Shooting Star Seven is retro arcade style gun & run game with modern anime graphics. it is freeware.
Amazing game, where do I begin?
Take Contra, or Metal Slug, not crank the speed up to 11, add in what is essentially a bullet hell, and then add a new gameplay section almost every level and that's what you have here.
This is by far one of the most impressive freeware titles I have played and simultaneously also the most frustrating. I was not kidding with the bullet hell parts those parts are BRUTAL. And many parts almost seem like they want you to fail more often than not.
For example, one of the characters in this game is very heavy so she can't jump. Her deal is that she can shoot really hard but has to rely on a shield to block any attack otherwise rely on slow movement. This is creative and certainly fun at parts where you're shielding certain bullets, but the cooldown is so slight and yet harsh it's very easy to lose a lot of life. A lot parts are like this. Learning the area is key like your average arcade title which may dissuade some people.
Thankfully you can use stage select at any time and this isn't a score chaser so there's no real penalty.
My favorite levels were probably the platforming and the creative combo sections. That said I really disliked the one level where you race to finish. Very difficult and almost haphazard - felt like luck to win.
Didn't even touch on the graphics. The graphics are in a word, very pretty. The characters are adorable, the enemies are iconic enough that you know what they're gonna do, most of the time the bullets and attacks are well choreographed and it flows very well. Runs well too which is perfect.
9/10 man. Just fantastic.