Freeware Game Pick: Genetos (Update)
Genetos is a vertical shooter by Tatsuya Koyama featuring stages with design styles from different eras of arcade gaming classics. Green power-ups would have to be collected to increase the gauge at the bottom of the screen and ultimately culminate in the evolution of your ship, where it will gain additional firepower, new movement directions, bombs and even homing lasers.
Use the cursor keys to move your ship, and tap the Z key to shoot. Press the X key to launch a bomb if available. The current build contains four playable levels. (source: Shoot the Core)
Name: Genetos
Developer: Tatsuya Koyama
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here
Comments
This game is amazing! The one problem is that the hitboxes of you and your enemies are so small even at the beginning. It's disturbing to have to hit the heart of an invader to kill it. Of course, small hitboxes are SO useful in bullet hell mode later on.
The first time you play, press V every time you evolve to see what new buttons are available to you. It took me a while to figure out that bombs just got invented. =)
Posted by: Wingie | August 10, 2008 9:32 PM
The small hitbox is typical of most Japanese shmups.
I like the addition of the homing laser, but I can't really figure how it decides which enemies it locks onto yet (only 1 play through). My only gripe so far is that the CTRL slow down key doesn't focus the shot unlike the L-SHIFT slow down. Looking forward to the next generations he's going to add.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 11, 2008 12:29 AM