Get Ready For Some Shmup Action, Because Astebreed Blasts Onto Switch eShop Today

Already pre-purchased, first play impressions soon during my lunch break. Pew, pew, pew!

20 bucks for digital version only are kind of borderline, but being a port of a 2014 game one would expect a retail version or a cheaper price tag, so not for me. Plus, ANOTHER shmup for the Switch. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but...

I was really interested in this until I saw the price, read that it was really short, and realized that it would be over in an hour or two with nothing to go back for except scores and increased difficulty.

I consider Sky Force a shmup done right on Switch. Lots of replay value, lots to upgrade and find, and while it's not as glitzy as Astebreed, it costs half as much.

Definitely want to play it though, but I can't see myself paying more than $10-15 for a straightforward linear, short shmup these days.

Another backlog for me. I like what I see but I'll wait for a sale.

Nah. Maybe on sale.

Also, this is very reminiscent of the shmup bits from NieR: Automata

I agree with some of what the other comments are saying about price vs hours but also wanted to come into the comments to say the music is really catchy!

Darn forgot to pre-purchase. Oh well, only an extra quid.

I'm not going to defend the game, but shmups usually take 1 hour or so... if you're good enought to beat them, of course. That's a standard length. It's like complaining about old games as a whole, which once mastered are really short.

@Dualmask All that's left is going back for scores and increased difficulty? That's what a shmup essentially is. Sounds like you just don't like shmups. I don't mean that in an elitist way, it's simply that these games are designed to be finished in a single sitting and replayed for score and if you don't like that aspect, the genre's probably not for you. Ikaruga, Psyvariar Delta, Gunbird (and the other Psikyo shmups), Danmaku Unlimited 3, Black Bird, Thunder Force IV; these are just some of the classic and modern classic shmups on Switch. All of them can be 'finished' in an hour and most in under 30 minutes.

The fact you like Sky Force shows this even more. It's most definitely NOT a shmup done right. It's a shmup done appallingly badly. You might think it's a game done right - and it's not my business to disagree with you there - but as a shmup, it's one of the worst this system has to offer. I'd barely even call it one, to be honest.

(Please don't interpret this as me questioning your taste at all. I'm not. I'm just saying your problems with this game are an inherent part of its genre.)

It's way cheaper in the UK though. Picked it up on pre-order for 9 pounds, threw in some gold coins to get it down to 7. Played the prologue this morning - looks pretty good.

The game looks great but I thought it looked too wild to hit 60fps on the switch, I didn't want to buy it if I wasn't sure. 30fps would be alright but I wanted to know before I bought it

@riccyjay I did use the words 'I consider...' so yeah, it's my taste. I actually love shmups. I just love certain kinds of shmups. Been playing them since the NES days, and I liked the old school ones when they were old school. Gradius, Darius, R-Type, and obscure ones like Strike Gunner STG and Space Megaforce on SNES, played the hell out of those. But in my adulthood I like a bit more depth to my games. I actually couldn't stand Ikaruga, but I do love Soldner-X2 on PS3/Vita, Stardust Galaxy Warriors on PS4 and the aforementioned Sky Force because those games are action packed, fun shmups that also offer depth in the form of diverse ships/weapons and aside from Stardust, unlockables. I even find myself going back to Steredenn on Switch for that reason, because variety is great.

If I'm going to play a shmup today, I expect there to be a bit more to do than just go through six straightforward stages, beat the bosses and do it again with the same weapons over and over.

I pre-purchased this for $17.99 in North America. Looking forward to playing it. Been wanting another good sci-fi shooter on Switch.

I am actually glad it's a shorter game experience. As an old schooler, I can't handle an infinite number 60 hour+ games.

The price may seem high for a shorter game, but it's pretty close to what you'd pay for a 2-hour movie ticket.

Should be fun

Played the mandatory prologue section this morning and immediately noticed how the in game characters never shut up. If they talk this much during the main game, I’m turning the vo off. I’m cool with the short length. I’ve got enough games that take forever to finish. It looks good, moves well... eh, I feel like I got what I paid for.

@Ralizah was thinking exactly the same thing when waching the vid, wonder if Platinum were fans of this during development.

Darn you adult responsibilities!

It's pretty good and the graphics are really impressive, but my shmup highlight this year so far is Black Bird.

Price is so overrated. If a game is good and you enjoy it, you remember it for a lifetime. If a game sucks, any price seems like robbery.

This looks really intriguing. Looking forward to Shiryu's valuable input.

£8.30 south Africa eshop. Great value for sure. How cheap do people want games to be?

@Moroboshi876 Yeah it's a lot to ask, i only paid 25 for the physical on pS4 and its 5 on steam.

Great game but a little pricey for how old it is.

@kobashi100 Yeah, but you have to rely on countries where the currency is weaker, and in this case the game is unusually cheap anyway, because the difference with euro zone is about 20% in the best moments (for us), and this price is 50%.

Can this game be acquired for a good price? Yes, this way it can. But this doesn't make it cheap or extremely reasonably priced. It's just an anomaly, like Stardew Valley in Mexico or Sonic Mania in Russia.