Cotton Fantasy, known in Japan as Cotton Rock ‘N Roll is the latest release in the long-running “cute ’em up” franchise. So we have to ask; Is this real life? Or is it just Fantasy? Magical Night Dreams Cotton the Witch is funnily enough a Witch who has an unhealthy obsession with sweets known as […]
The pre-3D era was an exciting time. Developers were using all kinds of visual shenanigans to give off the impression of 3D, without actually being 3D at all. Arcade games like Space Harrier pioneered and even perfected, this faux-3D look, and some even hold up today. Panorama Cotton, a game that was previously only released […]
2021 has seen Cotton, a long-running series of Shmups, explode onto the scene. With Cotton Reboot!, Cotton 2, Boomerang, and even Panorama Cotton, there has been no end to the charming tirade of Cottony goodness. Cotton 100% is the latest entry to be ported over to modern hardware, but how does it hold up? 100% […]
As far as genres go, few are as underappreciated, or as niche, as the Shmup. I have spent more time overlooking the genre than I would care to admit. Cotton Reboot takes this dirge of mainstream recognition and takes it to the next level. Cotton, despite being a long-running series of games, and this reboot […]
Japan Crate‘s theme for May 2023 is ‘Experience Japan Through Speed’, which seems to be based on a train journey. It has an amazing design showing a bullet train in a fictional version of Tokyo Station. These boxes usually come with a guide explaining each item inside. Instead, this month it had a ‘Candy Map […]
Check any dictionary, and it’ll define ‘Final’ as something along the lines of ‘coming to an end’. This seems something that Japanese companies seem to laugh in the face of: see the upcoming 16th entry of Final Fantasy. It seems Granzella and IREM also don’t know the meaning of the word, as shown by the release […]
I have no experience with game development or coding, just a desire to make a Shoot ‘Em Up. Imagine my surprise when the Shmup Creator landed on my desk! Will this let me fulfill my desire? Shmup Creator is a program created by Shmup enthusiasts Bulo Studios. It aims to give creative minds somewhere to […]
Shmups are a weird niche genre but there is the odd game that breaks that glass roof, Ikaruga being one of them. The best-known game that came before it was most famous for its high asking price. Now available more widely and at a reasonable price, is Radiant Silvergun worthy of being mentioned in the […]
You’ve probably seen plenty of anime surprise boxes. There’s no real shortage of options out there. But what if you’d prefer one that is a little more… lewd? The Otaku Box aims to fill this niche while including figures and even letting you vote on what comes next. This article aims to give a brief […]
Enjoy games where cute animals kill cute things and some minor comedy? Horgihugh and Friends by Aksys Games has you covered. An expansion on the PC title HORGIHUGH (ホーギーヒュー), it falls into the ‘Cute ‘Em Up’ subgenre, within Shoot ‘Em Up or Shmups. Raining Cats and Dogs Horgihugh and Friends throw players right into the […]