Dragon Blaze

Dragon Blaze is a fantasy-themed vertical arcade shooter by Psikyo ported by Zerodiv for the Nintendo Switch. It’s a beautiful game with a forest level that loosely reminds of Mushihimesama. It’s one of Psikyo’s later games and it shows, providing a far more complexity than its predecessors.

It sticks to the standard Psikyo formula with 7 difficulty levels and 4 randomly-ordered levels followed by 3 ordered levels. The player can choose from 4 dragon riders, each with distinct attack patterns. The game has a three-button scheme that includes shot/chargeshot/DRAGON shot/bomb. The dragon shot allows the rider to dismount from their dragon and move independently while the dragon still shoots. The charge shot is also different while dismounted.

Suffice to say, this game has a lot more going on than the earlier Gunbird and is suitable for scoring runs. The player primarily gains points through powerups and silver coins, but using the dragon shot to kill enemies rewards more valuable gold coins. The player can also use the dragon shot to insta-kill bosses when they reveal their red cores. The dragon can also be used to collect items while the rider is dismounted, and since the dragon itself is invincible this adds another layer to possible game strategies. In-depth discussion is on the shmups forum.

This is a fun game and I still haven’t mastered using the dragon shot, which is the key to opening up scoring. If you’re only going to try one Psikyo port and you’re interested in more than basic pew-pew this is a good choice. It either skirts or enters into manic/bullet hell territory, depending on who you ask, and with the dragon shot mechanic and the scoring possibilities it presents a lot more meat than the more cookie-cutter ports on the Switch.