiles, you’ll want to regroup in order to make sure you keep all of your ships as long as possible.

Sometimes the game will offer players a choice between two paths; simply flying towards the way you want to go. Some diverging paths will increase the difficulty while others will lead you to a different level. You can also brake, but again; doesn’t help as the game is auto-scrolling. Bosses are definitely one of the game’s best features; huge, screen-filling bosses requiring players to act fast with either regrouping or separating the ships.

The game’s biggest flaw is that it’s way too short. While it’s understandable as shmup games aren’t known for their length, this is one where I was like “Already?!” as the game can be done in about 30 minutes. Thankfully, the developers added a handful of difficulty and speed settings in order to give players an additional challenge giving it a lot of replay value along with the aforementioned diverging paths.

Shoot 1UP DX looks great; while it features a somewhat generic visual style at times, the levels can get pretty hectic, but because of you instead of the enemy forces; a nice change from typical shmups. Enemies look ok, but the game shines with its boss battles that nearly take the full screen. The soundtrack is fine, nothing noteworthy but does what it’s supposed to do; pump you up. Although most of the time, it’s drowned out by your projectiles.

Shoot 1UP DX is an addictive, bite-sized shmup that’s worth every penny. It’s easy to pick up and play, challenging and fun for gamers of all skills. Being able to control multiple ships at once bring a new layer of strategy. Also thanks to the various difficulty settings, branching paths and speed settings, the replay value is through the roof. Don’t miss it.