This week’s IGP First Look has us clearing the skies of jerk robots with a pair of fluffy pilots, using the power of adorable (and lasers/rockets/explosives) to save the day in ultra-cute shmup HORGIHUGH.
HORGIHUGH, while more than capable of challenging players who are looking for a difficult shmup, is quite relaxing in this early look. The stages are filled with all manner of mechanical menaces, but there is plenty of breathing room between shots to get your bearings and get a handle on combat/movement. This is nice, as it gives you lots of time to learn all of the various weapons you can pick up, steadily building an arsenal of shots that you’ll be firing at your foes all at once. Nothing feels quite like spraying beams in all directions in a shmup, I tells ya.
It’s all pretty darn cheerful and cute, too. Your smiling dog pilot in a biplane may seem like an unusual hero, but that grin just makes you want to save the world for them. That you can also get a cat in a plane to back you up (as a power-up) only adds to that heartwarming charm. The game’s atmosphere seems to quickly grow dark after the first few screens of happy skies, though, so perhaps these pleasant characters will soon find themselves in unpleasant circumstances.
Still, the game’s sharp controls will help you keep the gang in fighting shape. If not, a weapon shop that offers shields and power-ups may help you cater the game more to your style so that you can survive. It offers a lot of tools to help you see the game’s end.
HORGIHUGH is cute and a lot of fun to play, offering a relaxed shmup for those who might want something that starts off a little calmer. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes from here.
HORGIHUGH is available now on Steam.
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