You know, I was thinking the other day about what “bullet hell” shoot-’em-ups (AKA “shmups”) needed more of, and “Super Killer Hornet” is here with the answer: math. Wait… what? Bear with me here.
Yes, you heard me correctly, math. The game will throw portions of mathematical equations at you. Grab a “2x”, then grab a “5”, and wait. The game will take your “2×5” and, after a fashion, throw a few answers to this mathematical equation at you. Collect the correct one (which means avoiding bullets, enemies, and incorrect answers), and you get bonuses.
There are two modes: an arcade mode, and a survival mode; in the first you have lives, and correct math answers boost your score multiplier. You’d play this if you’re into score attack kinds of experiences. In the second mode, you have unlimited lives but a finite amount of time; each correct math problem extends your all-important time. Select this mode if you’re more driven by achievement than by score.
My biggest complaint about shmups is their tendency to fill the screen with absolutely ridiculous amounts of bullets. Some of us aren’t as talented at these games as that level of difficulty requires; others simply enjoy the shooting more than we do the dodging. I liked the amount of bullets “Super Killer Hornet” threw at me.
80 Microsoft Points of innovation, and just the right amount of bullets in my opinion, makes it a recommend.
Here’s what the developer (Flump Studios) has to say about the game:
“‘Shoot lots of things then die’ a story as old as gaming its self, some people would say a perfect metaphor for life albeit violent angry people. And you don’t get to shoot more things and die more times than in the new horizontal bullet hell shooter from Flump Studios.”
Writings of Mass Deduction 