Everything aboutHydorahscreams “awesome.”

Yeah, the game itself rocks, and I’m not just saying that because A) it’s an indie and B) for some insane reason, it’s free. Locomalito pumped three years into this bad boy, and it shows. What’s more, high-res posters, box art, and even an instruction manual were created forHydorah; this is how you win my heart.

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To paint you a picture of what we’re dealing with here, the developer compares the game to “Gradius,Castlevania,orR-Type” and “other classics treated worse by the time:Turrican,Enforcer,Space Manbow,Hellfire,Guardian,Hydefos, andArmalyte.” I don’t even know what some of those are!

“Think of this game as a bastard son of the classics: it has the genes, but it’s not a clone of one or other. It has a lot of original content, so I hope you understand my intentions when you also notice something familiar with the old times.” Oh, we do (we do, right guys?).

John and Molly sitting on the park bench

On a good year, I play, oh, three or so new shmups; my pride can only take so much torture, you know. From what little ofHydorahI have managed to fumble through, I’m ecstatic this is one of the lucky few I’ll get around to playing —reallyplaying — this year.You should do the same.

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Kukrushka sitting in a meadow

Lightkeeper pointing his firearm overlapped against the lighthouse background

Overseer looking over the balcony in opening cutscene of Funeralopolis

Edited image of Super Imposter looking through window in No I’m not a Human demo cutscene with thin man and FEMA inside the house

Indie game collage of Blue Prince, KARMA, and The Midnight Walk

Close up shot of Jackie in the Box

Silhouette of a man getting shot as Mick Carter stands behind cover