Sep 6, 20194 min read

SHMUPS Roundup: August 2019

Author: Richard J.

Welcome to the first edition of our new feature here on JP’S SWITCHMANIA, a monthly roundup of announcements, updates and releases related to shmups on our beloved hybrid.

A roundshmup, if you will.

Since August is our first month doing this, we hope you’ll forgive us if we start by sneaking in a cheeky little announcement from the end of July. We promise you, it’s a big one.

July

29th: Game Paradise: Cruisin’ Mix was announced on the 29th of July by Dispatch Games and will be available as a regular and limited edition. The limited edition will contain an art book, vinyl and CD soundtrack set, reproduction flyers and a collectible coin. Both are available to preorder on their website here. Additionally, both editions will come with all previously released DLC on cart.

August

Moving on to August, and we couldn’t have chosen a better month to start this feature as it has been positively packed with shmuppy goodness.

2nd: Jamestown + was announced for Switch on the 2nd. Previously available on both PS4 and Steam, this vertizontal sees you control Sir Walter Raleigh on a mission to Mars and will release digitally with all its previous DLC as a complete edition. Jamestown + is currently scheduled for a Q4 release.

On the same day, some DLC was announced for the so far Japan-only vert Sisters Royale in the form of a new character going by the name of OZ. Priced at 300 JPY (about $3), OZ was made available on the 29th.

4th: X-Multiply was announced on the 4th as the next shmup in Hamster’s ACA range and was made available on the eShop on the 8th. A spiritual successor to Irem’s seminal R-Type, this lesser known title remains well worth checking out.

8th: Also on the 8th, we finally got a solid release date for the much anticipated ESP Ra. De. This is notable both for being a first console release for the game and also for being the first opportunity Switch owners will have to experience the pleasure of enjoying one of legendary developer Cave’s games on the go. With the port job being handled by M2, quality is as good as assured and this ESP themed vert will be available both as a Standard Edition and as a very tasty looking collector’s edition, featuring an art book, soundtrack, stickers and instruction card.

9th: The 9th saw a surprise announcement in the form of Grand Brix Shooter. There’s been little promotion of this hori from Korean developers Intragames, but with it releasing on the 28th, you now have the opportunity to check it out.

12th: On the 12th, a crowdfunding campaign to get the hori cute’em-up HorgiHugh (link in Japanese) released on Switch was announced. The actual crowdfunding began on the 21st and, at the time of writing, is approximately halfway to its funding goal.

15th: The 15th was a double release day. VS. Gradius became the second shmup this month to be given a new lease of life as part of the ACA range and is available on the e Shop now.

Arguably more significant, however, was the digital release of Vasara Collection. QUByte Interactive have done the job of bringing Vasara 1 and 2 to consoles for the first time ever, and have really gone above and beyond by adding a whole new Timeless Mode to the game, which is borderline equivalent to a third game. There will be a physical edition of this collection from Strictly Limited Games, but, unfortunately, unless you already have it ordered, you’ve missed out as this sold-out in double quick time.

19th: Darius Cozmic Collection may have been out for a while now as a physical edition, but on the 19th it was announced to be coming to the eShop. Priced at 5200 JPY for the SE and 6500 for the CE, this will only be available in Japan for now.

That same day saw Nintendo spring their Indie World presentation upon us. Amongst all the other announcements there was, somewhat surprisingly, a shmup in the form of Freedom Finger. This hori from Wide Right Games will look to take us on a tongue (and middle finger) very firmly in cheek thrill ride when it releases on the 27th of September.

22nd: The biggest physical release of the month came on the 22nd with Triangle Service’s Arcade Love: Plus Pengo! Available from Playasia here, this compilation of 4 games includes 2 shmups in the form of CombatZeal and Shmups Skill Test alongside the titular Pengo! and an Action-Game Skills Test.

The 22nd also saw the announcement that Psikyo’s classic vert Strikers 1999 would be released as a standalone digital edition. This game had previously been released as part of Psikyo Collection Vol. 3, a four-game physical release. From the 29th of August, however, anyone wanting Strikers 1999 only can purchase it from the eShop.

Additionally, the hori Cute'em-up Oshaberi! Horijo! was released on the Japanese eShop. Priced at 1,200 JPY, this one came somewhat out of the blue but if it ever gets a western release, we'll be sure to keep you updated.