If you’d told me when the Switch launched that we’d be practically drowning in great arcade shmups ranging from remasters and remakes to flashy newcomers, I don’t know that I would have believed you. There’s no denying that is where we find ourselves now though, and while that’s great news for genre fans, it makes for a tough time for anyone trying to make their mark on the genre at this stage of the game.

In this particular case you have a pretty intense shooter whose focus is obviously on visual flourishes and filling the screen with a mix of bullets, stars, and what feels like anything else you could imagine. Given the option between a few ships, each with their own character and signature style, you’ll blast through waves of enemies, dodging bullets, and collecting what can at times feel like a tidal wave of stars. The thing is, while that can be satisfying, more often than not I did find it to be a bit irksome since it made keeping tabs on where enemy fire was coming from and going to, harder than it should have to be.

One odd element in that same general vein is that the area you have to operate within feels like a broom closet at times. Part of this is a function of the restricted vertical screen, part is tied to the sheer amount of junk that’s regularly in the way, and part is that simply everything could probably have benefitted from the view being pulled out a bit. The fact is that despite there being plenty of craziness going on, you can still generally pick out your safest routes. It may not top the genre, but it at least gives a respectable showing.