Mirage Feathers by Oyasumi Workshop is a pleasant surprise. This neo-retro game showed up in my recommendations and after just looking at the game’s video for a few seconds, I wanted to buy it. It only cost me 600 yen, so I couldn’t resist!
The gameplay is like Afterburner (not Afterburner II since there is no throttle control). You have a main shot plus lock-on missiles. Later you can gain new weapons, like a lock-on plasma cannon you can switch the missiles to instead. It gets its Touhou comparisons from bullet-hell blossoms (in 3D) and cute girls. I really like how this game supports a 4:3 aspect ratio too.
Just like Afterburner, this game will unleash hell’s fury on you and you’ll take a beating without knowing what hit you. That’s just the way this kind of game is (at least for me), so maybe younger gamers wouldn’t expect this. It’ll really kick your ass.
Unlike Afterburner, this game has end bosses like Space Harrier does. The first level’s boss is this huge jet called Blue Whale. The guns on this will go crazy on you.
Level 2 features night flying. The story is kinda weird. These young girls are flying soldiers of a sort and the protagonist’s best friend from the academy turned out to be some sort of MK Ultra victim who attacks her, and the protagonist is forced to defend herself. The gameplay starts with her AI assistant helping her track down her friend, and she’s getting revenge on those who turned her friend against her. The story is rather drawn-out and you’ll get an achievement just for sitting through it. I personally don’t care for the dopey moe-style character designs, but the gameplay makes up for it. Definitely recommended!
