I have always loved Shoot’em Ups, and when I heard about Space Elite Force and its sequel, on the Switch, I was intrigued but what I saw, The games are budget side scrolling shoot’em ups, and budget games can sometimes be decent, so I was definitely willing to give these a chance. What I played was not what I expected, but that was not a bad thing by any means. Sometimes the best games are smaller games that offer one thing done very well.
Space Elite Force give you two basic attacks at first, in the form of your main gun and missiles and sends you out to destroy waves of enemies. Missiles take a few seconds to recharge but do not run out, and their use will be key to defeating certain ships and bosses. The main thing that helps set Space Elite Force apart is the slowing mechanic. The game moves very quickly and it is easy to miss your shots for that reason. Holding a button will slow your ship down and allow for more precise aiming and movement, which will help you out immensely as you go along. Destroyed enemies will drop currency and there is a boss at the end of every stage that takes skill to beat. Once you do beat them however, you can use the currency to upgrade your weapons and get new ones as well. A decent enough shooter with some small issues, but nothing too out of the ordinary.
In this game, you do not get multiple ships and instead have a life meter to let you take multiple hits. As such, it is game over when you die instead of extra lives, so be careful and use the slowdown carefully. The game does not really stand out visually, and repeats a lot of enemies, but it is a decent bullet hell game and for the price being asked, you can do a lot worse. The sequel however, kicks things up quite a bit and in all the right ways.
Space Elite Force II is very similar to the first game, but feels more like an expanded remake than a sequel. Dying at the boss will now let you restart from the boss fight instead of at the start of the level, The weapons available are more varied, as are the enemies you fight them with, making for a more fulfilling experience. The music is better, although neither game’s audio is anything really special to be honest. Rather, what is here is now feels more full in a way and improved in numerous minor ways that all add up.
The first game has numerous games modes such as Hardcore Mode, which is a more frantic mode for more experienced players, and Infinite Mode, where you can try to get the best score in the ranking. The second game has two different modes instead. Arcade Mode serves as a stand in for hardcore mode and a more intense and frantic endless run with the goal to survive survive as long as you. The other mode is Boss Rush Mode, where you must 1defeat all the bosses, one by one, to get a high score. These are nice touches, and I am glad the developers did not just repeat the same extra modes.
Overall, Space Elite Force and Space Elite Force II are decent budget shooters, and I would recommend checking them out. They are decent for gamers on a budget and a good way to spend some time.
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