CYGNI: All Weapons Blazing Overview (PS5)

Konami’s historical past is steeped in shoot-‘em-ups, from the 1985 arcade basic Gradius to so-called cute-‘em-ups like TwinBee. Because the Japanese writer slowly begins to embrace its previous once more, it’s picked CYGNI: All Weapons Blazing, a nostalgic nod to the blasters of the previous – albeit one developed by KeelWorks, a studio based mostly within the unlikely metropolis of Edinburgh.

Whereas this vertical bullet hell affair clearly has an affinity with the 90s shooters of previous, its glitzy visuals remind us extra of a recent Housemarque launch; the nebulous “sport really feel” is beautiful, with the display screen shaking every time you lay waste to one of many title’s many alien invaders. Regardless of the promise of a deeper plot, its bookending cutscenes and in-game lore library doesn’t add a lot worth, however that gained’t cease you from having fun with the moment-to-moment motion.

Progress is hard on the usual problem tier and above, as you’re restricted to only a solitary life, though a threat/reward protect system provides depth. Certainly, you possibly can decide to stash your defences or reroute energy into your ship’s weapon module; you possibly can then expend whole blocks of assets of homing missiles. You’ll be able to customise your firing patterns, and even simply swap between aerial and ground-based fight, a transparent nod to Namco’s Xevious.

Whereas levels solely final 10 to fifteen minutes, they pack a whole lot of content material, and among the set-pieces are completely excellent. With simply seven ranges it does imply the title has a comparatively quick working time, however clearly outings of this ilk earn a whole lot of their endurance from repetition and mastery, and that’s no completely different right here. There’s a native co-op choice so as to add longevity as nicely, though we didn’t get the chance to check it throughout our evaluation.

For those who’ve been on the lookout for a extra trendy tackle Touhou, Radiant Silvergun, or any of the various different bullet hell shooters in the marketplace, CYGNI: All Weapons Blazing ticks the field. It’s quick, it’s frantic, and it appears to be like frankly unbelievable at instances. And contemplating it’s being flogged at half the value of most different trendy PS5 titles, it represents comparatively cheap worth for cash, too.