Hydorah

Hydorah is a lovingly crafted horizontal shoot 'em up from Locomalito, packed with enemy formations, bosses, secrets and the sort of pixel-art atmosphere that makes modern hardware feel slightly embarrassed. Inspired by classic arcade and console shooters, it focuses on tight controls and carefully designed levels rather than endless power creep. Players travel through a branching series of stages, choosing routes and facing increasingly nasty opponents along the way. The game looks retro, but its design reflects years of understanding what makes old shooters addictive: memorable enemies, dangerous patterns and just enough challenge to make victory feel earned. Hydorah is difficult, stylish and gloriously old-fashioned in all the right ways.

“Hydorah is a nonlinear classic shmup with a large library of levels and enemies. The difficulty is based on the 80s standards, so it requires mastering in order to progress. Graphics are simple enough to not interfere with the gameplay, while they're polished to show the unique personality of each level.” - Locomalito

Review by Freeware Database:

“Hydorah is a Gradius-style horizontal shooter that features sixteen different levels to beat, a wide variety of weapons to unlock, and a handful of secrets that can only be found by space pilots who dare travel off the beaten path. There is a progress save option that'll come in handy for practicing and mastering difficult stages, although players aren't allowed to use it more than three times during the entire mission.“