Vertical scrolling shooters are everywhere, so it takes a particularly nice concept or setting to make any such title really stand out from its contemporaries. Rather than take the pixellated bullet-hell route, developers Selva Interactive have modelled their upcoming shmup Highwind after origami paper planes, in both the enemies encountered and your own A4 vessel. While Highwind won’t be pushing the upcoming iPhone 8 to its limits in terms of graphical fidelity, the interesting aesthetic design combined with the accessibility of two button play results in a shooter with a childlike and nostalgic aura, which will, at the very least, be a breath of fresh air in a crowded genre. While Highwind doesn’t have a release date as of yet, the developers are looking for beta testers on our forums to give feedback and suggestions in the lead-up to the game’s imminent launch.
One aspect of Highwind that looks particularly appealing in the trailer is the way horizontal movement and avoiding incoming obstacles is as important as the pure shooting action. While eliminating the enemy planes is the core gameplay mechanic within Highwind, having this alternative element to the action will add some variety to the levels. Five game modes, extra mini-games and randomly generated enemy waves also help to mix up the frenetic flying, and power ups will expand your arsenal beyond the traditional shooting you’d expect from a shmup. Being from the same two person development team that was responsible for the cute and quirky Nanuleu ($2.99) last year, Highwind has the developer pedigree to ensure the App Store will have another enjoyable vertical shooter upon its eventual 2017 release. For more information, and to sign up for the game’s beta testing phase, take a look at our Highwind forum thread.
