Angel at Dusk

Positive

• [b]“You guys have big brains and telepathy, why didn’t you invent sunscreen?”[/b] [i]- Lanmoliwf[/i] [hr][/hr] Akiragoya did it, with [b]Angel at Dusk[/b] he proved the [skeletal] theory of Shoot Em Ups. [h1]X-Factor[/h1] Its Biomechanical aesthetic with a skeleton white and blood red color palette sets it apart from other games visually, while the complete refusal of a gameplay gimmick to make itself unique instead focusing on bringing an unadulterated “simple” Shoot Em Up experience is, strangely enough, the very thing that makes it unique. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Simplicity is the name, selecting an [angel] and clearing the 5-stage arcade mode is the game. Each [angel] has a default firing mode, a charged one that also doubles as projectile clearing attack, and a strong special attack that can only be fired after filling a bar. [Angels] can also regenerate health during play by attacking enemies while being near to them, so it rewards over-aggression more than hugging a corner of the screen for the whole game. An extra mode called Original Chronicle has a tree progression path system where enemies will become stronger until you are inevitably defeated, however, enemies in this mode will also drop new and increasingly more powerful weapons and you can turn the unused weapons into currency to upgrade your [angel] with, so you can go further every following attempt to reach Stage-32 to fight the final boss. [h1]Story[/h1] It has a surprising amount of lore that will follow a scientific-induced apocalypse and how life bounced back multiple times. Clearing the various stages in both Arcade and Original Chronicle mode unlocks logs to explain the quite extensive setting. [h1]Downsides[/h1] The biggest gripe I have with the game is that stages have nearly no identity. Sure, they feature some meat agglomerate look but never tell a tale with it other than being a scrolling image in the background. Sometimes story logs are locked behind truly brutal challenges, some of them, if steam achievements are anything to go for, were seen by less than 4% of the players. [hr][/hr] The Shoot Em Up genre is as old as videogames and has evolved in multiple ways and paths through time. This game is the most accessible of that one branch you can see in the trailer. Worth the price even undiscounted if you want to invest time in the Chronicle mode and for the cool unorthodox sci-fi story behind it, otherwise wait for a discount.

• Angel at Dusk isn't overtly a horror game (it's a shmup after all), but the art style and lore is definitely scary in a sense that I lack the ability to properly describe. Is it biomechanical body horror? Religious horror? Apocalyptic horror? Is it inspired by H.R. Giger or Lovecraft? Sci-fi horror? All of the above? I'm not sure, but the developer Akiragoya certainly made something unique. I don't know if his name has any significance, but I have convinced myself it's a mashup of the common Japanese name Akira, and the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. The game is weird, unsettling, and has a shocking amount of lore for a shmup. If you want to see it all and lack the ability or desire to play through the entire game for it, someone took the time to play through the entire thing and compile all of it in a google doc you can look at [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L-9TgQkAIDm4XGteFJYPFYDmBvmfbCJa/edit]HERE[/url]. It's a lot to absorb, some will like that and some won't. As a shmup it's not bad. I don't have extensive experience in the genre, but I feel like it has a lot to offer in terms of content for the price. I also have enjoyed most of the soundtrack so far. And as many others have said, it has a good tutorial for the genre overall and also this game specifically and its mechanics. As a piece of artwork it's interesting, though clearly an acquired taste. I only have two real complaints. First is that some of the sounds are quite frankly very unpleasant to listen to. The other is the amount of visual clutter. I like the vibe he is going for in this. However when I have my bizarre growing character on the screen, and the bizarre backdrop, and all the bizarre enemies, and all the explosions and body parts and other things filling up my screen, it quite frankly becomes way too much for me to look at and takes away from the experience in my opinion. That being said, I would still suggest trying it out on a sale if you enjoy the genre or just want to see this strange world. Also it works quite well on Steam deck.

• I've never been good at bullet hells but can't help trying new ones when I see them. Angel at Dusk has one of my favorite art styles in the genre by far with a strange story to match it. As someone who is bad at these games, I agree with other reviews that this game is much more approachable than others, which is great for people like me. Even though I haven't played much since completing the story, it looks like there is still plenty of other content to do once the itch to play comes back. I have yet to unlock many of the ships are weapons available and haven't made it far in the survival mode.

Negative

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