Insanely hard shoot ’em up

Fren-ze is an arcade shoot ’em up visually reminiscent of Geometry Wars, though it’s a scrolling game.

There are two features of fren-ze that set it apart from other shooters. The first is that you can choose on start up whether to play vertically or horizontally. That’s the game, not you! You can play scrolling upwards or sideways. The game is identical in both modes, so it’s just a matter of preference.

The second defining feature of fren-ze, hinted at in the name, is the huge number of bullets that will often be cris-crossing the screen as you play. Avoiding being hit by bullets is of course paramount, and in Fren-ze is gets incredibly hard to do so! The concentration required just to keep out of trouble, let alone shoot things, is immense. You can escape this occasionally be activating your shield, which works for a limited time, but protects you from bullets (not enemy craft).

This demo offers a great deal of challenge, solely due to the difficulty. If you can reach the boss fight, be prepared for a hard fight. The sound and graphics of Fren-ze are good, but fairly standard for this type of retro experience. Whether or not you enjoy it depends on whether you can take the difficulty!

Fren-ze is a rock-hard, but slick and attractive shooter. Be prepared to die – a lot!