Sophstar (2022)

Sophstar is a casual shmup that is addictive and fun. With 6 game modes and 6 difficulty settings, this will keep you busy. What's more, the never-ending bullet hell will test your patience and reactions.

Even with those gripes, however, there is nothing here that would stop me from recommending Sophstar to shmup fans. It takes a familiar genre, nails the fundamentals, and then builds upon those with unrivaled ship variety and its teleportation mechanic that is so core to the experience and blows the genre wide open to the extent that I’m not sure I want to ever play another shmup that doesn’t have this feature. If you’re not put off by the lack of progression and are up for the immense challenge presented by Sophstar, then I would encourage you to not let this little gem pass you by.

Essential Switch Shmup Action

Sophstar is a fantastic game that feels like it was made by a team that loves shooters. Being someone who will play just about any one released, this one stands out among the pack with its unique teleport mechanic and addictive Cadet School mode. There is a lot here to enjoy and for less than $10 it is a no-brainer for fans of shooters. Don’t sleep on this team’s debut game, cannot wait to see what they deliver next.

With a good variety of gameplay, Sophstar is a traditional shoot'em up that has its personality. It still lacks more depth and ways, which affects the experience as a whole to reach its potential.