When someone mentions "shoot 'em up" games, classics like Space Invaders or Asteroids come to mind. In these games, players control a single ship and face off against a large number of enemies. Players need to shoot down enemy ships and dodge incoming enemy fire, making the gameplay simple, yet addicting. Following a popularity boom in the '80s and '90s, developers decided to go a step further and introduced the "bullet hell" subgenre.
In bullet hell games, the main framework of a shoot 'em up is still in place, but the incoming fire directed at the player is multiplied by hundreds. Instead of leisurely dodging a couple bullets and returning fire, players are now forced to dodge and weave between bullets without a single pixel of error. Sure, the spectacle of bullets can be arranged to look beautiful, but if players so much as take their focus off the bullets for a second, they're toast.
Make no mistake, players will die playing these types of games, but with every death comes knowledge. Each death provides insight on how to approach certain enemies or certain patterns in the bullets, allowing players to get further in the level. While some may accuse such players of being masochists, the sense of accomplishment that comes with victory is immense.
Here are four bullet hell games that will test reaction time, hand-eye coordination and strength of will.
Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony
Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony is a relatively straightforward entry into the bullet hell subgenre. Players pick from eight different ships (even more in the + version) and fly off to battle against Space Spanish Conquistadors in the 17th century.
Each ship has a different shot and special attack, which offers players different ways to approach levels. Each ship also comes equipped with a "Vaunt" ability, which creates a protective shield that protects the player from bullets for a few seconds. Vaunt is obtained by collecting a certain amount of ducats from defeated enemies. While this primarily serves as a defensive option, activating Vaunt also provides a score multiplier, which can be extended by picking up more ducats. Players also have the option to Vaunt a second time, but the shield is smaller and immediately cuts off the score multiplier.
Jamestown is a fantastic entry into the bullet hell genre because the player has so many options. Vaunt is a powerful defensive ability that can be used many times, cooperative players can revive teammates and players can choose between different difficulty modes for each level. However, that's not to say Jamestown is easy. Later levels can be difficult due to the number of enemies and tight map layout. Additionally, most bosses have different stages, which completely changes their attack patterns and movement.
Ikaruga
Ikaruga is the spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun, which was a critically-acclaimed bullet hell that released in 1988. Much like its predecessor, Ikagura is a bullet hell, but with a few mechanical twists.
The game's main mechanic is the "Polarity" system, in which players can switch between "black" and "white" modes. While in any of these forms, the ship can absorb the corresponding color, but can be destroyed by the opposite one. Upon absorbing enough shots, the ship is able to unleash a homing laser attack and damage a large swath of enemies. Additionally, damaging an enemy of the same color will inflict double damage, while doing less to the other. This unique mechanic introduces a more puzzle-like aspect to the game, as players need to think about proper placement and damage types.
Even with the ability to negate half the damage on screen, Ikaruga is not a cakewalk. Players will need to react quickly to absorb certain bullet types and move to avoid stage hazards. Limited lives also becomes an issue, but can be alleviated by playing with infinite lives.
Enter the Gungeon
Enter the Gungeon is a bit of a departure from the other games on the list, as it's not actually a vertical scrolling bullet hell.
In Enter the Gungeon, players fight walking and talking bullets. The actual gameplay itself leans more towards that of a rogue-like dungeon crawler, where players pick up random items and guns to fight against the hordes of bullets. The bullet hell aspect of the game isn't apparent until the boss encounters. While wandering around in the dungeon, a player might have maybe 20 bullets on screen at once (early on). In a boss fight, prepare to dodge upwards of 100 bullets.
Again, Enter the Gungeon is not primarily a bullet hell, but it's still loads of fun, especially with a friend. The gameplay is tight and the pop culture references are hilarious. Additionally, the fact that it's a randomly generated dungeon makes the game infinitely replayable.
Touhou Project
Don't let the cutesy anime girls fool you; this entry is probably the most notorious and well-known game on the list. The Touhou Project is a series of bullet hell games that initially launched in 1997 and is still going strong today. Touhou creator Jun'ya Ōta has single-handedly produced 22 of these games.
Compared to the other games on this list, Touhou is a lot tougher. This is not exactly due to the lack of defensive abilities, as Spell Cards and Bombs can help players survive. The challenge of Touhou comes from the sheer amount of bullets that materialize on screen. While the hitbox of the player is incredibly small (5x5 pixels), it's still difficult to focus on shooting while having to frantically dodge a literal wave of bullets. To make matters worse, bosses have multiple bars and have access to Spell Cards as well. The real kicker here is that players must play through the entire game in one sitting, much like a traditional arcade cabinet.
If you're a seasoned bullet hell fan or just looking for a challenge, try out a Touhou game and see how long you'll last.