VORPAL (XBLIG): "Bullet Hell At It's Finest"

Vorpal is probably the most unique bullet hell shmup I have ever played. The game mechanics, and unique art design make Red Wolf one of the most impressive shmup developers out there. The game features a story mode in which you get to know all 6 characters, and their background stories. It also features a versus mode for 1-on-1 sessions with an A.I. opponent. Vorpal offers a challenge that will take most hardcore shmup players by surprise. It even gave me rough time, and I'm an experienced shmup player ...

Like I previously mentioned above this game features a very unique art style. If I were to compare it to anything it would be like the artwork by Final Fantasy's artist, and tribal tattoo designs combined to make a bullet hell shmup. I would even say it has it's own unique take on anime characters. The color scheme of Vorpal is another interesting aspect of the game. Instead of the colorful displays you would see in most shmup shooters this game takes an alternate route. The red, black and white layout of Vorpal not only looks awesome, but it enhances gameplay functionality as well. As a player you are able to focus more on the barrage of bullets, and patterns that are headed in your direction.

There are a total of 6 characters with 6 ships in Vorpal. Each character has his/her own unique look, and back story. The ships are also unique to each corresponding character. I couldn't follow the story too well, because it seemed like I had stepped into a sequel. Don't let this turn you away though. The gameplay is solid, and offers a quality challenge for shmup players. The characters I mentioned include some shady individuals as well as some heroes. K* Gallant for example is of a long lost dragon race, and Noah Dark is the result of an experiment that was performed by an evil female character (Jade Harleq) in the game. From what I could gather in my playthrough of the game is that there is a federation that's after some of the characters, and there are other characters that are against the federation. The story is a lot more detailed than that, but I'll leave the details for you to discover when you get the game.

Vorpal's story mode is a lot more complicated than I'd imagined it would be. If you have played the demo like I did (before getting the full version) then you realize that this is not some game you're going to breeze right through. Each stage (TIER) in story mode features a 1-on-1 battle against one of the characters in the game. Every time you choose to play as a different character you will face new enemies, and a new storyline. Their are a total of 5 tiers/battles that must be won in order to finish the story. Each enemy you'll face must be defeated 8/9 times (I'm not 100% sure?) by depleting their health bar which is white. As you play would will come across black circles that will give you power-ups if you shoot them. You will have to catch the falling power-up icons in order to reap the benefits though. The game actually never explained the significance of each power-up, but I managed to figure out two of them. One of the power-ups is for life, and the other one I know of is to increase your shot power. During each match you will be given the chance to perform a break move when your red bar fills up. This allows for a focused, and increased attack on the enemy ship. Using the break move at the right times is definitely crucial for winning.

What makes Vorpal stand out from most shmup shooters is the wide variety of bullet hell patterns in the game. There are numerous patterns that you will encounter, and each set of patterns are unique to the opposing character. Being able to think quickly will definitely help out. You'll find that the screen will constantly be filled with these ever-changing bullet patterns, and you must learn to adapt quickly if you intend to win. There are actually no difficulty settings in this game. I would say that it's geared more towards the hardcore shmup players, and not beginners. I'm not saying not to buy it if you are new to the shmup genre though. You'll just have to get some practice in.

I found Vorpal to be a very challenging shmup shooter with it's own twist on the genre. The music in the game is amazing. In fact it's some of the best in-game music I have ever heard. The character, and ship designs are also a plus. What makes this game stand out the most though is the unique style of gameplay. Instead of facing multiple sets of enemies you must survive a fight against one at a time for multiple rounds. The question you're probably asking is "Do I recommend this game?". The simple answer to that is "yes". It is definitely worth buying, and the 80 msp ($1) price tag is a steal for the quality shmup action you'll get. I've also seen that Red Wolf has already started on a sequel to Vorpal called 'Vorpal 2'. I can't wait to see what this version has to offer. I'm definitely hoping for some online leaderboards.

Control Layout


- L.Thumbstick/D.Pad = Movement
- A = Shoot
- B = Break Move