Two dimensional shoot 'em ups have been around since the beginning of video gaming, and the genre has become one of the most cultish.
Protoganda is a vertical shooter from Indie developer Cactus, consisting entirely of boss fights, and can be played in two modes 'Shield', where there is a repel bullet weapon for escaping tight spots, and 'Absorb', which allows the ship to change color and absorb bullets of that color. The latter is an idea from the ultra hardcore shoot 'em up Ikagura, and the way the screen fills with enemy bullets also brings that game to mind.
The game ends when the 3 minute timer runs out. You lose 40 seconds for dying, and gain 15 for killing on of the bosses. Anyone good at this game could be playing for a long time before it's game over. Oh, and the bosses are all named after one of the top 50 most popular Russian family names!
The graphics are striking, full of 3D polygons, with faded color and 'old movie' crackle - it was supposedly inspired by old movie special effects. Protoganda's sound is pretty standard for this type of game, with a thumping techno soundtrack and satisfying explosions.
Maybe due to its gameplay debt to Ikagura, you can expect this to be quite a challenge, weaving through the tiny gaps between bullets flying all over the screen It is pretty intense. Fans of the genre will find this a very attractive prospect, the less enthusiastic may be put off by its difficulty.
Protoganda is heaven for shoot 'em up purists, and a challenging, good looking curiosity for the rest.
