Angerforce may be aptly named depending on how well you deal with difficult games. Personally, I love the challenge and the rush of finally besting an especially difficult level or boss is something I strive for. Even though that is the case, there were certainly times when I though about frisbeeing my switch across the room.

Developer: Screambox Studio

Publisher: indienova

5 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $8.49

Angerforce is a bullet-hell shmup with some roguelike features. The core gameplay is fully traditional shmup; you pilot a ship from a top-down perspective, trying to kill everything in your way while avoiding damage. Your ship is at the bottom of the screen while the enemies appear from the top. The obstacles are numerous, and your twitch controls to avoid bullet patterns are just as important as dealing out damage to your foes. The roguelike elements come into play with the leveling system, which I will discuss later on.

As far as shmups go, this is a good one. If you have ever played this genre of game before, you know whether or not you like it. This isn’t going to blow any minds, but it is a very solid and very capable addition to the genre. The addition of the leveling features and the fair difficulty curve put this above some of the others for me, especially when you add in the beautiful art and fun soundtrack.

Samurai swords, hoverboards, and giant evil robots? Yea, I’m all in

There are four characters you can choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as their own special abilities. Do you want a well-rounded character, a glass cannon, a tank, or a speciality expert? Each character’s special attacks come into play as well. Some have moves that are more centralized while others have ones with lower damage but a wider spread. Each character feels unique, and they are all fun to play as; I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite.

There are at least four levels of difficulty. Noob is only three stages and acts as a great tutorial to get the feel of the game down. Normal five stages and is great for trying to get high scores or killing every enemy on the screen; still not too difficult but not a breeze either. Veteran mode is seven stages and is where the real challenge comes in. This is where the challenge of getting an S ranking on every stage turned into the challenge of staying alive. Expert is still seven stages, but this is where the true bullet-hell, hair-pulling madness comes into play.

You can flip the game to play in vertical mode, too

Each level of difficulty is opened only after you’ve completed the previous one. This is why I say there are at least four levels. Expert mode is something I still have not yet managed to beat, and therefore have no idea if there is something even more brutal waiting for me on the other side! I kind of doubt it, though; I honestly can’t imagine what could be harder than this.

The different difficulties are well constructed too. I’ll play a round of Normal if I don’t have the time or effort for a full round of a higher difficulty. It can also be used to grind some points to level up which will then help with the higher difficulties as well. When I want to practice, I’ll use Veteran. And when I want to punish myself, I jump into Expert. There is something for everyone here, and any skill level can find an enjoyable challenge.

Speaking of leveling up, there is also a great persistent experience ladder in Angerforce. It reminds me of a system from some roguelike games, most notably Rogue Legacy. After each full round, even if you failed, you will be provided points based on your performance. You can use these points to buy upgrades. These upgrades can be general, which work for any character, or character-specific. They are also persistent, so they can help when you’re pushing to beat Veteran or Expert rounds.

You get a full breakdown after you complete a stage. As you can see, I shot down everything in Stage 4 and received the highest rank. Just sayin’…

The upgrades are unique as well and affected my playstyle at times. There are the standard increased health and increased weapon damage ones, which are certainly very helpful, but the most significant one for me so far was the ability to use a bomb instead of taking damage on a fatal hit. Once I unlocked this, I made sure to always have an unused bomb in my inventory. Instead of spamming the boss with everything I had, I wanted to hold back that firepower for an anti-death emergency. This caused me to play a bit more defensively, making me a better pilot in the process.

Angerforce is a beautiful game. The steampunk themes are nothing new for the shmup genre, but they make it look great here. Each character has their own look and feel, and the enemies each feel unique. Even the worlds that you fly over are varied and detailed. The boss designs might be my favorite, though. They have such a great sense of scale and their different forms make sense and are wonderfully designed.

My magic racoon demon’s leaf attack is gorgeous AND dangerous

I do have a few complaints about Angerforce, though. Firstly, I wish there were more stages and bosses. You end up playing the same locations, fighting the same enemies over and over again. The game is beautiful, which helps, but it can get a little stale, especially after prolonged gaming sessions.

Also, this game allows for the screen to be turned 90 degrees, so that it can be played on a vertical plane. I loved playing this way, especially in docked mode with my monitor turned on the side. I’d go so far as to say this is the way it was meant to be played. However, none of the menus can be used in this mode. Unless you are actively in a stage, everything else stays in a horizontal setup. So, when you finish a run, you have to spend your point and choose your next actions from a horizontal menu while you’re screen is in a vertical set up.

Despite some of these minor complaints, Angerforce is a great game. I don’t know if it is just because I haven’t played a shmup in a while, but I loved my time with it. I’m still driven to go back to it and play a round or two every night. I’m determined to finally get through a round on Expert mode! I enjoy everything about this gaming experience, but most of all I love the amount of fun the gameplay brings to the table.

As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think in the comments! For a different type of piloting game, check out our review of Ultrawings. If you want to keep seeing ad-free content like this, please consider donating via Ko-Fi and Patreon. As volunteers, we appreciate all the support! Also, find us on Discord, Twitter, and our subreddit!