Okay. Hear me out: have you ever played a side-scrolling shmup that lets you absorb bullets? Really? Well, how about one in which said bullets can be stored to either launch a counter-attack or something more permanent, like, say, enhancing your ship? No? Awesome! Welcome aboard the DRAINUS – hope you’re ready to take down countless enemy ships… and the evil Kharlal Empire!
Yup, they pulled the old ‘let’s name the game after the ship’. Which is fine. The galactic war that’s about to break out? Not so much. But maybe Irina, with the help of time-traveling Gehnie, will be able to not only stop that war but also help her father get to Earth. To cure him of “Planetary Compatibility Disorder”. And I thought JRPGs had confusing plots.
Although we both know that for the shmup genre, the gameplay has a tendency to take precedence over story elements, and DRAINUS seems no different in that regard. At first glance, it might not look all that different from many other side-scrollers. Look a little closer, however, and you’re bound to notice the mighty Reflector, a device capable of absorbing enemy attacks for a limited time.
This is a side-scrolling shooting game in which the player takes control of the “Drainus”, a ship that can absorb energy bullets, to take down the countless enemy ships zipping through space.
This is not just an alternate way for the player to defend themselves either (instead of, you know, dodging) as a barrage in the form of a counter-attack proportionally to the amount absorbed can be launched, or alternatively, it can be stored in tanks and exchanged for various ship enhancements. Not bad.
Something tells me it’s going to come in handy seeing how… well, one ship against an entire empire? I’d wager you’re gonna need that Reflector, skill, and probably a smidge of luck if the trailer below is anything to go by. So, who’s ready to take down those Kharlal punks?
DRAINUS is available on Steam, carrying a $14.99 price tag.
