Shoot the core!

Gamers of a certain age will become visibly animated if you mention the names R-Type, Gradius, Thunderforce, Darius and Axelay to them - these 2D shmup classics are held in high esteem even by today's standards, despite the fact that they no longer command AAA status with the vast majority of players.

In short, there's always room for more 2D shooting action, and PC indie title Xydonia looks capable of scratching that itch pretty effectively. Coded and designed by three people and boasting music by some of the greatest Japanese shmup composers of all time (Shinji Hosoe, Keishi Yonao, Ayako Saso and Yousuke Yasui), this unique-looking blaster arrived on Kickstarter today and needs 20,000 Euros (approximately £16,666 / $22,051) to get made.

Here's a rundown of the game's features, taken from the campaign page:

  • A return to the golden age of shmups with hardcore '90s arcade action
  • A varied roster of characters, each with their own unique play style
  • A killer YM2151+Sega PCM soundtrack featuring shmup legends Shinji Hosoe and Keishi Yonao
  • Multiple paths of destruction for extended replayability and challenge
  • Customize each playthrough with different equipment and assist characters
  • A unique "scavenge" system that allows purchasing of upgrades and more
  • Easy to learn, hard to master scoring/ranking system
  • Old-school 16-bit Neo Geo style 2D graphics
  • Two-player Co-op

As you'd expect, the campaign comes with a wide range of stretch goals, but the one of interest to Nintendo fans comes at the 80,000 Euros (£66,670 / $88,205) marker. Should Xydonia reach this goal, a 3DS version will be forthcoming.

While we're loathe to report on Kickstarter campaigns which dangle Nintendo versions in front of our faces as outlandish stretch goals, Xydonia looks so darn cool that we couldn't resist. What about you? Will you pledge your support in the hope that a 3DS version could happen? Let us know by posting a comment.

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[source kickstarter.com]