Excellent 2D shoot ’em up tribute

Hydorah is a 2D side-scrolling shoot ’em up, influenced by classic games like Gradius, R-Type and lesser known titles like Armalyte.

Developer Locomalito set out to make an original shoot ’em up that took players back to the days of 16-bit gaming. Hydorah is very true to this idea. The graphics are well crafted, and the soundtrack fits the action perfectly. The speed may seem slow to begin with, but Hydorah gets very tough as it progresses, and true to its roots it features neither save games nor difficulty settings.

Each short level has its own style and different challenges, and there are tons of different enemies and a range of bosses to overcome. Your ship will get power-ups as you go along, and new weapons are regularly introduced. Fans of classic shoot ’em ups will love Hydorah.

The only criticism of Hydorah is that it makes no apologies for being retro. Younger gamers may be annoyed by the lack of saves and the fact that you really need to learn levels through repeated play to get the most out of it.

For retro shooters, Hydorah is a triumph. Perfectly paced, and challenging without being unfair, it is an amazing tribute to games gone by.