Horizon Shift '81

As far as I'm concerned, every great shoot 'em up deserves a sequel. There has never been a time where I've enjoyed a shooter only to conclude that I never want more of that, because of course I want more of a great thing. And when I played Horizon Shift back in 2015, I knew I wanted to see it continue. Thankfully, Flump Studios agreed, because Horizon Shift '81 just hit the Nintendo Switch and it's everything a good sequel should be. It's bigger, faster, better looking and full of cool new power-ups. It's also one of the best and most original shooters released this year on the Switch.

At first glance, Horizon Shift '81 looks a lot like Space Invaders and a number of other old school shooters. But take another look, because this is actually a devilishly clever action game where you're forced to shoot enemies that are both above and below you. Think of it like a two-dimensional version of Tempest, only instead of zipping around a circle, you're hopping between sides of a straight line in the middle of the screen.

You control a boxy spaceship that hugs that straight line. The idea is to move from side to side shooting at enemies and dodging their bullets. The main gimmick is that you can alternate between shooting up and shooting down at any time, so you're effectively paying attention to two different playfields. Sometimes these two sides will crash into each other, destroying parts of the line and making things tough on our tiny craft. It's the kind of shooter that seems simple at first, but it won't take long for you to realize that there's a lot to keep track of at all times.

The good news is that the boxy spaceship has plenty of moves to counter the space invaders. You'll be able to both jump out of the way and power slide across the line, which can be used both defensively and offensively. Sliding into enemies will send them flying into the air, which is the only way to kill certain bad guys in later stages. We can also charge up a special move that destroys everything, as well as go into a crazy hyper mode that makes the little craft impossible to kill.

The big change to Horizon Shift '81 is how it incorporates the power-ups. The first game had a few items you could pick up here and there, but this takes that idea to the next level. Now we're able to equip missiles, lasers, a flame thrower, shotgun and more. We can also pick up items that will upgrade your ship, such as double and triple jumps, shields, satellites and a double dash. Of course, all this goes away the moment you die, but there are points in the game where you'll feel almost too powerful.

That's not to say the game is easy, because it definitely is not. The 36 stages start simple enough, but it ramps up to the point where there's almost too much to pay attention to. This is one of those games where it's easy to blur the two sides together, especially when the line keeps moving up and down. There are also a number of challenging boss fights that are about as close as the game gets to becoming a bullet hell shooter. Thankfully, the game is pretty generous when it comes to checkpoints, so you'll be able to make your way through Horizon Shift '81 little by little before attempting to beat all 36 stages on a single credit.

Click For the Full Picture Archive

Much like the original game (and most titles from Flump Studios), this sequel is loaded with extra modes. Beyond the standard arcade classic campaign, you'll also find an arranged mode, speed up mode, hyper mode, free mode and boss mode, all of which change the way you play the game in big and small ways. You can also change the game speed in most of these modes, as well as fiddle with the background, scanlines, graphics and more.

When it comes down to it, my only real complaint is the music. Don't get me wrong, the soundtrack is fine, but it's a bit too chaotic for this type of game. I found it more distracting than anything, which is disappointing. It's also repetitive, and not in a good way. I also wish there were more things to unlock, such as different border backgrounds and graphic modes. It's also missing a way to compare high scores with other players. Other than that, I have very little bad to say about Horizon Shift '81.

Much like the name suggests, Horizon Shift '81 is a fun throwback to an era when games like Space Invaders ruled the arcades. It's also an exceptional sequel that not only improves on the original, but fully realizes the potential of its killer gimmick. With six different modes, tons of power-ups and 36 stages of challenging bad guys, there's a lot to explore in Flump Studios' newest shooter. This is one of the best shoot 'em ups available on the Nintendo Switch.