Super Hydorah pulls in the best bits from three decades of shoot ’em ups and distills it all down into something truly delicious.
You control your fighter plane with a single thumb on screen, and firing is automatic. Your job is to dodge enemy fire as much as it is to take those enemies down.
Variety is Super Hydorah’s killer ingredient. Unlike some of the original classics, the action never becomes a slog. Stages are peppered with exciting boss battles and the sheer number of enemies you’ll encounter through the game is vast.
We do have one warning: Super Hydorah is not easy. True to the most celebrated games of this type, you need fast reflexes to have a chance of getting through alive and you have to learn distinct tactics in each level.
However, its re-playability is immense. You earn new weapons as you pass levels, and get to choose your arsenal for each. Bombs or fighter plane allies? You pick.
It also has a non-linear level structure, so you don’t have to take on the same stages in each play-through. And as there’s a “continues” system, it’s not game over when you run out of lives. You just won’t come out with a great score.
We’ll level with you – we’re not great at games like Super Hydorah, but commit to honing your skills and it is deeply satisfying.