No named type is more appropriate than leaden hell. Known in Japan as Danmaku – or grenade launchers, this subgenre of shooters shoots hundreds of bullets at the player, to the point of slowing down the hardware. Everything, from the speed, to the blood-pumping music and the oncoming curtains of enemy fire, is brought up to eleven in these frantic titles.
For a niche genre of the arcade era, Bullet Inferno has remained a prominent influence on games as diverse as Nier: Automata, Undertale, and Returnal. Beginners play to survive, and pros play to achieve high scores and legendary 1CC status (through feats like clearing the game with one score and not continuing). Misunderstood as relatively unknown (some are exclusive to Japan), this list seeks to demystify bullet hells for newcomers and highlight the best we have access to.
10/10 Ikaruga (2001)
Ikaruga has not produced a worthy contemporary. The closest thing to a new Ikaruga is placing Ikaruga in the final Treasure port of Radiant Silvergun. Ikaruga’s polarity mechanic gives players the ability to switch between white and black bullet types, nullifying enemy bullets of the same color. This, along with the game’s sequencing system, provides depth without blowing the classic shmup formula too much.
However, Ikaruga has since been surpassed by the latest games. Her latest port looks distinctly naked compared to the fully featured ports of old shmups that have come out since. That’s why Ikaruga is at the bottom of our list.
9/10 Touhou Project: Offline Market (2021)
Graphics aren’t everything, and The Touhou Project’s fan base and staying power is testament to that fact. Unconnected Marketeers is the 18th danmaku-style Touhou game, and the best looking in the series, but graphically there have been only incremental changes since the 1995 series debut. That said, the Touhou fanbase uniquely dwarfs the arcade shooters communities, even if it doesn’t boast the depth of some of the entries.
Offline Marketers is the follow up to the adorable Wily Beast and vulnerable creature of 2020. This danmaku cute’em up has a rainbow look, with colorful candy bullets coming at you in the mesmerizing patterns that Touhou is known for.
8/10 Blue Gun (2016)
With a color palette as blue as even red is a bit of violet, Blue Revolver is a rare indie game that lives up to the graphical splendor of its arcade inspiration. The appropriately titled Dream Play can be used as a mood board, with the colors the players navigate. Every object and sound is in place for this love letter to retro games.
A “booming” scoring multiplier encourages players to explode exciting targets with their own shot, and this comes alive in the parallel difficulty (and the game’s ranking mode). A great debut game from Stellar Circle, if it had a more fleshed out mission mode it would rank high on this list.
7/10 Danmaku Unlimited 3 (2017)
This Touhou-influenced shooter encourages players to graze dangerously close to enemy bullets to fill up the aptly named Trance Meter, which can obliterate enemy ships in a rain of stars. Danmaku Unlimited 3’s fast speed puts players into bullet hell sooner, with very attractive and esoteric-looking bullet patterns.
The game succeeds in synergy between its playing systems. New players will know how to properly detonate attacks, by depleting their entire supply if you allow the game to save you with a single automatic grenade. This is a good design. This is a great game for Shmup fans and professional scorers, but it doesn’t offer enough for others to be ranked higher.
6/10 Moshihisama (2004)
The ethereal and wondrous Mushihimesama has no equal when it comes to taking the player on a journey. The game unfolds in untouched jungles, where the player can blast off swarms of giant insects and carnivores. The enemies here are huge, spanning multiple screens and alive with ornate detail.
Those big mischievous chests help make the CAVE title stand out, and the usual arcade difficulty curve is smoothed out here. This appears to have been a deliberate effort for broader appeal. Why they decided to dress this attempt at insect hair and blow up their exoskeletons is anyone’s guess. Many prefer the game’s sequel, Mushihimesama Futari, so why not play both?
5/10 ESP Ra.De (1998)
This is the second consecutive CAVE game on the list, and the setting couldn’t be removed more than Mushihimesama. ESP Ra.De is a gritty cyberpunk story that takes place in the near future. It sees the player character fire ESP bullets at mostly human enemies, many of which explode like blood bags when shot.
When the mecha in ESP Ra.De is detonated, the pilot’s body falls out of it. The exhilaratingly devastating targeting mechanic involves using piercing shot to attach bullets to the enemy and then using regular fire to blast them off like sticky bombs. This one or two is very satisfying and keeps each encounter engaging. Not many headlines as hell top this one.
4/10 Jamestown + (2011)
Fans of 16-bit style shmups rejoice, Jamestown+ is the complete console you’ve been waiting for. This is a retelling of historical events, but it takes place on Mars. It all comes together in the game’s stunning art direction and soundtrack. Jamestown is rated very highly alongside classic arcade games for it’s “post-arcade” feel.
The campaign of Jamestown + is a tough danmaku, but it allows players to play each level with three continuous. Fans are required to gradually raise the difficulty level to unlock the final levels of the campaign. That’s in addition to the store’s non-trivial unlocks, which players will want to grind through levels to unlock. The game also has a classic Flappy style mode for those who want 1CC. It may be very strange to some, however, it is not the most friendly.
3/10 Battle of Garriga (1996)
Battle Garegga is still relegated to newcomers because it is still unique. When it was released, Garegga’s hidden rating system was intended to keep the game profitable when arcade players got so good at the genre that they could beat games with a single score.
Firing shots, defeating enemies, or even moving an arcade stick will increase the player’s rank, thus speeding up and intensifying enemy attacks. There will be a discrepancy between careful players who won’t drop an item and gamblers who will take them all but possibly crash their plane later to lower their rank. All this gameplay, and we still haven’t mentioned its soundtrack: which is one of the best ever. Just a couple of really perfect titles top this one.
2/10 Crimson Clover (2011)
This game was made by Clover-TAC, the world record holder for multiple CAVE titles. His expertise as a player shines through in Crimzon Clover’s excellent level design. From a gameplay standpoint, this title is superior to many of the games that inspired it. As messy as bullets can get, they never seem murky. The animations are great, working to keep the game readable despite the crowding of things (Crimzon Clover’s first level feels more like the second level in terms of the sheer number of enemies on screen).
The first boss is creative, and seems like he wants to dance with the players: he entraps them on one side of the screen with a curtain of oppressive fire while telling them to weave through timed shots on the other. The solutions feel straightforward and open, with the game pushing players in obvious directions while daring veterans to try something of their own. It’s hard to push the genre any further, and our latest game barely wins this game last on the list.
1/10 Ketsui Deathtiny -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi
Playing this one is a huge adrenaline rush. Often this type of focus will want you to dodge attacks, but this game wants the player to stand up to the enemy before blowing them up. No-point kills score the most points, and reward aggressive players with an extra life.
Ketsui Deathtiny – Kizuna Jigoku Tachi is very intuitive and fun, in a way it’s just the best action games out there. Its incentives to keep players close to their opponents keep the experience fresh. Even with its reputation as a challenging game, its abundance of modes, including the awesome “Bonds of Growth” training mode, teaches new players how to handle a challenge and see all that Ketsui has to offer. It is a shooting game that is really designed to almost perfection.
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