Indie Impressions: Blue Revolver (Alpha Demo)
Blue Revolver is like a checklist of bullet hell staples, remixed into its own uniquely handcrafted mayhem. It reminds me a lot of another recent genre classic, Crimzon Clover, but more as an inspiration than a clone. Recognizable pieces make it an easy game to slip into, alternating between different firing speeds while dashing tightly through projectiles. Even in an alpha state Blue Revolver feels polished and sophisticated. The speed of the ship, the number of shots required to take down an enemy, the positioning of oncoming threats and the paths you need to take to avoid them; there's a level of knowledge in Blue Revolver's design that's atypical of a small developer at this point in development, and it has me immensely excited about where it might grow from this point.
What gives Blue Revolver its distinction though is the personality in its artwork. Colors alternate between muted tones for backgrounds and enemies, and bright highly visible bullets cascading around you. The whole game looks a little smudged, but intentionally so to give a homemade look to a professionally playing game. The level of detail feels reserved and elegant, putting emphasis where it needs to be without seeming imbalanced elsewhere.
Blue Revolver's alpha demo featured only a single level, but it was more than enough to elevate it to possibly my most anticipated bullet hell shooter this year. It's a genre I'm extremely glad is seeing such a resurgence, especially from indie developers, and if Blue Revolver keeps on the path it's currently taking I can easily see it becoming one of the genre's best modern hits.