Dante’s Inferno may need an update because if there are nine levels in Hell then Solar Shifter EX certainly digs a tenth level in Bullet Hell. I’m not sure if the EX stands for “extreme” or “extra hard” or perhaps “Excedrin” – the recommended cure to the migraine you are sure to get if you attempt to play this ridiculously difficult game. Don’t get me wrong – I love a challenge…I finished Ikaruga, and if you know what that is you are definitely a hardcore bullet hell fan.
There are two things that impressed me with Solar Shifter EX. First, the entire game is a one-man project, and from a presentation and design perspective I would stack this up against any other similar shooter. It looks THAT good, which leads to my second most impressionable feature; the graphics. I’m trying to think of any bullet hell shooter that looks better; one that covers planetary surface battles as well as epic space battles, and I can’t. It’s probably those dreamy graphics that kept me playing as long as I did.
Solar Shifter EX is easily the most difficult shooter I’ve played in recent memory but perhaps not for the right reasons. It breaks the rules of conventional shooters by totally changing the way you are expected to play, and until you figure out that little secret you are doomed to endless deaths so demoralizing the “checkpoint” indicator may induce a mini-orgasm. Solar Shifter EX definitely needs a difficulty selector in the options, or anyone but the most diehard of shooter fans will be instantly turned off by this game.
From what I can tell from the few punishing hours I’ve spent with Solar Shifter EX, the only way to play is to find that one spot – that magical few inches of your screen where there are no bullets, lasers, missiles, or other implements of death and mash that fire button until each wave is destroyed. It reminded me of those challenge stages in Galaga where you had to be in just the right spot for the perfect score. Once a wave is destroyed you get ready for the next, which will require finding a new safety zone.
There is a nice variety of enemy ships along with larger brutes that arrive in formation and start crisscrossing the screen with lasers. This leads to the game’s primary mechanic (and name). Much like Velocity 2X; another shooter that just released on Steam, you have the ability to teleport (or shift) your ship around the screen. You can either hold down the X button to see all the possible places you can shift or trust your feelings…use the Force…and just flick the right stick to go to someplace hopefully safe. Mastering the shift ability is critical to surviving just about all of the levels in the game.
My biggest issue with the game is that for the most part this is a vertical shooter being played on a horizontal screen. Top-down levels almost never give you adequate time to prepare for incoming enemies, as they always arrive guns blazing and you are often dead before you can analyze their attack pattern and find that safe spot. I felt like I was playing the shooter version of Edge of Tomorrow where I would get a few seconds further each time I spawned at the checkpoint. There were a few instances where the camera drops in behind your ship, so you get a cool 3D perspective that allowed for more satisfying combat.
Reaction time issues could have been eliminated (or at least reduced) if the camera wasn’t zoomed in so close. I appreciate the extra detail on the ships and the ability to see it, but shooters like this usually have ships a fraction of the size we’re seeing in Solar Shifter EX.
Between levels you get to improve your ship at the space dock, spending your hard earned collectible currency on both primary and secondary weapons. Sadly, you have no way of knowing what these guns do. Are they beam weapons, rockets, bombs? Who knows… but they must be better because they cost more…right? Combat is unique in that your guns (and the enemy guns) all have fixed lines of fire that are constantly shifting. So you may be on the left edge of the screen but firing towards top-center. Enemies don’t seem to fire AT YOU, but rather unleash their stream of bullets in whatever direction they happen to be facing. This all combines to create a tapestry of deadly special effects with one or two (if you’re lucky) fire-free zones in which to ride out the bullet storm.
Solar Shifter EX is easily the prettiest bullet hell shooter I’ve seen on the PC in a long time, and its coming to PS4 and Xbox One in 2016 so console gamers can also share in the frustration of one of the most challenging games ever. Sadly, most of that challenge lies in some awkward design choices that keep you from playing the game in a way most bullet hell fans have come to love. It is no longer about fast reflexes and dodging enemies and bullets, but rather analyzing wave after wave and screen after screen to find that special place to park your ship; a place where bullets never fly and ships are perfectly timed to your endless stream of gunfire. Fans of classic shooters like Ikaruga and R-Type will have to seriously change the way they approach this game.
At the end of the day I never felt like Solar Shifter EX was testing my reflexes or gaming skills, but more my ability to memorize patterns and screen awareness. I never felt like I was playing the game, but merely looking for that secret spot to exploit it. I love shooters where I am instinctually swirling the stick trying to dodge enemy fire and lay down some of my own, but in Solar Shifter EX, if you move you die. Of course you’ll also die when you are standing still, so bottom line; plan to die a lot. You’re overall enjoyment of the game will be how you come to terms with so much death and repetitious gameplay. There was one 20-30 second wave that took me nearly 30 minutes to get past. At least the lives are endless and the checkpoints are reasonable.
So if you are up for the challenge, grab a controller and a shovel and start digging that tenth level of Bullet Hell. With every lost ship a demon gets its wings, and with each new level, developer Ede Tarsoly turns up the heat. Prepare to sweat.
