Bug Princess

The "bullet hell" is a type of shmup that endlessly fascinates me, despite myself being pretty bad at it; even more so when it's a game from the developer that pretty much created the subgenre. Cave seems to have in fact decided to ride on their fame (or infamy) with this one, as the way some bosses fill the screen with bullets is insane, and the player's hitbox is so small, you are likely to wonder how you even managed to survive some barrages. While you are more likely to concentrate on the far too many purple bullets on the screen, a lot of the 3D-modeled graphics have aged nicely (the original arcade version dates from 2004), with fascinating enemy designs and some great details in the backgrounds here and there, like the huge centipede seen in one of the screenshots. There is a mode to play on a vertically oriented screen if you wish. Some of the biggest enemies, especially the bosses, dive deep into the uncanny valley, and look really freaky. Given that one even keeps fighting after losing its head, it's likely intentional. It plays great, and there are enough modes and options (even more if you get the 1.5 DLC) for it not to get old too fast. This version is built to satisfy pretty much everyone (or at least try to), from maniacal players who want to show off their god-tier skills, to people who want to just cheese through it by inserting another virtual coin after being shot down. [b]Mushihimesama[/b] won't be to everyone's taste even among fans of its genre, and doesn't really want to be. It just sets out to bring its own subgenre to the peak, and does it perfectly.

One of the best and most unique shmups out there. It's aesthetic is gorgeous with sprites of 3D renders and is much different than the typical Cave technological landscapes. The music is fantastic as well, I'm super partial to Stage 4's entire vibe. There's a ton of different ways to play, and getting a 1CC on this game is absolutely doable for people who aren't shmup gods. Highly recommend this if you are looking to get into Cave games or shmups in general. If you're already into shmups, you already have this, right?

Favorite cave game so far. took 13 hours of play to get the Normal - Original 1cc. Some of the shot patterns are fast, compared to stuff in Blue Revolver or Gunvein, but for the most part you just see them and move out of the way quickly. Very, very fun shmup, and a reasonable task to clear. Did Novice original my second attempt, so that's probably a good way to jump in if you don't want to get into the genre with an indie game. (though i do really recommend No Need For Flowers, Gunvein, Blue Revolver or Zero Ranger too)