You control a side-scrolling spaceship firing machine guns at other spaceships in an attempt to destroy the earth. Get hit once, you're dead. There are a million of these types of games, from Gradius to Metal Slug. Einhander differentiates itself in several key, awesome-as-heck ways.
1. Einhander looks and sounds amazing because it was made by Square, the reigning king of PlayStation graphics and music.
2. Variable speed controls. Many "bullet hell" games can be frustrating because the default speed of the character can feel too slow when the screen becomes cluttered with enemies. Einhander remedies this by assigning the back shoulder buttons on the controller to a fast/slow switch that cycles through 4 levels of speed. This means if you get hit by something, it was your own fault.
3. Weapon pick-ups. Einhander features a bunch of guns that attach to your fighter and can be flipped on either top or bottom. The weapons also have different effects depending on which side they are on, eg a shotgun-like weapon that fires backwards or forwards.
4. Shifting camera angles. Unlike most games of it's ilk, Einhander is completely polygonal, not just 2-d. This means the camera can change, giving us new views on familiar situations and creating tension.
The Shoot 'Em Up genre is reliable and well-worn. Einhander is a fresh entry with a great look and feel. It's always been one of my favorites. I played the demo to death then found it at a swap meet ten years ago for five bucks. I gave it away to a cousin. Copies on eBay now run about $40. Please, people. Hold onto your games. It'll pay off. They ain't gonna make plastic forever.
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