Choice Provisions has established a reputation for putting out some high quality, but weird games such as the BIT.TRIP Saga and Woah Dave!. Shütshimi is the latest title to be published by the studio, and while there are some issues with shallow gameplay, the retro-inspired strangeness of the whole affair makes for an entertaining and enjoyable game.
Gameplay in Shütshimi is fast, simple and responsive, yet dynamic and even somewhat strategic. The main game mode pits you against endless waves of aquatic themed enemies in rapid-fire, ten second bursts of standard sidescrolling shmup action. In between these waves is where things get interesting; you go through "Shop Time", which requires you to choose one of three potential upgrades or modifiers that will impact the next wave. These can do things such as change your main weapon or hat, speed up or slow down gameplay, or place your goldfish inside a giant bouncy castle.
An item's effect is indicated by a short phrase that appears somewhere within its brief description – such as how "lousy cameraperson" means that the view will be rotated 180 degrees - and the player is only given ten seconds to choose one of the three items. This helps keep with the fast paced nature of the gameplay, putting plenty of pressure on the gamer to find, recognize and decide on which effect will be most beneficial for the upcoming round. There are plenty of interesting modifiers to be utilized here, and the cosmetic hats occasionally have additional effects, such as a cat that can be thrown at enemies repeatedly.
This Warioware-esque approach keeps things fresh and interesting, although it doesn't completely cover over the somewhat shallow nature of gameplay. While one never really tires of mowing down loads of laser sharks and cat submarines, round thirty is scarcely a much different experience than round two. Sure, it's faster and features more enemies, but it still would've been nice to have seen a bit more variety in enemies and gameplay options. That being said, the diversity of the modifiers and upgrades prevents the experience from getting too stale.
Naturally, the 8-bit graphics are top notch, and they're backed by some catchy tunes. Sprites are animated and drawn in a very detailed manner, and the colourful artstyle makes the action really pop off the screen. The music is quirky and upbeat, perfectly matching the flippant and playful tone of the overall experience. Make no mistake about it, this is a game that's just as fun to watch as it is to play.
In terms of replayability there's plenty to keep players coming back, though its dependent on how much you enjoy the core gameplay. Obviously, there's always going to be a higher score to beat, but there are also forty-six hats to collect and thirty-two 'Awardments' to unlock. On top of this up to four players can play co-op locally, making it an excellent couch multiplayer game. Generally speaking you'll be doing a lot of grinding if you want to get everything possible out of this game, but if it hooks you that's hardly a chore.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Shütshimi is a fun game that's both flashy and engaging. The breakneck pace of endless waves of enemies combined with a quirky and bizarre sense of humour make for a good time whether you're playing alone or with a couple of friends. While the gameplay isn't terribly deep and it gets repetitive in longer sessions, there's plenty here to keep gamers coming back for more. We'd recommend that you pick this game up, it's a great retro shooter with a neat twist.
Comments 29
I started off enjoying this but ultimately ended up hating it. Once you hit Wave 50 you're basically hosed if you can't keep a fishbowl shield and the fake difficulty just spikes: Too many enemies without enough firepower to keep them down. One bad draw on power-up options can royally hose you. And the lack of continues is simply a poor design choice this day and age.
It actually sounds interesting, so I may give it a chance.
Ha ha, was I the only one who read the game title wrong?
Don't think I'll get it based on what @GunarmDyne said.
This is probably the best thing I've bought on my Wii U since Runbow came out.
Still waiting for a European release of Whoa Dave! The visuals on this remind me of Parodius and Ai Cho Aniki, which is a very good thing. Who needs continues?
Will wait for Euro version, I do love me some "Darius".
Sounds a lot like an endless... swimmer? Not my cup of tea, sorry.
@wazlon It might be better with multiple people playing at once. As I said on Twitter, it has enough appeal to get you to start playing, but not much to keep you playing.
@Stu13 Runbow thankfully still has a lot of appeal. Even after 100%ing it, multiplayer is where it's at.
Gonna give Choice Provisions the benefit of a doubt on this one and support them. They're a very unique indie studio and I generally enjoy their games. Whoa Dave and the Runner games are classics IMO.
So it's like... Paro-Darius?
As in two of my favorite Shmups blended into one? Sign me up!
Heh, I've been watching the videos. It looks like something up my alleys especially when friends come over.
I don't know Whoa Dave! but Bit Trip I really enjoy - to me it feels like a game I could imagine playing on the Saturn. So I'll get this if it gets a Euro release.
Mmh. I hate that these type of games coming to the Wii U and not to the 3DS.
Still, it might just be another co-op heaven like Tank, tank, tank and Runbow, the only games that draw my son back to his Wii U (and from his PS3).
Hey everyone, thanks for the feedback, both positive and otherwise. We listen to everything so we're happy to hear what people have to say. If anyone has any questions please shoot and I'll do my best to answer!
RE: a European release — it's definitely in the works and we'll hopefully have details for you soon! We're currently crossing our T's and dotting our U's so please stay tuned for more
kinda reminds me of battle beast, the way the monsters looks, even though there two completely different games
I watched the GameXplain video and I was definitely intrigued by the game. I'll be picking this up for sure when it arrives in the EU!
Are there online leaderboards though? The review didn't state it clearly. A game like this without online leaderboards in this day and age is enough to make me pass on it, regardless of its quality.
@Dpishere Absolutely the leaderboards are online
Edit: I was wrong
@NeonDeityAnthony Awesome! I wasn't sure if they would be since Woah Dave didn't have them so thanks for clearing that up.
@Dpishere I just found out that I was wrong and the Wii U version of the game does not, in fact, have online leaderboards. I apologize for the misinformation
@NeonDeityAnthony This looks really fun! How is the pricing on the NoA e-shop? (I'm in the EU)
Nice review and nice score! But if I download it someday...eh, maybe.
@NeonDeityAnthony Ah crap. Oh well thanks for letting me know!
@andrea987 Have you honestly never played or heard of a shoot-em-up? These have been a thing for 30 years. Look up the genre or games like R-Type/Gradius
@Jayvir I've played and beaten most of them since 1984, my friend, probably before you were born, but the review did not mention the game having an ending, just endless repetitive and faster waves of enemies. Hence my assumption of it being an endless-type of game, since they seem to be quite popular this days. So you played it and can confirm it doesn't belong to that genre, that it does infact have some kind of objective and ending? Or you just like to disagree with people in principle?
@andrea987 What's with the attitude? My god, you seem to be awfully sensitive for no reason. It's pretty noticeable when you resort to trying to tag my age, and fail to do so correctly. You know what they say about assumptions.
I was trying to help since you called it an endless runner, and it's not. It is a shoot-em-up. The genre of shmup doesn't require an ending. Even those that do usually just loop to the first level again. Even the games name is a portmanteau that points to such. Perhaps try not be so hostile when someone is trying to be helpful, "my friend".
@Jayvir No sensitiviness, I was just matching the tone of your post, you were the first to "assume". And no, most shoot em up of my times didn't loop, sorry. Even then, restarting is just some sort of "game+", endless kind of games are another thing entirely, they usually rely on online scores leaderboards, that's why some people in this post section was asking if it was present. They're just not my cup of tea, that's all. But again, I haven't played the game, so if someone has played it and confirm it does have some kind of story/progression/ending, I'll happily stand corrected.
@andrea987 There is in fact an "ending" you can reach, and then the game goes infinite afterward.
@NeonDeityAnthony Thanks for the info! I'll look into it.
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