Cave's Acclaimed Shooter, Mushihimesama, Is Out Now On Switch

I will be buying this tonight and getting stuck into it at the weekend. Going by the screenshots and description, it doesn't seem to have any display options, like TATE or to increase the screen size. It does have some lovely border art though.

Up until the start of this year, I'd never played a Cave shooter before. Now I have Progear and ESP. ra de psi. Apparently Espgaluda 2 and another I forget the name of, are coming later this year.

I went on the eshop and saw this and couldn't believe it got left out of the Direct. Glad to hear it was at least included in the Japanese version it. I almost instabought it, but decided to wait for some reviews and videos of gameplay. I'd feel so dumb if I bought Mushihimesama for my Switch, downloaded it, and it had microstutter, or 30fps, or was really lacking in some basic way. Even though Parodius, Aleste, and Battle Garegga are my favorite shoot-em-ups, I also like Cave and Progear and this game is one of the coolest ever.

Maybe in the future. At the moment I'm playing another shooting game, ACA Aero Fighters 3, for the first time and loving it, especially the drum n bass soundtrack!

Oh snap! I saw it on the JPN direct and made plans to buy it this week. Now I don’t have to get a yen card! Buying ASAP!

Awesome news! Now please bring ESP RA.DE. to western eShops!

A super fantastic shmup with a great theme and OST. Already have it on Steam but would be down for a Switch physical at a later date if they do one.

@OorWullie I bought it last night. You can play in TATE and can also zoom in to increase the screen size so it reaches the edges of your screen, etc.
Also, yeah, I started collecting some of the Cave titles in the past year or so. Some of them are region-free on Japanese Xbox 360, but they cost quite a bit on the second-hand market unfortunately. So, more of these on Switch please!

@OorWullie Espgaluda II is my favourite ever shmup! Didn’t realise it was headed to Switch, so that’s great news. I’m guessing it’ll be Japan only though? Really hope the one you forget the name of is Dondonpachi Resurrection.

@OorWullie Dodonpachi Resurrection! There are so many awesome shoot-em-ups on Switch

I just bought this and absolutely love it. I've played Mushihimesama on steam but had some controller issues and stuff. Having it run at 60fps with awesome TATE support (it feels perfect with flip grip!) and so much incredible music on Switch is really dreamy. Thank you Live Wire and Cave. (Nintendo, you should've at least given 20 or 30 seconds in the Western Direct for one of the best shoot-em-ups ever made!)

@The_Pixel_King Yeah, that's what I've read on some game news sites. I wonder if all three of these were in the Japanese Direct? Should've been in the Western Direct, I think.

@The_Pixel_King

Yes, both that and Espgaluda 2 are also coming.

@The_Pixel_King

I believe so yes, I'm guessing they'll drop tomorrow for us.

Together with Esp Ra.DE which i already have and the DeathSmiles 1&2 pack in December, this means we'll have 5 Cave arcade shmups on the Switch by the end of the year... and 2 of their flip-phone games on top of that, which are nice for portable gaming.

@Figo Not gonna lie, I get very confused with all the DoDoPachi names haha. Disappointed it's essentially Resurrection that's coming to Switch. Already got it on 360 and it's one of the few EU releases too.

Great game. Looks gorgeous too. Have this on Steam but TATE + Flip Grip may be too strong to resist double dipping.

Also worth mentioning Crimzon Clover (Cave Lover) - easily one of the best Shmups on eShop - is currently 20% off

@C0NNERS Oh, Cave Lover, I didn't know Clover meant that. That's cool. Yeah, I've really enjoyed Crimson Clover on my Switch.

Yeah, Mushihimesama basically appears to be perfect to me on Switch. It has some slowdown that feels exactly like the slowdown included with recent M2 releases. Basically brief and non-intrusive (or on some of the versions M2 has released the slowdown is helpful and welcome, by me at least). The music and graphics are wonderful. I like the novice mode, where I still keep dying on stage 3... but it's so fun to not continue and just keep trying from the beginning. Such an awesome Switch release!

@SpringDivorce @The_Pixel_King Those, Espgaluda II and DDPDFK, are coming sometime this year. Possibly a simultaneous release just like this.

@60frames-please @OorWullie To me, this appears to be based off the JP 360 ports, with the same style menus, adding extra mini displays around the main game screen for specifically showing your score, your 'ship', bombs, and score pacing. There's also replay recording, and downloading (that part's not working yet). It's all with remastered HD assets, part of the original JP 360 ports. So far I see no performance issues or horrendous lag, maybe 3 frames, and I'm using a fight stick->Mayflash adapter. It's a really good port of a port!

@masterLEON Thanks for confirming the lack of lag. I'm not great at noticing that. I notice frame drops very well, but have been enjoying Gunbirds 2 and Gigawing and such without any complaints.

@PessitheMystic

Haha, easily done. You have:

DonPachi (PS1 / Saturn)
DoDonPachi (PS1 / Saturn)
DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou (PS2 / X360 region locked)
DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu / Ressurection (X360)
DoDonPachi Saidaoujou (X360 region-free)

There's an unconverted arcade game DoDonPachi II: Bee Storm, and a mobile version on Dai-Ou-Jou which has just been released for Switch under the G-Mode label.

@SpringDivorce I always feel like there's more than that haha. Maybe it's the 1.5 or Black Label releases that are throwing me off. Thanks though!
I bought that G-Mode one when I discovered it too. I know it's a totally-dated mobile game, but I thought it was fairly uninteresting.

Scoring in this is a daunting thing to wrap your head around. From what I recall, it has to do mostly with the how fast you tap the shot or auto shot. The autofire settings even have interval and duration settings, so you know it's serious, LOL. All I know is I'm trying to make the numbers above the enemies as you hit them...yellow, and add more counters? Yeah, I gotta research this all over again.

@60frames-please - Crimzon Clover is a labour of love created by Clover-TAC-, one of the world's top Shmup players (he holds / held the Mushihimesama score world record). Crimzon Clover is his love letter to Cave.

@masterLEON - check out Bullet Heaven on YouTube. They provide deep dives on scoring mechanics in their excellent reviews. A phenomenal resource for shmup fans:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc2aNk4wPtcuGyT4ZtSUloA

@PessitheMystic

Oh, it gets stupid when listing those. I remember picking up Resurrection with the DLC on 360, and from the title menu I could select:

Novice
Arrange
Original
Original 1.5
Black Label
Black Label 1.5

It made my head hurt. I dabbled with Black Label and it was so different to the main game it was untrue!

@C0NNERS Thanks! I haven't watched them in a bit, but I'll check it out. I was also going to rewatch STG Weekly's video since they cover runs on Original, Maniac, and Ultra.

@The_Pixel_King I agree! Also love Rolling Gunner (+DLC) and Psikyo classics like Gunbird 2 & Strikers 1945 II.

It's easy to buy games on the eShop of other countries - literally just change your home country in account settings, buy the game(s) using the appropriate currency then change it back once finished. Keeps all games under one account. Will be doing that once ESP Ra.De. Psi goes on sale on the Japanese eShop.

@masterLEON All good!

Another great channel for deep dive content on shmups & beat 'em ups is The Electric Underground (who has also written several shmup reviews for Nintendo Life).

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheElectricUnderground

Ok, this is great news! I’ll definitely pick this up if the performance is good. Hopefully they get Mushihimesama Black Label out, too!

NINJA APPROVED

@The_Pixel_King

I'm sure Crimson Clover is mate, 99% certain it's on my wish list.

@OorWullie I don't know if I'm late to the party, but I saw a guy stream this today and it does switch to Tate mode, if you like!

@PessitheMystic Cheers for the info. I can't wait to get stuck into it. I really need to play more ESP ra de and Progear. I enjoy them but they've not really clicked with me enough yet to say I love them. I reckon I will in time though. I'm struggling to get the scoring system down in them both. Perhaps I should just ignore that for now and just enjoy the game and see how far I can get.

@The_Pixel_King They should both be released in the West as they're from the guys that just released Mushihimesama. Espgaluda 2 is the one I want to try the most. I heard it's one of their easier ones. I love playing bullet hells but I'm not good at them. I don't think I've ever made it to the 4th stage of a bullet hell before haha. Even reaching the 3rd boss is an ask. I did come really close in Rolling Gunner though. Reached the 3rd boss with 2 lives and it was seconds from falling but then I bottled it. And that was that.

@60frames-please Yep, the Switch is amazing for shmups. One of my wishes for the Switch before it launched was that it got a lot of classic shmups. I was really into them in the late 80's to mid 90's. But then never really played them again until the Wii Virtual Console where I played games like Lords/ Gates of Thunder. Then went another few years without playing them until the Switch arrived. Even in my wildest dreams I could never have expected it to turn out like it has. I own over 80 shmups alone That's crazy haha. So many classics, many I had never even heard of that are now my favourites. Like Tengai, Gunbird 2, Darius Gaiden, G-Darius, 19XX and modern ones like Rolling Gunner.

@C0NNERS @masterLEON I really like SHMUP Junkie's content. I love his passion for them. Not too keen on his comedy stuff but it's usually brief. He comes across as a really good bloke. I watch quite a bit of Electric Underground too, was just watching him earlier in fact. He really knows his stuff.

@BloodNinja Yep I got that but cheers for the message. I've been using a recently purchased projector for playing TATE mode. I can get a 2 metre vertical image on my wall and it's an amazing way to play. I feel like I'm at the cinema. It only cost me 80 Euro's off Amazon and the quality of its image surprised me. Thinking about buying a better quality one now haha

@OorWullie That sounds incredible. The bullets must be the size of your fist!! Hahaha

@OorWullie A projector for TATE - that's genuis. I have a projector and that never occurred to me. Great shout!

Shmup junkie has some solid content too - not so keen on the comedy skits but clearly passionate and conscientious.

Also worth checking out Shmups on Switch

@BloodNinja Blue Label (Version 1.5) is included.

Is this game pronounced, "moo-she-him-E- sahm-ahh?

@Northwind Novice mode (main menu) -> Original mode (once you hit 1P start) is a good way to get into this game if you're completely new. All the bullet patterns are cut down so you have less to dodge and you can concentrate on shooting stuff. If you do a good job of keeping the screen clear of enemies, you won't see that many bullets. And the game won't skimp on you, either. You'll get the same ending just like the other modes. Ideally, if you beat the game this way (or even get a 1CC, one credit clear) you can bump up the difficulty to Novice -> Maniac, Original -> Original, Novice -> Ultra, and so on, or to whenever you start hitting your personal "wall". The way these ports were done, they can grow along with you as you get better. It's a great shmup trainer!

@AvianBlue moo-she-hee-may-sah-mah

@C0NNERS That’s excellent, but I might be getting the name wrong. I mean the black label for Mushihimesama Futari, which I believe is the sequel.

@OorWullie That's lame if it has no screen options, seeing as they were present in the 360 version ten years ago.

more things??? that Nintendo Direct was so amazing that it's still giving me more surprises the next day!!!

Noice. And I don’t need to buy Japanese eshop gift cards cards (looking at you, M2).

@Clyde_Radcliffe

The amen break does all of the heavy lifting in that game. I literally play it just because it’s the shooter with the jungle soundtrack. I certainly don’t play it for the level design: Two popcorn enemies and then a boss. Two popcorn enemies and the a boss. Two popcorn enemies and then a boss.

Maybe this Live Wire crew should pick up the Raizing, Toaplan and Compile licenses from M2? I’m willing to wager Battle Garegga is running on Switch but we’ll have to wait three years so that M2 can program a whole dating sim to add in as “bonus” content.

Anyone here in or around Denver, Colorado, or planning to go there, there's a place on the north side called Akihabara that has a couple rows of Sega Astro cabinets.

One of them has the "Black Label Another Ver." version of this along with Deathsmiles, Pink Sweets and Muchi Muchi Pork.

There's also a giant screen NeoGeo sit-down thing with Blazing Star in it.

Paul F. Tompkins says, "Stick around if you don't mind some cream in your jeans."

@60frames-please The last boss in Battle Garegga is the most brutal boss I have ever fought in a video game.

The Shmups Forum's most recent annual poll ranks "Mushihimesama" as the 14th best shmup of all-time.

It's sequel, "Mushihimesama Futari" is even better, ranked 4th best all-time.

Wish-listed!

@robr I mean you're not wrong. I have quite a few games I'd probably not play nearly as much were it not for the soundtracks (especially some of the Sonic games!) It's a big part of the gaming experience for me.

@OorWullie it does have multiple options, TATE and X-Y screen settings, multiple windows zoom-in/out options to customize for score/combo/etc.

It lacks a scanlines filter, like the PC and X360 releases, too bad cause even with the upped rez from the og 240p this art was still drawn with scanlines in mind and it shows.

There are online leaderboards but don’t seem to be active yet and the option is greyed out so maybe they’ll go online in an upcoming patch.

Game is a blast, an absolute gem and a fantastic price, it also includes everything that was DLC on X360

@OorWullie

Not sure where you've heard that about Galuda 2 man, it's an absolute ball-breaker. Mushi Futari Black Label is one of the more manageable ones, I've even seen the last boss on that (though not beaten it). Galuda 2 is up there with DoDonPachi Saidaioujou for me. I really hope Muchi Muchi Pork comes across now, that''s an amazing game that I sadly had to sell on Xbox last year.

@Northwind

You can quarter feed your way to the end. Mushihimesama is the most stereotypical example of modern danmaku as it gets. The last boss in arrange mode is migraine inducing. In original mode, on the default difficulty, playing to survive, it’s not at all “Nintendo Hard”. Pretty predictable. Be warned, the game itself is short and it’s heavy on the otaku/weeb fan service.

I forgot to download this! I'll need to rectify that. I did notice it on the Switch releases.

@YANDMAN there are enough screen options (general screen and screen even), Tate and zoom for tate which makes it perfect for the flipgrip