Thread by @gosokkyu

IGN Japan's Indie Game Week STG showcase article's live, with features on Mechanical Star Astra, Squadron 51, BLUE SABERS Early Mission, DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge, Wings of Bluestar, CLIONEKO, 1993 Shenandoah, Star Hunter DX & SPACE / MECH / PILOT jp.ign.com/indie-game-wee…🇯🇵

https://twitter.com/IGNJapan/status/1321749248245821442

brief summaries on each game:

Mechanical Star Astra: "of all the games featured here, this is the one STG fans should get hyped for" "there's nothing particularly novel about it, but we can't wait for the final game"

(fwiw they said something very similar about Blue Revolver)

Squadron 51: "the most unique game featured in this article", "the game itself is fairly conventional, the audiovisuals are the draw", "the spoken dialogue's in Brazilian Portuguese & it was impossible to read the EN subtitles during gameplay; I hope they address this in loc"

BLUE SABERS Early Mission: "veteran doujin dev Blue and White's first game in 13 years", "the tactical element of calling up a supply ship to restock your ammo sets it apart from other STG", "the visuals are a little dated due to the long dev time but the game itself is solid"

DreadStar The Quest for Revenge: "the shop/customisation screens feel more like an RPG than a STG", "the exquisitely-crafted dot art is quite impressive", "the level design's a little dull, but the variety will appeal to ppl who aren't STG diehards", "no JP loc but it's playable"

Wings of Bluestar: "captures the feel of a late-'90s STG: colourful side-scrolling stages, anime-style characters & dancey fusion music", "the game is staunchly conventional but well-executed" "I want to properly enjoy the story, so I hope they localise the game into Japanese"

CLIONEKO: "the setting's cute & weird but the game itself is surprisingly solid", "each Sushi Bomber attack depletes & loads from your weapon stock; there are many different types, so keeping tabs on your stock is key", "point-blanking system shows they get what STG maniacs want"

1993 Shenandoah: "the game draws heavily from Gradius & R-Type & the gfx have that overseas feel", "the RPG-esque customisation is reminiscent of Gradius III but there's an absolute ton of weapons", "the stages are brutal but the 360-rotating shield makes it easier than it seems"

(btw, for a little more context, 1993 Shenandoah is a literal remake/touch-up of an unreleased Amiga game from 1993)

Star Hunter DX: "the Space Moth DX devs' new game is a hori reminiscent of Cave danmaku, specifically Espgaluda, thx to the time-slow mechanic that lets u turn enemy bullets into scoring items", "the '80s retro vibe doesn't hit like Space Moth, but the game itself is solid & fun"

SPACE / MECH / PILOT "STG-themed idle game, not really a STG", "it's hard to explain, but talking to the cat-like KATO is what's fun", "KATO's a love-it-or-hate-it character but the game has the potential to become a cult hit in Japan a la the similarly-toned Undertale & OneShot"

...and that's that, I obviously truncated the summaries for tweet size so they did go into more detail per game but we're talking 2-3 paragraphs per game, nothing exhaustive