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Dimension Drive: A Blast With A Twist

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Let’s get one thing straight, we are lucky to have Dimension Drive! Why lucky you may ask? Well, it goes something like this – 2Awesome Studio made up of two Dutch ex-space engineering indiedev decide to go the Kickstarter route to raise funds to produce Dimension Drive. The Kickstarter ends up being wildly successful and after much celebration, it was found that they had been trolled! Hearts were broken.

Alas, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, 2Awesome Studio weren’t going to give up on their dream of producing Dimension Drive for us mad shoot’em up gamers. Actually, 2Awesome Studio pulled off a Lazarus of Bethany of sorts with Dimension Drive! Released on PC, Mac, Linux and the Nintendo Switch, this intense space shmup is no ordinary vertical scrolling shooter, it challenges the player to fight across two battlefields on a single split-screen! Sounds nuts yeah? Not really, this unique teleportation mechanic makes the game stand out from other traditional shmups you may be used to playing on the Switch.

With the teleportation jump feature, the player can instantly dodge waves of bullets, reach secret areas and the best part, surprise enemies – PEW PEW PEW, take that! Play solo or turn it up to 11 pilots with a local co-op partner to give your enemies hell when you team up on one screen, or split up to grab as much loot as possible. Unlock and power up a variety of weapons like the Flak Shotgun – an overpowered beast that blasts ships to atoms at point blank range or the burning wall of space death streaming from the flame-thrower like Plasma Torch. Master advanced techniques like the Drift Drive that lets you dodge bullets in a split second or even flip into Reverse Drive to hit enemies when they least expect it. You fight through a richly detailed sci-fi adventure which unfolds the secrets of the Dimension Drives, allowing you to climb the global leaderboards in four different difficulty modes ranging from Normal (for a balanced challenge) to Insane if you like living in a world of pain!

Dimension Drive is an easy shmup game to recommend for Switch players looking for a fresh take on an old school genre. This game can be tough, but it’ll ultimately rewards those that persist. Get Dimension Drive for your Switch (it’s only $19.99AUD) and do not reconsider – you have come way too far to surrender now! Pew pew pew!

image source: 2Awesome Studio

 

Gunbird Review on Nintendo Switch: It’s Shmup-tastic!

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If you are a long time shoot’em up fan, there is no doubt you would have come across Gunbird on other platforms (or in the arcade). If you have fond memories of Psikyo’s beautiful vertical shmup and are now in possession of a Nintendo Switch, we reckon it is time you reacquainted yourself with Gunbird.

Let’s start by saying that Zerodiv have done an absolute corker of a conversion on the Switch. Not only can you play Gunbird in landscape form, you can also turn your Switch 90 degrees and play it like it should be, in portrait /vertical goodness. If the label Psikyo sounds familiar, it may be due to their pedigree in games, one example being Aero Fighters 2 (Sonic Wings 2), which we absolutely love. Lucky for us (and you too!), Gunbird hits the shmup sweet spot by being up there with the aforementioned beauty.

The premise of the game doesn’t really matter, but for those that want the back story, Gunbird provides 5 protagonists, each one with their own special chosen craft. The story plays out in between levels and before boss fights, telling a tale of how the protagonists are trying to collect pieces of the Magic Mirror of Atra to make their wish. The antagonists are a group called The Trump, yep, you read that right, The Trump, who are lead by the fearless female, Rogue.

Just like all great vertical shoot’em ups, Gunbird has a plethora of power-ups to pick up to bling out your artillery to ridiculous levels and also bombs, which are in limited supply, so they should be saved for the awesome boss fights!

Gunbird can be played in single player or with a friend in co-op mode – which amps up the playability! The cut-scenes between stages are quite funny and add to the charm of this exquisite shmup.

Gunbird ticks all the right boxes for a shoot’em up and we are glad that it’s not one of those full-on bullet-hell type games, although you can dial up the difficulty for it to be one. This game caters for all skill levels, from monkey (yep, apparently monkeys  can’t play as well as a child) to rage-inducing hardness.

In conclusion, if you are into shoot’em ups, then Gunbird should be an instant buy. At AUD$9.99, it really is great value. Gunbird is an absolute 10/10 blast that should be in your Switch games library right now!

Gunbird was kindly provided by Zerodiv for this review.