Ghost Blade HD

With an easy mode, truncated (basically non-existent outside of "defeat the AI called Shira") story, and a multiplayer option, Ghost Blade HD is a great gateway drug for anyone on the fence about getting back into shmups. It has all the mechanical makings of a great shooter, it just lacks that special spark in a few major areas.

Ghost Blade HD is a brilliant entry into the shoot-'em-up genre for both newcomers and veterans alike. It strikes the tricky balance of offering a reasonable challenge to anybody who picks it up, but makes sure that the difficulty never gets out of hand. The deep gameplay and strategy allows for a variety of playstyles, and while the two-player co-op is a let down, the score attack mode will leave you coming back for more after you've bested the main game.

Ghost Blade HD is a good bullet hell shooter. The training mode is a solid addition for newcomers to the genre, but in the end if you don't like this kind of game you won't find much to persuade you otherwise here. For score chasers and fans of hardcore arcade shmups, though, there's a lot to like about Ghost Blade HD.

For its price and what its trying to do, Ghost Blade HD isn’t the worst time.

Ghost Blade HD is a callback to the golden age of shoot ‘em ups. With simple yet addictive bullet-hell gameplay and modern HD graphics, it manages to remind veteran gamers of the old days.

Ultimately, Ghost Blade HD is a wild good-time and excellent shmup experience. While short, the game’s sharp gameplay mechanics and stellar presentation make this an incredibly engaging spaceship shooter that all Nintendo Switch owners should have in their library.

Ghost Blade HD is a vertical action shoot 'em up of the bullet hell sub genre. It is quite remarkable despite not highlighting anything in particular, but it is well built and enjoys a very balanced difficulty. Ideal as a entry to the genre, it will allow you to learn to play, before leaving yourself in the middle of hell.

Ghost Blade HD lovingly embraces the history of bullet hell shooters, providing classic substance with modern polish. Though these modern aesthetics proved vexing at times, it's an experience worth seeing through.

The gameplay is frantic but ultimately redundant. The short campaign may turn off some, but for a measly 10 bucks, fans of the genre, who don't have many bullet hell games to choose from on current consoles, will probably get their money's worth.

Ghost Blade has all the makings of a great shooter, it just lacks that special something in few major areas that makes it fail to live up to its potential.