First Impressions:
My first impression of Mushihimesama, by developer CAVE Interactive Co., Ltd and publisher Live Wire, was that it resembled the type of game you would find in a typical arcade. The fast paced, chaotic style of the environment and action is fun to look at and play with, while the skill-based gameplay and shooters rewards experienced players who can refine and upgrade their ship. This game reminds me of a Space Invaders type game, except with way more bugs and insects! Although it was not my first go around with the manic shooter genre, Mushihimesama felt relatively polished, and its graphics well done in addition to the fast action gameplay that it offers.
Gameplay Experience:
The objective of Mushihimesama is very simple: Kill bugs, get points, and survive! Before starting the game, there are three starting ships, each with its upgrades and styles of shooting. Each has its positives and negatives, and players have the choice to choose which one suits them the most. I tried out each of them, and enjoyed them all, so all three ships are viable and enjoyable.
Starting the game, I felt an immediate sense of urgency as streams of bugs and insects started to fill the screen. Like in a fast-paced arcade game, reactions and aim were key as one insect hitting you would lose you a life. However, powerups that upgrade your ship were readily available, and the sense of quickly defeating every insect was both relieving and enjoyable as points started to quickly rack up.
Mushihimesama is divided into different stages: each stage ended with a difficult boss which was very rewarding to defeat, as each gave you plenty of gold and points to end the stage. At the end of each stage, there is a brief respite as the gold and points that you collected throughout the stage is tallied up.
The graphics were very good for a Switch game, and everything was clearly visible and worked well. However, some criticisms that I do have is that parts of the screen were not optimized for the switch, rather the arcade version, and that during especially high intense moments, the game could lag.
Options and Customization:
There are 3 options of difficulty, Novice, Normal, and Extreme, allowing both beginner players and experienced veterans to enjoy the gameplay and have a suitable challenge. Additionally, there are additional custom options that wouldn’t be offered in an arcade, such as continuing the game after all your lives are gone, which I felt was very useful so that I could meet more bosses and stages without restarting the game over again. The Mushihimesama 1.5 game mode offered an additional twist to the base game, as the insect enemies were different and there were more ship customization options as well.
Additionally, Mushihimesama for Switch offers an additional multiplayer game mode, perhaps to face against other players to compete for the top score. Although I did not have this option available for me, I can comfortably predict that this game mode would be very fun to play against with friends or even other online players.
Conclusion:
With its fast action gameplay and thrilling action, Mushihimesama offers an enjoyable experience within the manic shooter genre. I would definitely recommend this game to both newer gamers that haven’t gone to an arcade or played a similar type of game but would also recommend it to experienced veterans of the genre as well.
8/10
Check Out the Mushihimesama Trailer:
For more information, visit: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/mushihimesama-switch/
Nintendo Switch Review
I started gaming on the PS2 playing 2K and various fighting games, then played a lot of Nintendo Wii games. Currently, I like playing JRPGs as well as platformers and MOBAs. In a video game, I enjoy exploring the intricacies of fighting systems as well as viewing various character developments throughout the story of the game.
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