LOOK OUT! On your right – wait, now on your left! Watch out behind you; pay attention to what’s in front of you, Blue Rider! These robot-filled biomes are full of mechanical madness out to get you. Your mission – destroy everything that moves. Does this dynamic shmup shell out 360 degrees of fun or will it leave you in a hunk of twisted, burning metal?

Keep an eye out for every hint of movement as this indie title puts a literal spin on the classic shmup genre. Blue Rider puts you in the cockpit of an aerial death magnet, moving in three dimensions. You’re thrust straight into action without time to think, and must learn to hold your own. Make your way through 9 enemy-filled levels, defeating a unique boss at the end of each biome. Not much to it besides this; so listen up if you want to stay alive, pilot!

No Fly-by-Night Game Here

There is little to no story for this 3D shoot ‘em up, save for one lone cutscene upon completion. And this is perfectly okay. Did you expect a bedtime story to go along with that blanket of bullets covering you? Ain’t no sleeping tonight, kid; shmups are all about the action! But there is a skill to the timing of how the game unfolds. I’m happy to report that the gradual progression is a strong point in my enjoyment of Blue Rider.

No matter which difficulty you choose to fly through (easy, normal, or hard), Blue Rider paces itself well. You have to learn to crawl before you can fly! Enemies are sparse initially, with relatively basic attack patterns. Damage taken is minimal, and the three hidden artifacts that provide you bonus points are easier to locate. About halfway through the game is where you’ll start to notice the difficulty . . . gain some altitude.

Earning Your Wings

By this point, the game has done well in providing you with the basic controls. You can fly in all directions, shoot basic attacks with unlimited ammo, and boost when needed. You are now accustomed to the movement; you’ve accumulated some bombs, and have an idea of the upgrade system. It comes in the form of a collectible cell after destroying specific constructs. The color of it determines whether it upgrades your primary weapon, secondary weapon, or swaps them.

I just hope by this point you’ve made sure to upgrade well! Enemies become fiercer, and soak up your stray bullets with ease. Your attacks need to become focused, and you must constantly move. Your foes show no mercy, and start invading in aerial armadas. Eventually, nothing is off the table. They’ll shoot homing missiles, boomerang type projectiles, and bullets that explode into smaller bullets. Last but not least, environments change and bosses have multiple phases – no more messing around!

To me, this was the fun part! As I am fairly attuned to the bullet hell genre, I found the first half of the game easy. Blue Rider truly started in the latter half. Bridges start crumbling on you, floors disappear into lava, and enemies literally surround you. I want more of this! Unfortunately, there were more than a few instances of lag due to the enemy-intensive areas – this needs addressing. Luckily, the majority of the boss fights held up okay, which was another strength to Blue Rider.

Take Your Time?

I really, REALLY wish, as in many shmup games, Blue Rider had a “Boss Rush” mode. In my opinion, the boss battles truly are the highlight of this game. Not only could you perfect your boss battles skills, they could also incorporate a speed run aspect as well. Seeing that this indie title was updated (and blessed) on Nintendo Switch with online leaderboards, I believe “Boss Rush” would be perfect for a new additional mode in order to keep people playing. Because, even though I enjoyed my time flying that blue bomber (no, not you, Megaman), I don’t see a ton of replay value in it aside from trying to climb the leaderboard.

Final Floating Thoughts

Despite having a relatively short completion time (sub 2 hours), there were some instances of greatness here. The graphics were great for what they were – slightly cartoony, but bright and bold. Bullets were obvious and you knew when you were being attacked/ hit. The boss designs were unique and fun, and added a layer of difficulty. Stage design was varied, and the environments responded to your attacks. I love seeing the rankings too! Including a leaderboard was a genius move and keeps me coming back to see if anyone has surpassed me yet.

These positive factors DO outweigh the negatives; however the glaring issues need to be fixed. There should be virtually no lag in any respectable shoot ‘em up. This is borderline unacceptable, but luckily this noxiousness is quarantined to a few specific spots. Patch this, add in a new mode or two, and this will be a game worthy of a solid recommendation.

At this time, as it stands, I would still recommend Blue Rider (specifically to those looking to ease into the shmup genre), but there are better options out there. That being said, I still enjoy it for what it is and the online leaderboards are what keep me coming back. If you’re looking for a unique take on an arcade-action shoot ‘em up, perhaps give Blue Rider a chance or throw it on that wish list!

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