Arcade-style SHMUP 'Beekyr Reloaded' OUT Now on Steam

Beekyr Reloaded - The definitive bee'em up.

14th November 2017,
KaleidoGames officially announces the release of Beekyr Reloaded for Windows PC, finally leaving Early Access. An action game with multi-directional scroll, diverse mechanics, a groundbreaking theme and a great co-op mode.

But hold on a second! Wasn't the shoot'em up genre dead? Not anymore! We are here to breathe new life to the genre! Face a tough arcade-style shmup with no spaceships nor aircrafts, but cruel wasps instead! It will teach anyone how this kind of game is played, while having a great time!

A bunch of giant hornets have destroyed your hive and taken the pollen away. Fight the swarms alone or with a friend, and destroy the wicked hornet queen! The Insect World is a very dangerous place but... What are you waiting for? Avenge them all !
 
Availability:
Beekyr Reloaded will be available for Windows PC as a digital download on Steam from November 14th 2017. Versions for game consoles might come at a future time.

Beekyr Reloaded has become apart of our First Level series and you can see the video below!

Mike Davies

Founder/Video Mastermind

Mike is our main go-to-guy for videos. Former 4Kings member and one of the original founders of BlastProcess.com, Mike has been here since the beginning.

The main driving force of the website, Mike loves indie games and apps. So get in touch if you want your game/app featured here!

Graceful Explosion Machine PS4 Review

To summarize G.E.M (which is one hell of a great acronym by the way) would be to say it’s a side-scrolling shooter, played out in a continuously scrolling environment where the goal is to take down the on-screen enemies before they take you down. This however would be selling G.E.M short as it does this with a finesse you don’t always see in games of this genre.

At first, I thought a good comparison would be Fantasy Zone, a Sega classic with a similar gameplay style, in reality G.E.M probably has more in common with the Arcade classic Defender, albeit functioning on a completely different level.

The layers of strategy at play here, coupled with precise and responsive controls result in nothing short of pure Arcade-style gameplay bliss.

Rather than just doing away with your enemies with just a simple laser, G.E.M provides you with a range of different offensive options and depending on the situation, or enemy type, you’ll want to vary your strategy accordingly.

Weaker enemies can be done away with quickly just by using the standard laser. If they swarm you however there is no need to despair, as you have your Energy Sword, which can provide a swift swipe around the vicinity of your ship to keep the marauders at bay. A stronger foe giving you trouble from afar? Fear not, as you can always rely on your Sniper Beam to take them out from a safe distance. There’s also a barrage of missiles at your disposal, if things get a little too hairy.

In the midst of battle be mindful however, as your standard laser can be prone to overheating if you get a little too trigger happy, in which case, be sure to switch to another weapon in your arsenal to keep providing the firepower, if you have enough gems to power the weapon that is. As an enemy is destroyed it will leave behind a yellow gem, once collected these will provide the fuel for your additional weapons. This is where G.E.M’s strategic side comes into play.

Another tool which goes hand in hand with gem collecting is the ‘dash’ move. While dashing your ship becomes invulnerable and you can easily dash through waves of enemies in order to create distance between you and them or just simply to collect those precious yellow gems that have been dispersed from fallen foes. When your special weapons have run out of juice, collecting these gems is imperative.

When I worked out how to balance these different aspects everything about G.E.M fell into place and I began to ‘feel’ the game as opposed to having to spend too much time ‘thinking’ and thinking is a luxury you simply won’t have when challenged with the amount of on screen enemies G.E.M delights in throwing at you after you’ve enjoyed the honeymoon period provided by the game’s first few stages.

There are 4 worlds in total with 9 stages in each world, which will keep you busy for quite some time, with a new world opening up upon completing a predefined number of stages. The game’s difficulty curve is welcoming to players not familiar with this type of game and coupled with its eye catching visual style, G.E.M is a very inviting experience for casual players. While I played the PS4 version, I can see the game being a great fit for the Switch audience in-particular and also one that works well in short bursts making it well suited for a portable platform, however I wouldn’t like to play it on a screen any smaller than that of the Switch due to the size of the objects on screen and the frantic nature of the gameplay.

The game also boasts a ranking system and gives you the option to upload your score to a leaderboard at the end of each stage. The ranking system will give you a rating based on several performance criteria, such as time completed, combos acquired and also reward you for the style you’ve displayed during the battle. It’s a great extra incentive for giving stages another go especially since your skills will develop the more you play.

My first impression of this game was of a well-executed arcade style shooter with it’s own unique ideas, I initially saw it as nothing more than good simple fun but felt is was lacking that must-play factor. The more I played however, the more I appreciated the subtleties of the gameplay and quickly found myself entering a state where I became enveloped in the action, suddenly I could take down the waves of enemies with Grace and Purpose, knowing exactly what to do in often hectic the situations. It was at this point everything ‘clicked’, I’d become hooked and found it very difficult to stop playing.

For those who try this game once and walk away thinking ‘that was good…but, something is lacking’, I’d urge you to stick with it a little longer, take the time to learn the mechanics of the game and before long you’ll really appreciate what a blissful experience Graceful Explosion Machine really is and how it is one of the best examples of Pure Gameplay around at the moment on any system.

In summery, Graceful Explosion Machine is a finely tuned and addictive beast of game, if you enjoy shooters, especially those with a strategic edge then this game is a must-have. I’d also say even if you’re new to the genre, G.E.M is just a great Arcade style experience where the more you play, the more you’ll ultimately get out of the experience and like any great arcade game you may just have a hard time deciding when it’s time stop playing…

Graceful Explosion Machine for the Playstation 4 was provided to us for an honest review and is available now, as is a Nintendo Switch and PC version of the game. For more information on the game and and where to buy it from, head over here.

- Tom Parry

Hyper Bounce Blast bounces onto steam may 28th

Created by Flump Studios 'Hyper Bounce Blast' is heading to Steam.

“Hyper Bounce Blast is a stomach-churning retro shooter blended with classic platforming action. Bounce, shoot and dodge to survive the ever-increasing enemy attack. Bring it on!”

It's not the first game we've seen from Flump Studios. At last years Gadget Show Live we chatted with Paul while he was working on Horizon Shift. You can see the interview right here!

Hyper Bounce Blast is a retro style, stomach churning shooter, blended with classic platforming elements. Bounce, shoot and dodge to survive ever increasing waves of enemy attacks. Bring it on! 

Use the unique bounce multiplier system to maximise power-ups, build your hyper and survive the onslaught! Hyper Bounce Blast also features an fantastic soundtrack produced by electronic musician Quantum Firefly. 

Features 

-Bouncing keeps you invulnerable to bullets, so stay away from that floor!.
-Totally unique gameplay mixing twin stick shooting with bouncy platforming action.
-Dodge a ton of bullets, lasers, tesla coils and buzz saws to survive.
-6 Modes of play, including: Arcade, Time Rush and Tournament mode.
-A very classic bonus round.
-Full Steam controller integration, plus Xbox360 controller, Keyboard and Mouse support

Mike Davies

Founder/Video Mastermind

Mike is our main go-to-guy for videos. Former 4Kings member and one of the original founders of BlastProcess.com, Mike has been here since the beginning.

The main driving force of the website, Mike loves indie games and apps. So get in touch if you want your game/app featured here!