Danmaku Unlimited 3 (Switch eShop)

Danmaku Unlimited 3 is a brilliantly executed ‘best of’ collection of bullet hell ideas wrapped up in a phenomenal package. It's a standout game in the whole Switch library and even if you don’t particularly like shmups — or if Japanese bullet hells are not your particular favourite flavour within the genre — exposure to the insane lightshows provided by this game might just turn you into a die-hard fan.

We only really found one significant fault with the game: every other shmup on the system will arguably feel a little slow and dull by comparison after you've sampled this one.

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Darius Cozmic Collection (Switch)

Another M2 joint, this time the port wizards take on Taito's classic side-scrolling shmup series and collect all the 2D games on one Switch cartridge. And unfortunately, it is available exclusively on cartridge in Japan at the moment. We're not sure why exactly it's physical-only, but if you're too impatient to wait for a western release, it's easy enough to import and pop in your Switch right now.

Regardless of the peculiarities surrounding its release, Darius Cozmic Collection is a glorious compilation of some stone-cold classics presented in various configurations and modes, with all the attention to detail we've come to expect from M2. Enthusiasts will probably want to import the costly Special Edition which includes an extra five home console games (including the super rare PC Engine Darius Alpha), but newcomers to the genre are probably better off waiting for a western release.

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Deathsmiles I & II (Switch)

Although there’s nothing here that hasn’t been seen previously, this is still a package bursting at the seams with content, and the sequel’s novelty Christmas theme is perfect for memorable December gaming. Driven by an excellent set of punchy organ arrangements and murky musical notes, Deathsmiles I & II is a very large Halloween-themed cake; an exuberant, gothic flourish punctuated by enduring bosses and a unique route-and-rank structure that encourages experimental replays.

With little middle ground between casual and concerted professional play, it might not be Cave’s most balanced piece of work, but there’s no doubt it has something for everyone, no matter how you choose to approach it.

Devil Engine (Switch eShop)

It seems almost customary to include the phrase 'Not for everyone' when discussing shmups, and while that certainly applies to Devil Engine, it has at least been designed in a way that encourages even the weakest players to keep trying and learn from their mistakes.

The drip-feed of content is an effective incentive to pick yourself up and have just one more go, and although it is at times brutally difficult, even when compared to other tricky 2D shooters, it has the depth and variety to maintain your interest, and when you're at a competent level it's a heck of a lot of fun.

The lack of online leaderboards goes against it, but if you're a fan of this style of game — and you're crying out for a title in the Thunder Force vein — then Devil Engine is well worth a look.

Dodonpachi DaiOuJou Blissful Death Re:Incarnation (Switch)

Tasked with saving a business rather than allow it a peaceful death, DoDonpachi DaiOuJou strove for excellence back in 2002, and achieved its goal. Whether fuelled by desperation or a desire to one-up the competition, the balancing and execution here comes closer to perfection than any other in the bullet-hell sub-genre.

When you tap into its rhythm and begin to bend the game to your will, Hypers raining down, giant lasers decimating the screen amidst an epic hell-storm, it’s poetry: the kind of unbroken euphoria and beat-by-beat accomplishment that gaming was created for. And, if a game can be played infinitely, its power and genius never diminished, its achievement never lessened, when does a 10 stop being a 10? Never. This M2-developed port is import-only at the time of writing, but it's absolutely worth tracking down.

And while we're on the subject...

DoDonPachi Resurrection (Switch eShop)

DoDonPachi Resurrection is arguably one of the best of its genre even after all these years and a lot of competition (plenty of it coming from developer Cave themselves). It’s relentlessly challenging, breathlessly inventive and exhilarating to play; an essential purchase for confirmed shmup fans. But it’s also one that needs you to do a lot of homework to get anything meaningful out of it.

DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou (Switch eShop)

While a fine-looking affair, DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou’s anime stylings are frankly unremarkable, and the incessant chatter will be turned off by many. But these are minor, skin-deep critiques of what is an incredible piece of work by the masters of the Danmaku: a series finale that showboats and regularly boils over in endless hails of gunfire, tugging you to and fro amid the heart of the storm as you forge a path to victory.

There’s a beauty here that only Cave could achieve; a harmony of scoring and surviving; coasting on sheer adrenaline as you thread hit-boxes through pixels, hammering out routes amidst dizzyingly spectacular orchestrated chaos. It may not be easy, but oh is it worth it.

Dragon Blaze (Switch eShop)

Dragon Blaze is Japanese developer Psikyo on top form. You might be a little disappointed that this strays so very close to bullet hell instead of the more traditional games that made its name famous in this industry. However, the game remains a beautifully executed vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up with a unique gameplay gimmick that goes beyond having the titular dragons as eye candy, effectively making them a core part of the high-score-chasing experience.

You may be able to clear the whole game loop in under 30 minutes, but we very much doubt you will play it once and never touch it again. It's quite simply brilliant, addictive and another must-have addition to your growing digital arcade Switch collection.

Drainus (Switch eShop)

Team Ladybug is really demonstrating its programming expertise with Drainus. It’s both dangerous and brave to attempt a shooting game on the scale of Gradius V or Einhander, yet for the most part, the developer pulls it off in convincing fashion.

It’s not entirely perfect, arguably overly easy, and various aspects will sit better with some players than others. But, at the very least, it’s a spectacular sci-fi action epic that constantly evolves, creates, and showboats. To that end, Drainus will land well with both hardcore and casual players alike.

Earth Atlantis (Switch eShop)

Even if you're not a 2D 'shmup' veteran, or are looking for something a little off the beaten, side-scrolling track, there is plenty to enjoy here - tight controls, plenty of unique monstrous bosses to defeat and exploration of a broken but beautiful submerged world.

While it lacks a few options, has occasional boss fight difficulty spikes and is not the relentless action that some genre fans prefer, Earth Atlantis has enough old school shoot 'em up substance to back up its glorious and organic style.

Eschatos (Switch eShop)

The ultimate M-KAI package, this three-strong historical evolution is the purest distillation of the developer’s vision for the shoot-em-up. Eschatos’ beautiful bombast will suck you in, fire up the adrenaline, and spit you back out with an instant just-one-more-go mindset. If that’s not worth diving into, why are you playing games at all?

ESP Ra.De. Psi (Switch)

ESP Ra.De. Psi goes beyond the industry standard and lays waste to pretty much every other shmup on the Nintendo Switch – this is even better than the mighty Ikaruga, which many Switch fans see as the best example of the genre available on the system.

While personal preference obviously enters into things, we feel that ESP Ra.De. Psi is the superior port thanks to all the comprehensive features and attention to detail. Plus, with Arcade Plus mode removing the previous frustrations of the troublesome boss milking scoring system, ESP Ra.De. Psi cleans up to be a massively underrated classic that effortlessly earns the title of the best shmup on the Nintendo Switch.

Hopefully, this superb package will see a western release in the fullness of time so an even wider audience can sample its myriad delights.

Espgaluda II (Switch eShop)

Luckily for publisher Live Wire, its bare-minimum localisation work and stumble out of the online gate aren’t destructive enough to drag the excellent Espgaluda II down too much, and underneath it all the game feels as fresh and well-designed as ever.

The flexible risk/reward scoring system allows long-time fans to decide for themselves (to a certain extent) how much trouble they want to get into while still allowing newcomers enough leeway to enjoy an intense and visually spectacular shmup experience.