Summary
After a long and stressful day, some turn to video games torelax, unwind, and get transportedto a faraway land where they can escape their real-world problems. For whatever reason, the way some masochists do this is by indulging in the notoriously brutal bullet hell genre.
Bullet Hell (or Manic Shooter) games typically require the player to navigate a screen filled to the brim with bullets while also shooting down or otherwise defeating the opposition. They cover a lot of perspectives as well, from top-down to side-scrolling or isometric, but they all share the trait of being tough as nails. Here is a look at themost difficult bullet hell gamesplayers can get their hands on.
7Mushihimesama Futari
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.76
The truly fantastical world of theMushihimesamaseries is one that is reminiscent of Miyazaki’sNausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.The setting is a world that has outgrown the need for humans and instead is overrun by large insects.
While the story is a bit lacking, the sequel,Futari, continues the original’s penchant for unforgiving difficulty. It also brings back the controversial bullet-canceling mechanic where shots by enemies will turn into jewels upon their death, allotting the player points. This incentivizes a more aggressive playstyleon higher difficultieswhere more bullets will fill the screen at a time.
6Espgaluda 2
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.80
Bullet hell games definitely seem to have a hard time differentiating themselves from game to game, soEspgaluda 2doesn’t really try to. Instead, it doubles down on what made the first game interesting but ramps up the difficulty greatly.
There are also tons of ways for players to wring out mileage fromEspgaluda 2, all of which involve different scoring mechanics. One of them, kakusei zesshikai, has bullets spawn even more bullets, filling up the screen and requiring players to clear them at the right time to be showered in points.
5Deathsmiles
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.83
Anybody into the occult will find something to latch onto inDeathsmiles,a bullet hell where young witches are tasked with fighting off monsters using theirextraordinary magical powers. There’s not much in the way of story in the game, but it makes up for it in pure style.
Boss designs inDeathsmilesare often times horrific, but they give the player something interesting to look at while they get beaten down. Thankfully, there are difficulty settings, the easiest of which allows players to take in the sights, while the hardest will test the mettle of even the most hardcore shoot ‘em up enthusiasts.
Killer robots and colorful combat rooms are par for the course inNex Machina,a top-down,twin-stick shooter. It has all the trappings of a traditional bullet hell, including some seemingly impossible-to-pass screens and uber-hard boss fights.
Unfortunately, the game is known to be a little unfair, taking away power-ups upon death that are frankly essential for progress. The level of grit and determination needed to seeNex Machinato the end is nothing to scoff at, but it’s also no surprise for anyone familiar with Housemarque’s work.
Complete with an unassuming and timeless art style, Studio MDHR’s debut hit should not be underestimated. Unlike most traditional bullet hell games that have players attempting to dodge a disgusting amount of bullets,Cuphead’s many bosses often utilize all sorts of thematically appropriate attacks, leading to many, many game-over screens.
Those that stick with it, though, are met with some of themost satisfying side-scrolling, run-and-gun combat, as well as many creative boss battles. Gamers will also quickly realize that the game is incredibly fair, partly because of the frame-perfect, hand-drawn animations that meticulously depict each enemy movement. Though the title may look approachable because of its charming art style, it can pose a real challenge to those willing to dive into it.
Ikarugais one of the first shining examples of the bullet hell genre to make waves in the West. Withthe camera positioned squarely overhead, players guide their ship forward, backward, left, and right to dodge all manner of projectiles and obstacles coming from all directions all at once.
Some projectiles simply can’t be dodged, so they have to be passed through by switching the ship’s polarity. It’s easy to imagine how a player’s wires might get crossed while trying to do everything to survive a given stage.Ikarugais bullet hell in one of its simplest and cruelest forms, and those brave enough to try it out will be in for a challenging time.
1Touhou Bunkachou ~ Shoot The Bullet
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.64
The long list ofTouhou Projectgames proves quite heartily that magical girls are some of the most resilientprotagonists in media. But a lot can also be said about the characters surrounding them, particularly about how they handle the type of hectic situation that only a bullet hell can provide.
Shoot the BulletstarsAya Shameimaru, the journalistfeatured in a number of Touhou projects, and sees players succeed by getting up close and personal with the enemies trying to do them in. With no attacks of their own to speak of, players must snap a picture to clear the screen. The more risky the image, the more points are granted, but getting said snaps is easier said than done.
