"Bullet Hell" Games

[BoogieManFL]

This post is probably mostly pointless.. But I've checked out videos of these bullet hell games and as I watch them I just fail to see the point of them. Sure they look really hard, but it's designed to be hard fore the sake of being hard. Not because there is any real strategy or tactics, just there is a bunch of crap on the screen.

The main thing I find lame about them as I'll watch the player ship weave in and out of these insane maelstroms of spam, and often 95% of the ship is in contact with the bullets. It seems that only contact with some certain little pixel deep inside the ship graphic counts as a hit. So it looks kinda lame to me since it IS getting hit.

Like I said, this post is kinda pointless but I just felt like ranting about it. Still, props to those who take the time to get good at them.

 

[LeonLethality]

I love the TouHou games. And there is strategy to them, there is streamlining and memorizing the spell card patterns, conserving your bombs and so on.

even though the hit boxes are tiny, it is still incredibly easy to get hit

 

[thatstheguy]

You know what? What's the point of video games? All they are is pressing buttons and watching lights go off. Why do people enjoy them?

I assume it's the constant adrenaline rush that makes people enjoy them so much. You're always under fire and don't have time to stop and think. Some people like the feeling of being on their toes.

 

[pyrosaw]

It depends on what what you like. If you like skillful and hard games, then bullets hell shooters are for you. Im not saying you have no skill, but those things are hard as shit.

 

[BoogieManFL]

It's all about instinctive reactions. It's like Guitar Hero, just muscle memory.

It's the opposite of an RTS, which requires strategic thought, but closer to the way an animal would think.

Interesting to ponder. While I struggle to understand the point in Bullet Hell games, I slam away on expert on guitar hero/rockback games and some people are just like that's just crazy, it looks too hard to be fun. I guess that looks like to them what those games look like to me. I don't know how much of it is skill versus just reflexes and getting used to patterns.. Then again, GH games are also much like that. They look more like patience games than anything.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I'm not all that interested in them, myself, but that's mainly because I don't tend to go for top-down or side-scrolling shooters to begin with (with some exceptions; I don't have a 360, or I'd buy Death Smiles). I have to admit, they look like they could be fun and exciting...and damn do the patterns look pretty sometimes.

 

[Aura Guardian]

I'll only play those made by Treasure. Oh do I LOVE Treasure games

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

The bullet patterns are often pretty and therefore nice to look at. The Touhou series of games has great music. Beating the game means a good deal of bragging rights. Complaining about game mechanics like having a small hitbox in such a genre doesn't make a lot of sense though. I'd understand that it bugs you that we're technically being hit, but given the genre the hitbox is extremely important.

 

[Rakun Man]

I just watched a video about that game for the first time.
WTF!
I don't know what's worse, this, or Dance Dance Revolution, for so many lights and distractions on the screen. I just thank my lucky stars I'm not epileptic.

 

[lacktheknack]

It's REALLY satisfying to master one, though!

 

[Dexiro]

They're fun, challenging and really nice to look at. What's not to get?

They're designed to be easier than they look. Not that they aren't stupidly difficult, but you can still pull of some ridiculous looking stuff early on and look like the master of the universe ;D

You just have to keep your cool and focus on what you need to dodge, rather than staring at all 10,000 bullets whizzing around the screen in awe.

 

[Miles Tormani]

The only "bullet hell" game I personally like is Ikaruga. My reasoning for this is because rather than focusing on things to be avoided, the polarity switch mechanic allows you to literally take advantage of bullets of a specific polarity hitting you. This also limits something that I saw often in the Touhou games: having sequences where the only way to survive is literally to press right for exactly X seconds, every Y seconds. Or something like that.

It's also incredibly pretty, has music that is designed specifically to sync up with the levels, and the bosses are actually pretty creative for a genre that gives you exactly two ways to attack and a flat plane to travel around.

 

[ShadowKatt]

The only bullet hell games I know are the Touhou series, and I don't even attempt them.

However, I LOVE to watch other people play them. I find them just absolutely fascinating to watch.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

I like Beat Hazard because it's trippy. Oh! And Warning Forever, that game is awesome.

 

[Lightslei]

It's really not something I think anyone would enjoy off the bat. It took me months to actually get into them. It's really a reflex/instinct test thing.

 

[Kevlar Eater]

So far, the bullet hell games I've played are Mushihime-Sama (I may consider getting Mushihime-sama Futari, but I gotta get a region-free version, otherwise I'm stuck with a disc that's incompatible for my 360) and Deathsmiles. The latter I have right now.

 

['The Eel']

There are really too kinds of Bullet Hell games. The first is games like Mushihimesama where the main challenge is having quick and precise reflexes to be able to dodge the high speed bullets. The other kind is games like Touhou, where the the bullets come slower and the challenge is finding where the safe routes through the patterns are.

I prefer the latter kind. Touhou's awesome music, pretty bullet patterns, and huge cast of characters don't hurt either.

 

[Au Naturel.]

What I love about maniac shooters is that you are constantly in danger. You need to pay attention to what's happening around you. You need precise movements and great reflexes. Escaping an extremely difficult bullet pattern and taking down the enemy is incredibly satisfying, especially seeing the entire screen flash and erupt in a multitude of colors, items and points! Even beating your old score is a big reason people enjoy these games. You always have something to go for! I also find that the music these games have is incredible.

 

[Wolfram23]

Wow wtf, never heard of it before... just watched a vid. That's crazy. Does not appeal to me in the least, but on the other hand it takes some pretty sick coordination to do.

 

[Dommius]

Beat Hazard is ridiculous... I bought it because I saw it on sale during the steam summer sale and quickly became addicted to it. In fact posting this has made me question why I'm here and not listening to my music while destroying an army of ships on insane difficulty.