Danmaku Unlimited 2 (2013)

NOTE: warning!! On later versions of iOS this game produces a significant amount of transparency bugs and audio glitching that makes it tougher to play! I did it anyways because I wasn't about to waste my money xD 1CC on Easy/Normal.

Danmaku Unlimited 2 has a slick presentation and some intense challenges, but comes off as somewhat generic and strangely cruel in its difficulty spikes despite the wealth of EZ options present for newcomers.

Like a lot of these lower key indie releases, Danmaku Unlimited 2 doesn't have much story or concept to speak of - just throwing into the action on a spaceship. The bullet patterns in here do the title justice, as there are a variety of neon bullets in pesky curtains. There was no slowdown on the mobile version so the fast bullets still go dangerously quick, but boss patterns are slightly more manageable and can even be creative. That said, on my version of the game the sprites all produced horrendously glitchy artefacts that might have affected my experience.

There are a variety of upgrades that can give you straight shot, homing shot, and wide shot, as well as upgrade points for lives, continues, and a supposedly rechargeable health bar system (it never recharged for me so it was about as good as an extra lives gauge. Instead of bombs there is a powerful Trance mode that helps protect the player further and increase shot power for a limited amount of time, as well as a Burst beam in a special easier mode that can also help clear things more. On top of the Easy difficulty being present there's definitely a beginner-friendly shmup experience in there for someone new to the genre to enjoy.

That said, the Normal mode felt odd in its difficulty spikes. Bunches of normal enemies felt FAR more difficult to get through, especially on the last two stages (the Stage 5 boss was a cakewalk compared to the actual preceding stage?) and it might take some time to upgrade before one is worthy of a 1CC. There is a Free Play and Boss Rush mode for practice, at least.

It's tough to get the exact style of this game down pat because past the neon-lit HD bursts, space graphics, and explosions, it's tough to figure out WHAT kind of theme this game is going for, other than generic space. Musically there is lots of prog metal to back up the electronic that players are familiar with, which does give it a "harder" touch.

Danmaku Unlimited 2 has an array of options to defend the player and give them an advantage, with plenty of room to get VERY hard VERY quickly. Never quite striking the balance between very easy and very hard, but I was proud to (put up with the game's grotesque compatibility bugs on iOS) and give it a good go through with some 1CCs. More (properly updated) shmups should come out on mobile to help give people a stepping stone from this to something greater.