Astrolancer

*You are LANCER TWO, superweapon and property of the military arm of the GALACTIC COUNCIL. You are a cutting-edge fighting machine, capable of merging with your TRUSTY LANCE to become a tiny FTL spacecraft, designed to go into the deepest reaches of space and fight alone.

The dreaded FORMATROIDS have appeared once again on the galaxy's edge! Having landed on a distant automated mining colony, this shape-shifting, self-replicating menace must be stopped before it gets a foothold in our galaxy. To guarantee the destruction of this existential threat, the COUNCIL has armed your internal BLACK HOLE BOMB. Should you fail your mission, it will detonate, destroying you, the entire planet, and the FORMATROIDS with it.

The FORMATROIDS are already doomed! Can you save this lonely planet, and yourself?*

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Inspired by a certain 1988 cult classic, ASTROLANCER carries the 8-bit mantle into a retro-styled adventure with modern appeal. Alternating between top-down shooting and high-flying shoot 'em up sections, the player will fight to destroy the FORMATROID threat while expanding their arsenal along the way. If you get into a tight spot, use your invincible THRUST ATTACK to break through!

ASTROLANCER offers the player a free selection of secondary weapons, and potentially over a dozen special ARMS with which to destroy the enemy. Find hidden rooms and collect Energy Cells to obtain upgrades between stages and customize your abilities even further! Not everything can be acquired in one playthrough, keeping the game fresh when the player is ready to take on the next difficulty level.

Speaking of difficulty levels, the FORMATROIDS believe the best defense is a good offense! As difficulty level goes up, enemy HP does NOT increase - but the damage, speed, and volume of their bullets does! If you're a real thrillseeker, the special difficulty level HEARTLESS RAMPAGE may have even more surprises for you...

That's not the only choice of game mode - if the old-school Retro Mode controls don't appeal to you, try Modern Mode, which lets you strafe with any weapon (while slightly increasing enemy durability to compensate). Is it still too tough? The cheat menu is right there, no codes needed! Cheats can be turned on or off at any time during gameplay.