When you’re jumping into a crowded genre space on the Switch eShop, there’s no doubt that you need to make some effort to stand out. Considering the fact that the eShop is absolutely swamped with retro arcade shooters of just about every type, I can see where wanting to set yourself apart is both a priority and a challenge. Blast Rush LS embraces that challenge by, in many ways, simply taking a road in the opposite direction of its peers. Here, your guns are next to useless, bomb use is intended to be the norm, and in order to throw in a skill element for extra fun the gusts your ship makes when it maneuvers are also a great way to blow up enemies. The problem? Simply trying to trick your brain into accepting this alternative take, and then find it enjoyable.

Very honestly, it took me quite a few runs to simply wrap my head around the way I was intended to play. Old habits die hard, and even though I’d read through multiple pages of instructions trying to explain this title’s line of thinking… I found it very hard to accept, let alone get good at. Your main guns feel worthless, though they’re supposed to do some minor damage, so that leaves you with a bit more dodging than usual, trying to throw in some gust kills as you get used to some of the erratic enemy flight patterns, and using the bomb more frequently than you’re used to… but making the most of them is where the challenge comes in.

I’m pleased that the different craft you have to choose from at least offer some variety, opening a door to you finding one that suits your style better. Of course, full-on traditional play isn’t an option, you’ll just have to come to terms with the game mechanics, with the least bad option put in front of you perhaps. That really leads to my deep seated issue with the experience. No matter how much I appreciate it doing its own thing, and would like to embrace it fully, my brain and instincts simply rejected it more often than not. If nothing else, I simply play too many shooters on a regular basis, that I felt like I wanted to risk anything in my shooter flow getting overwritten by the way this lone title works. I’m not entirely sure who it’s for, but if you’re looking for a very different take on the genre it will absolutely deliver just that.