M2’s ShotTriggers series seems to have been building toward this point the whole time.

Over the course of its lengthy existence, the Japanese developer and publishing business has built an outstanding reputation for the quality of its many ports. All of it, however, may have been a lead-up to DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation’s publication.

That’s quite a statement, so before getting ahead of ourselves, let’s stand back and gain some perspective.

M2 introduced its ShotTriggers shooter brand in 2016, generating a series that has near-consistently thrilled even the genre’s most seasoned, demanding gamers. With a sharp focus on bringing beloved classic shooters—mostly those with arcade roots—to life, this compilation has given us the definitive versions of titles like Toaplan’s Tiger Heli and Zero Wing, Raizing’s extravagant Battle Garegga, a number of Aleste releases, and a few creations from genre masters Cave, such as ESP.ra.de, Dangun Feveron, and the formidable Ketsui.

Enormously accurate ports of shooting icons with the power of Battle Garegga or Ketsui would suffice. Nevertheless, it is evident that the ShotTriggers series’ creators are not ready to let up even with the port secured. Additionally, they add a ton of customization options and archival extras, include multiple game variants, brand-new game modes designed to appeal to both novice and expert players, and introduce M2’s “gadgets,” which are new UI elements that provide the player with a variety of real-time performance data while they shoot and dodge. However, one element has been absent from an image that often highlights shooters who go to hell: It’s a DoDonPachi title, that.

And yet here we are at last, with it. The newest ShotTriggers release, DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation, is solely centered on the fourth game in the DonPachi series, 2002’s horrific marvel, DoDonPachi DaiOuJou. Just to be clear, DaiOuJou has historically been referred to as “Blissful Death” on occasion; hence, you can pretty well consider the terms to be interchangeable.

Whatever you name it, what counts most in this case is that fans of the genre agree that DoDonPachi DaiOuJou is not just Cave’s best work but also maybe the best representation of bullet hell ever made. Many may even claim you it’s the greatest shooter out there. To cut right to the point, M2 has produced a port of outstanding quality here, realized as a part of a package that includes numerous different versions and even three completely new modes (or, to use shooting game jargon, “arranges”). After a while, turning on the original arcade board via M2’s port demonstrates how accurate this ShotTriggers edition is, especially when it comes to lag and visual performance. Other gamers have noted that the minuscule two-frame input latency in the PS4 version is almost exactly the same as it was in the arcade original. Three frames behind seems to be the norm for Switch owners, although that is still a negligible difference.

Prior to become sidetracked by the plethora of accessories that expand the game’s player base, it’s important to reflect on why the centerpiece 2002 arcade version of the bundle is held in such high respect. With a surprising balance of simplicity and complexity, DaiOuJou is as purebred as it gets, carrying on the lessons learned from DonPachi and DoDonPachi before it. It is renowned for its intensity and difficulty, which are caused by a variety of shot types ranging from sweeping curtains and fiercely directed bullets to drifting, idle swarms that hover about you. These factors contribute to the game’s allure as well as the sheer quantity of adversaries and their firepower.

Let’s be clear. As expected, the original DaiOuJou is generic. The objective of this vertically scrolling game is to take out a large number of adversaries while avoiding the barrage of bullets they unleash throughout the course of five stages, or ten in variants that give a two-loop version. It is a relentless shooter in spirit. It is unrelenting after the first three seconds of the game, maybe. After a few more seconds, you will encounter a ground installation that in many other instances of this genre would be saved for a stage-2 fight. From then on, bosses happily unleash volley after barrage, and opponents never stop crowding the screen. Equipped with a broadside, a potent laser secondary weapon, and a traditional bomb, your mission is to advance against an array of apparently impenetrable obstacles with hardly any breaks in sight. It’s thrilling, challenging, and stressful, yet even when you’re completely overwhelmed, the amazing game design makes it a great place to be.

Another game that has a strong sense of realism is DaiOuJou, which is partly because to its cyberpunk-inspired setting made of very intricate pixel graphics. Every explosion and penetrating laser beam has artistic flair, creating a visually captivating subtlety. The very gritty sound effects and Manabu Namiki’s musical composition, which has a thundering electronica style influenced by anything from metal to techno to vintage rave, highlight that. The most remarkable thing is that every DaiOuJou version’s audio and visual components work together as a single, cohesive whole, much as a sound and its source do in real life.

The game mechanics of DaiOuJou, which are intricately linked to all the basic shooting and dodging, are what truly elevate the version of the game that serves as the basis for the full ShotTriggers release. Like DonPachi and DoDonPachi before it, DaiOuJou is a chaining shooter. This implies that a score multiplier is raised for each opponent you take out quickly, giving you exponentially more points for each enemy you eliminate. When you aim your laser toward a bigger foe, the chain stays stable or gradually approaches. If you stop your killing streak for even a short while, the multiplier will reset, forcing you to find creative methods to cross chains across locations with intentionally fewer foes.

The Hyper is an additional option to the bomb that may be obtained by defeating adversaries, among other things. A Hyper medal will show when your Hyper bar is filled. When you scoop it up, the next time you press the bomb button, a Hyper will be fired, boosting opponent bullet speed and delivering a tremendous boost in firepower. Everything returns virtually to usual once the Hyper comes to a close, with the exception that the ‘rank,’ which is effectively a measure of ‘difficulty,’ will have gone up little.

DoDonPachi DaiOuJou feels insurmountably strong with only one credit. However, if you put in enough effort, you can develop a rhythm. And when you reach the point where you can produce a constant flow of Hypers while dancing through patterns and gripping chains in a world that oozes elegance and intricacy, it’s as thrilling as arcade games get.

As a result, M2 has produced an incredible 2D shooter port that is unmatched. And that’s only the start.

Because Black Label, an improved, polished version of the arcade original, is also included. It significantly adjusted the difficulty, decreased hitbox size and bullet aggressiveness, and fixed a few minor glitches. It also increased the pace at which Hypers fell. In essence, it presents a DaiOuJou version that is usually thought to be a little simpler. The bundle also contains the recondite DoDonPachi III, a modified Black Label version meant for the global market but never really seems to be released.

You also receive the always welcome addition of the Super Easy mode, which drastically reduces the number of bullets and intensity in the game while maintaining a realistic shooting game experience that skillfully reveals high level play ideas. Although there is some difficulty for complete novices, players with little to no shmup knowledge may easily navigate one of the hardest games ever created with the help of Super Easy mode.

And then there are those three all-new “arrangements,” which M2 created just for this release. After removing the majority of the core game mechanics, Arrange S provides you with an almost endless supply of Hypers. When played simply, Arrange S is so simple that it may sometimes seem meaningless. However, you run a higher danger of calling forth the actual bullet hell the more Hyper you use. Beyond what immediately seems, there is more to be discovered.

With the addition of bullet cancelling, Arrange L presents a slightly more difficult version of DaiOuJou. This means that taking out specific enemies will turn entire firepower screens into items that grant points. Regardless of your skill level, this mode is incredibly rewarding and a great challenge for players with limited experience with shooting games. Arrange EX, in the end, increases the bullet count significantly beyond what was seen in the arcade original and presents a difficult challenge with its own bullet cancelling. This creates a dizzying thrill ride for players of all skill levels and something truly special for arcade veterans.

As if that weren’t enough, there is also a remastered version of that incredible soundtrack, an abundance of careful display and customization choices, and three more modes—Luna Tour and Arcade Osari, in particular—that divide DaiOuJou into manageable chunks for practice or as challenges.

A veritable playable compendium of Cave’s best shooter, then, abundant with fresh additions that usher it into the modern day and welcome a much wider range of players than were accommodated in 2002.

The primary mode’s tremendous difficulty, at worst, offers plenty of opportunities for dehumanization, which may not be to everyone’s taste. While there are occasional linguistic barriers, English is the most common tongue. You may select what is shown, albeit some of those UI gadgets can lean toward showing more information than is necessary.

It will always seem a little strange to commend an import game, but it is far simpler to get a digital version on Japanese retailers. And this is a really remarkable, accurate, and ambitious rendition of not only one of the greatest shooting games ever created, but also one of the most exquisitely thought-out examples of game design ever. I can only speculate as to what ShotTriggers achieves to surpass DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Blissful Death re:Incarnation.

Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has had a difficult beginning. The game was formally revealed by the company in August 2020 after an early leak, but this came after allegations of sexual harassment. The co-founders of the company quit, the game was postponed, and rumors of a battle pass sparked a heated discussion. Finally, during Sony’s PlayStation State of Play last year, we were able to see the game in action, however the reception was not entirely positive and it was once again postponed. More recently, in December, an alpha tech test was conducted, but the video quickly went viral with spoilers.

“Having leaks is always upsetting. At a game preview event, Suicide Squad game director Axel Rydby told me, “I think it’s unavoidable in this day and age.” “To put it briefly, that’s unfortunate, but we also know that the game is excellent. And we are aware of how special this game is. We only hope that gamers’ choices to test it out won’t be impacted by leaks, even if they do occur.”

Regarding the wait time, Rydby said that it was necessary to improve and refine the game, address bugs, and make sure that playing as any of the four characters feels different from the others: moving between them “should feel like a new, fresh experience, but it shouldn’t feel like a completely different game”.

Additionally, Rocksteady knew how the State of Play would be received. “We knew that it was going to be a controversial game because it’s not Batman,” Rydby said. However, we also recognize that we are playing a really strong game. Furthermore, although being a radically different game, it yet seems to uphold the Rocksteady ideals of having tight gameplay and incorporating the larger DC universe.

Additionally, we realized that it wasn’t as strong of a display as we had hoped. Did it have an impact on studio morale? We considered it regrettable. We had hoped for a better reception. However, concurrently, we’re kind of thinking, “Yeah, let’s show them!” It will be fantastic!”

Suicide Squad undoubtedly have the Rocksteady gene. It’s an Arkham-verse continuation using the same cast of characters, style of artwork, and general melancholy vibe. Here, however, players assume control of the Suicide Squad, which adds a unique sense of humor, and face off against the Batman from the Arkham games as well as other Justice League members.

The exploring and melee fighting gameplay from earlier isn’t here. Although Rydby called Suicide Squad a “genre defying” game, in reality it’s an open-world four-player cooperative shooter. Selecting from Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Boomerang, or King Shark, players may explore Metropolis in two ways: online with three other players or alone with support from bots. You may have more than one version of a character in your squad, however in narrative sequences, their versions will be swapped out.

Is the game a live service? The game does include a battle pass, as was displayed during the State of Play and leaked earlier this year, but the bought goods are limited to cosmetics. This was reaffirmed to me by Rocksteady after the preview: new narrative material, playable characters, missions, gear, weapons, cosmetic items, and in-game events will all be included in regular season updates, which are earned by playing and come at no extra cost. During hands-on learning, I did see a shop listed on the menu, but the specifics were missing; I assume this is where the purchased cosmetics are kept.

According to Rydby, “it’s a live service game insofar as you need to be online to play it,” but he also said that an offline narrative mode would be added eventually, negating the necessity for an internet connection.

“Creating a community around this game was our main goal while creating it. Furthermore, we want players to have a sense of belonging not only to the Suicide Squad but also to the greater DC Universe. We have several social elements there that we’re not quite ready to discuss.”

The CEO of Warner Bros., the studio’s publisher, David Zaslav, said investors during a recent earnings call that the business intended to turn its greatest properties into “always-on” live service games. That seems to be the case with Suicide Squad’s sustained backing, but Rydby would not precisely address Warner’s intentions.

“I can say that this game is very much focused on making sure that players have this sense of freedom to play the way they want to,” he said. Therefore, playing it alone or in a group is not required; neither is it mandated by us. You may play the whole thing by yourself if you’d like.”

To begin with, however, gamers must choose which of the four characters they want to control. However, how did Rocksteady choose these four given the Suicide Squad’s lengthy comic book history?

“That was, of course, a long, intense debate in the studio, because there are so many interesting [characters],” Rydby said. “And it came down to: we picked characters that had the most interesting, antagonistic relationship with the Justice League.”

Because of this, every one of the four antagonists possesses a talent that was stolen from a hero. Harley Quinn employs Batman’s grappling hook, whereas Boomerang may use Flash’s Speed Force. Thus, traversal mechanics also contributed to the decision-making process. “And then finally, King Shark: who doesn’t want a shark in the group?” said Rydby. True enough.

Traversal, in reality, is a crucial distinction among all the characters and influences the player’s decision. We evaluated all four characters in an introduction portion during our hands-on preview before choosing one. I went with Boomerang, who, upon releasing his namesake, teleports to its designated place after flinging his own with a grip of the right bumper. You may easily mount buildings by adding double leaps and dashes. Then, you can use the boomerang for melee attacks and the shotgun for blasting. I thought his moveset was the most logical.

There’s a chance that other gamers may disagree. Although a touch primitive, Deadshot’s usage of a jetpack to hover above battlefields and snipe from a distance was easy enough to understand. King Shark has powerful weaponry and can jump enormous distances like the Hulk. I found Harley Quinn to be the most fidgety. She is able to hook up to Batman’s Batwing and swing, but in order to leap off at the highest point, she has to click another button. It is possible to combine all three techniques to continually swing and generate speed, but I found this particularly difficult to execute. She can also use the grapple to pull up to building edges and jump over.

Naturally, personality plays a big role in character selection, and with her quirky, caustic remarks, Harley Quinn is sure to win over fans. King Shark is a merciless joker, Deadshot is a more somber character, and Boomerang is a quirky wild card.

Furthermore, Rydby informed me that the four characters were intentionally balanced via rigorous playtesting, despite not falling neatly into standard cooperative playstyles like healer or tank. “At the start of it, what we really wanted to do is make sure that each character has their own unique traversal,” he said. “Therefore, playing them need to feel special. And I believe we take it as far as we can without having the game feel significantly different when you swap characters.”

The characters certainly seem unique to themselves, but they also don’t seem to function well together. Although it’s true that these characters are antagonists compelled by circumstance to cooperate, playing as a group doesn’t always seem like playing together. There are merely four players competing with one another to control the battlefield.

Furthermore, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is still fresh in our memories and established a high bar for superhero games—possibly even its pinnacle—with its smooth, intuitive action and accessible superhero fantasy. This is not meant to start a corny Marvel vs. DC discussion. Suicide Squad, on the other hand, falls short of that level due to its complicated controls and likeable but uninspiring characters.

Additionally, the wide world pales in comparison to Spider-Man 2. Naturally, Metropolis is Rocksteady’s interpretation of a fictitious metropolis that isn’t immediately recognizable—for once, an Arkham-verse game that lets us see the light—but it’s a vast, vertical, dirty labyrinth of structures devoid of obvious paths or landmarks. It’s a challenging environment to fight in without the help of a basic radar minimap to locate both allies and adversaries. It all seems a touch too complicated to understand with all of the intense explosions, special effects, damage figures, quest marks, and more shown simultaneously on screen. It’s likely that your colleagues arrived before you as you search for targets to shoot.

Suicide Squad does, at its heart, provide some entertainingly spartan fighting. Every character has a variety of weapon types at their disposal, including shotguns, machine guns, pistols, and more. Combining a melee attack with a gunshot will always result in a critical strike. The flow of battle rapidly clicks in when you add hits to recharge shields, countershots, grenades that are hilariously powerful, a reload reminiscent of Gears of War, and a highly rewarding Suicide Strike special. Unfortunately, traversal doesn’t exactly match—at least not right away.

Rocksteady also shines in the narrative domain. The studio is more than happy to add their own unique touch to these well-known faces despite the obvious affection for the original work. A large cast of characters, both good and bad, a story worthy of a blockbuster, excellent acting and production, welcome diversity (I was especially pleased to see a Pride sign that read “we welcome all heroes” prominently included in the Justice League base), and even a tribute to the late Kevin Conroy, who played Batman’s voice, are all present. There will undoubtedly be many Easter Eggs for DC fans, but even those who aren’t familiar with the series will find it hard not to be enamored with the center four and their brittle relationships and playful jabs at one other.

Wonder Woman is also there, however Rydby won’t say whether or not this specific version has anything to do with the upcoming game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor from the Monolith team. “What I can say is that the Wonder Woman in our game is Rocksteady’s take on Wonder Woman,” he said. “And you get to see a lot of her during the game and get to know her a bit better.”

While maintaining ties to the studio’s history, it’s evident that Rocksteady is eager to attempt something different with Suicide Squad. However, as an online shooter with live service components, it may be more of a trend chaser than a return to the studio’s strengths. This may not be the superhero fantasy you’re hoping for, despite its superb character-driven plot and strong ties to the Arkham universe.

Hi there! We’ve returned. I hope your break was enjoyable. Our regular section, What We’ve Been Playing, allows us to briefly discuss some of the games we’ve been playing during the last few days, or in this instance, the holiday season. Bears, Jedis, and tears this week.

Check out our archive if you’d like to listen to some of the previous episodes of What We’ve Been Playing.

Playdate, Root Bear
Not to go all conspiracy theory, but root beer has altered. The last notes of this drink-of-all-drinks now lean more toward caramel than wintergreen; I’m not sure how this changed or why. The dentist is no longer having trouble with it! It’s not entirely successful.

Nevertheless, I had to try Root Bear because I love bears and root beer. Everyone who has a playdate appears to like this particular Playdate game. I also adore it! It’s very, really easy. Serving root beer to a succession of bears is your task. The form of the glass varies, as does the position you must fill it to, and from what I can tell, the bear also changes. You set the pouring volume and cross your fingers. And that’s all.

Except that you don’t really hold out hope. It all boils down to knowing how the tap works and how you will experience the peculiar fusion of liquid and foam. I guess the reason Root Bear is so morish is because I constantly feel like I could learn a little bit more about how it works and become a little bit better.

I said that it chases high scores. It is, in fact. Try this out if you have a playdate, in my opinion. Cheers to a prosperous new year.

Chris Donlan

PS5 title Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

I’m beginning to get severe motion nausea while playing video games. I was acutely aware of this unsettling feeling for the last two years while playing Jedi: Survivor. I’m not sure why it specifically occurs. It wasn’t like that before. I had only been playing Survivor for about thirty minutes when I started to feel queasy in my stomach and tightness in my brain.

However, I continued to play, which is in part why I’m writing this. Rather, I navigated through the choices to see what I might do, and you know what I discovered? A single dot. It seems that I could adjust a dot that would resemble a crosshair and hover in the center of my screen to lessen the motion nausea that the game causes. (I also reduced the camera shaking.) It was successful.

I find this to be a wonder. It makes sense why I can play an FPS without experiencing the same nausea, even though I had never heard of a crosshair having this effect previously. I’m amazed, however, at how transformational something so tiny can be.

What excites me the most about this revelation, however, is that it’s a sign of how games are trying to make themselves more accessible, and it’s a demonstration of how that’s turning things around for everyone. It seems paradoxical, but years ago I would have most likely had to give up on Survivor; I am really thankful that the accessibility movement has prevented me from having to do so.

-Bertie

Tears of the Kingdom: The Legend of Zelda, Switch

During the Christmas holiday, I played a lot of Tears of the Kingdom; in fact, it’s currently by far my most played game of 2023. At first, I wasn’t the greatest fan. I like how each new Zelda game is unique, but TOTK’s reuse of BOTW’s map didn’t match that description, and its focus on technology went too far from my own perception of the series as a fantastical, fairytale fantasy.

But TOTK has finally made sense to me, like combining a bunch of bricks to create something new. What first seemed to be overpowering and uncontrollable has now multiplied in opportunities. Now that the majority of the plot is over, I’m ready, equipped, and self-assured enough to take on every inch of Hyrule. As I approach the endgame, TOTK has surpassed the feeling of exploration and adventure that the universe of BOTW offered me. I’ve been aimlessly wandering about for hours, doing quests, eventually taking down Gleeoks, and marking off shrines. My gaming is more satisfying and I’m enjoying myself more now that I’m taking on the globe at a slower pace without feeling rushed by the plot.

I’ve also grown to like how the game expands upon its predecessor. Although using Ultrahand to build was a pain at first, I now like the feeling of exploration it offers. I love the moody, fall-like atmosphere of the sky islands, even if the environment is familiar. And while the shrine quests provide a repetitive framework and the temples are typically unsatisfactory, the hymn-like sung melodies at the conclusion of each shrine—possibly a nod to the Temple of Time—are a lovely auditory reward. Even though I have played for more than 130 hours and have not yet defeated the final fight, completed every shrine, or completed every quest, I just cannot put the game down. After everything has calmed down, I’m certain that TOTK will be my game of the year. But I still detest the depths.

-Ed