I love the Sky Force series of shoot-em-ups. They manage to balance things out pretty much perfectly so that they aren't as intimidating or overwhelming as a bullet hell shooter but they also aren't as strict and unforgiving as most other shmups. Sky Force is the shmup for normal-ass people, and I mean that as a huge compliment. Read more about today's game, Sky Force Reloaded, and watch gameplay right here.
Sky Force Reloaded is actually the second game in the Sky Force series and Sky Force Anniversary, which most console players played first, is a remake of the third game in the series. The console version of Sky Force Reloaded is also another remake with updated stuff, which is why it is better than Anniversary. Confusing, yeah? All I know is that I want another new Sky Force but, as far as I can tell, it ain't happening. Sad!
A lot of people struggle to get into Sky Force initially because it is pretty slow and basic at first. The whole point of the game is to replay the levels over and over and upgrade your ship, at which point it is pretty darn amazing, but the first couple of hours are admittedly pretty slow. It is because of this upgrade process that encourages you to learn the game while also getting stronger that Sky Force is so good, though. The upgrades are really tangible and instantly make it feel like you're actually making progress, which is extremely satisfying.
Most other shmups are just memorization and execution, but Sky Force gives you the freedom to play however you want and tackle things in a lot of different ways. It also eases you in to the experience with multiple unlockable difficulty levels for each level that really are wildly different from each other. The idea is that you play most of the levels on easy, buy some upgrades, and then play through the levels again on harder difficulties. Over and over and over while you learn more and more and more and get better and better and better at the game. It is incredibly satisfying. The replay value is through the roof.
You gotta get over that initial "This is boring ..." hump, though, before the kick-ass-ness starts shining through. It's worth it.
