Vertical shooters have become an almost forgotten part of video gaming history. They are no longer made in the number or quality that they used to be during the glory days of the shooter (late 90’s). A few die-hards (such as myself) still play and enjoy them and some more determined people still produce them.

This article is for people who have never played a vertical shooter before or do not understand the joy of them.

Why play a vertical shooter?

Ah, the million dollar question. Why play a vertical shooter in the first place? They are 2D, slightly primitive, and sometimes extremely tough. When you compare them to modern games, why would anyone play them? The answer is simple : adrenaline and zen.

The modern shooter (bullet hell) puts alot of action in a small space. At any one time you can have a hundred bullets zooming at you and quite a few targets to nullify. If you think, you die. To survive, you have to enter a zen-like state (be in the zone) and ride the edge of danger until you are able to catch a breath at the end of the stage. The result is an action game experience like no other.

Getting the Zen

To get the zen from a vertical shooter, you need to be able to survive for a few minutes. Here’s some hints to help you become a vert shooter master.

First and foremost, you should be watching enemy bullets. A good vertical shooter layers these on top of everything else and colors them brightly so that they are easy to see. When first learning to play vert shooters keep your sight near your ship so that you can weave quickly inbetween bullet patterns.

Yes, I said bullet patterns. Bullets in modern shooters do not usually come one at a time, they come in fast and furious waves - almost from the start of the stage to the end. They will make up a mini-maze that you will have to navigate as quickly and intuitively as the curves in a racing game.

Once you have some skill at weaving bullet patterns, you should be aware that you have a bomb. In most vertical shooters, the bomb is your massive damage/panic button. Normally a bomb does massive damage, yet that is not its true primary use - it also knocks all the incoming bullets off the screen. If you find yourself backed in a corner and sure to die, use your bomb.

With these skills, you should be able to conquer the best (after some practice) and get the zen. Here’s some suggestions of where to start : Strikers 1945, Gunbird, ESP Ra De, DoDonPatchi, and Dimahoo.