We love a good shooter at Fusion and our publisher friends over at EastAsiaSoft have sent their latest release, Nephenthesys, for review. It’s available now on Switch, reviewed here, as well as Steam, Xbox and PlayStation. It has been developed by Let’s Dev Studios and is priced at about £5 depending on the platform you use.
As with any shooter worth its weight, we have a story that doesn’t hold any relevance to the gameplay and is the usual loan wolf who must destroy the bad guys to save mankind. There are several ships to take control of, three at the start and then more that are unlocked as you progress through the game. Each ship is genuinely different and this adds to Nephenthesys’ longevity.
The basic shot you use depends on the ship chosen. The weapon types range from concentrated beams that do lots of damage but only shoot straight, to spread shots that cover lots of area but have weaker blasts. This adds value to the game and creates some strategies to think through when using a new ship for the first time.
The other weapon type is a standard bomb that is also used differently depending on the ship chosen and corresponds with its main shot. An interesting aspect of the bombs is that it’s only granted once you collect enough power-ups by blasting the last enemy in certain waves. Once you fill up your power, a drone will appear and this lets you know you have one bomb to use.
The power-up bar also acts as your energy or life in Nephenthesys. Take enough hits and not only will your shot power decrease but it’s game over and back to the start of the level. This is a neat feature and creates a true risk-reward mechanic that encourages you to chase the power-ups but make sure you don’t run straight into danger.
Controlling the ships is easy enough as the controls are responsive but some shmup veterans may feel the movement is a little loose in places. It would’ve been great to include a precision button to slow the ship down when attacking bosses and moving in and out of the bullets. But overall anyone can pick up Nephenthesys and start enjoying a blast through.
Graphically, Nephenthesys does lack its own identity in places. Some of the levels feel a bit generic and most of the enemy assets are bland although they’re clear on screen. It’s a similar situation with the all-important bosses who have good bullet patterns but don’t feel that distinctive. This is a minor criticism though as the overall gameplay is solid at this price point.
If you’re a shmup fan and looking for a new challenge you will find it here. Those who are more casual to the genre can probably skip this one but add it to their wishlist for a sale. All that being said, for a fiver you can’t go wrong. If you can overlook the lack of a distinctive presentation, Nephenthesys provides a robust challenge with several uniquely different ships that provide longevity.
