Mihashira [ミハシラ] Game Sample - PC/Doujin

A simple game by a one-man Doujin creator, "Mihashira" is essentially a small Arcade-style boss rush shooting game released earlier this year for PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch by "is_haya" (aka "iS_haya" or "uro"). It was originally unveiled back in 2024 after he gained some experience programming in "DX Library" (this game was created with version 3.24f) and serves as his second public release after 2024's "Shooting Game Prototype" (a sample horizontal shooting game featuring three stages that features characters who would migrate to Mihashira). It is notable for featuring two player co-op which is not especially common in Doujin shooters of this type and has the bones of something great but is fairly light on features at the moment and there is no word if it will continue to see gameplay updates (it's currently version 1.10 and was last updated in July). In 20XX, an area with a radius of approximately 13 miles centered around Lake ** in ** Prefecture, Japan, "vanished." Various speculations arose, including a meteorite impact, a military facility accident, and missile attacks from neighboring countries, but the cause remains unknown. It didn't "disappear," it "vanished." At last, the vanished area was sealed off. Soon afterward, obelisk-like structures, up to approximately 60 feet tall, and "grotesque creatures" began to appear in the surrounding towns. Furthermore, people known as "psychics", possessing the power to fight these "grotesque creatures," began to emerge. This is a record of the battles waged by these awakened psychics... (excerpt from the manual) "Mihashira" is comprised of six stages (A-F) where the player contends with infinitely spawning enemies (if you're within a certain area of where they spawn) while looking for the boss of the level under a time limit. The areas of the game will "loop" if the player goes the wrong way, though the player needs to pay attention to the environment or look for visual clues to guide them in the right direction. Most stages weren't too difficult to figure out, although Stage D was a bit of a pain, but levels as a whole are short. When the player finds the boss, they're awarded some additional time and the true battle begins in earnest. The player can choose from four different characters (a princess, maid, sister / nun and miko / shrine maiden) and two weapon types: A Beam or Solid Projectile. There isn't a significant difference between the characters, so it's mainly for cosmetics. The Beam is broken down into a powerful linear beam (Primary) or dispersed as a short range spread shot (Secondary) good for plowing through weaker enemies while the Solid (Ball & Chain) is a powerful weapon that can also rotate around the player if the attack button is held down but leaves you more open to incoming attacks. The game does have a gimmick where attacking enemies consistently builds up "Heat" and "Destruction" (which are essentially the same as wearing down enemy barriers) and when they are overheated / destructed, they are susceptible to taking more damage and are easily stunned. Defeating enemies in a Heated state will turn the enemy as well as any bullets on the screen into silver and gold rings, which is the primary score-chasing mechanic of the game. Gold Rings also greatly contribute to your "Hyper Gauge" and when enough are collected, you can activate your "Hyper Limit" which greatly upgrades your shot power. Different shots have different effectiveness when an enemy is or isn't in a Heated state, so you can take advantage of the situation. Defeating enemies with a Primary attack while heated leads to "Critical Hits" which can lead to combos for further score chasing. The player's "hit probability" (hitbox) also seems to differ depending on what state they're in (moving, idle, attacking, etc.) and there are capsules that some enemies drop that alter the character's strength or mental state, but I didn't really find a significant use for them while playing. The player can touch enemies without getting hurt (although most will push you around a bit), but getting hit by bullets results in a time reduction and "miss". To get the game's true final boss, you have to complete the first three stages without getting hit (otherwise you'll only access stages A-E) and the easiest way to do it is to not get hit during a stage and let time run out (if you get hit at any point, your only recourse is to find and defeat the boss as a time out will result in a Game Over, but you get a special bonus and advance if you don't get hit). Additional game features are locked behind Stage F. The graphics and effects are smooth and the game is decent fun but can be cleared in under 10 minutes if you really rush, so it's a bit expensive for what it is ($5-$8) and is more to support a dev and future works. This is a vid of the game in action. You can get it at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/41... Enjoy. ADDITION - Visit Us At: http://www.gamingsanctuary.org