Electigirl: High Tension Beauty

Electigirl: High Tension Beauty is an amazing love letter to cute 'em ups and Mega Drive era shmups, having an amount of detail and personality that really shows how much love the dev has poured into the game. The enemy designs and patterns are very creative and fun to engage, the stages are beautiful and the ship is a joy to control.

Just like most Mega Drive shmups, the focus of the game is not scoring (although it has some scoring elements that make it fun to replay and try to go up in the leaderboards), but experiencing the story and getting the 1CC, which should pose a fair challenge to novices to the genre while still being fun to more experienced players. Electigirl features two main gameplay mechanics: the polarity system, which, while not required to complete the game, is very satisfying to use and can really help to farm some weapon levels quickly after a death, and the electromagnetic shield, which can be a lifesaver when things get more intense. You have to be careful when using the shield, though, as there's a risk vs. reward system at play: you protect yourself from bullets at the cost of losing some energy, causing a weapon level down when in full power. Overall, the game gives the player plenty of choice on how to approach it.

The graphics and sound really make the game feel like a long lost Mega Drive title, going to great lengths to simulate that 16-bit feel. The graphics are very cute, colorful and very reminiscent of Fantasy Zone, being a perfect match to the story and setting. The soundtrack is also excellent and fits really well within the game, with some very memorable tunes.

Definitely more than worth the price!