Cloudphobia - sidescrolling shooter

[Ford Prefect]

I doubt that many users here, if any, would have heard of Cloudphobia. Until recently, I hadn't heard of it either. Basically, it's one man's side scrolling action game, ala R-type. However, to encourage speed, each level has a three minute time limit, and the only way to get through each level is boost as frequently as possible. On top of that, to stop you just ignoring enemies entirely, every enemy you don't kill will subsequently deal damage to your mothership, and it's game over.

It's a well put together game for one guy, too. I really like the music, and the gameplay is tight. There are screenshots, a trailer and a demo available here. Don't worry about the language barrier, it's practically non-existant.

[Acidburns]

I found it to be really difficult, I just couldn't get the hang of it. Trying to keep up the pace while shooting down all enemies and not getting killed yourself is real balancing act. The art and animation are excellent for a one man effort.

[Ford Prefect]

Yeah, I can't do it either. It's fiendishly difficult, but I don't think cheaply so. I found it less overwhelming than some 'bullet hell' shooters. I'm not sure if the demo gives you a choice between mecha (I have the full version). Though the only difference is that one has a rifle and the other a sword, I found it much more maneagable with the sword. I still haven't finished a level, though.

It's not long, as there are only five levels and you have a three minute time limit, but it's a fun diversion. While it's just generally an impressive achievment for one dude, the third level really demonstrates the amount of work that's gone into it. It takes place during a big fleet battle, with all these ships duking it out in the background. The background moves around a lot, giving them impression of a lot of three dimensional movement, and it's honestly very cool.

[MJ12 Commando]

I downloaded it from The Underdogs wayyyy back when and I found it awesome. It was fiendishly hard, maybe I should go back with my honed reflexes and try it again.

I wonder if there's any art of the mecha in question, because I like its aesthetics and I want a different view.

[Ford Prefect]

There's at least a little art, given the opening video and the mission select screens, but I doubt anything is actually available.

[MJ12 Commando]

There's at least a little art, given the opening video and the mission select screens, but I doubt anything is actually available.

This sucks because the designs are totally awesome. The sword-bot is new, and I like the control scheme but it's so hard not to resist holding down the attack button because that sword spinning move is just REALLY cool.