A new 16-bit sci-fi-themed shoot’em up is coming to the Super Nintendo, courtesy of the team at PixelHeart.
Super Storm Buster is a vertically-scrolling shmup with a "dark science-fiction atmosphere". It is described as a project that stays "true to the spirit of classic 16-bit shooters" and will reportedly try to push the hardware by featuring "a very high number of projectiles on screen at the same time", as well as massive bosses that "take up a large portion of the screen".
The gameplay focuses on "positioning, space control, and reading dense bullet patterns" over "fast-paced reflex action", while the story is pretty much what you'd expect for a game of this nature, seeing players take control of a lone pilot and humanity's last hope in a battle against a mysterious new enemy threatening a futuristic city
Here's the official synopsis:
Neopolis. The near future. A threat from the sky.
Without warning, an unknown satellite appears in orbit.
Silent. Motionless. Hostile.A beam pierces the atmosphere and obliterates the command tower in an instant.
Neopolis’ defense forces are wiped out.
The city is left defenseless.But in the shadows, one last hope remains.
Hidden in a secret base, an independent pilot prepares for launch.
The cockpit lights up.
Engines power on.
The ship is ready. The mission begins.Neopolis must survive.
Very few images have been shared of the project so far, with the full reveal likely being planned for the launch of the game's Kickstarter campaign, which is aiming to raise money to complete the game’s development and produce a physical release for PAL, JPN, and the US.
Doing some digging online, however, did reveal a short demo video from the SNES homebrew developer Kannagichan, published last year, looking at a pre-alpha version of one of the game's bosses in action.
You can head over to the Kickstarter page now to be alerted when the campaign goes live, if you fancy keeping tabs on the project.