After spending a bit more time familiarizing with the genre, though conclusion BLUE REVOLVER being a fabulous, carefully crafted game does not change, I feel quite mixed about all post-SaiDaiOuJou non-arcade bullethells. They generally leave me an impression of aiming primarily at being fun to grind & improve (like for 1cc and high score, etc.) instead of being fun to just play & enjoy.

I think it used to be dictated by the whole arcade economy model - not only do the games have to attract random passer-by to have a try, then keep these random people hooked without being too easy. This calls for extremely well polished difficulty curve and making some of the surface level elements to be fun and engaging. For the latter I think Blue Revolver got visuals and music spot on, only falling a bit short in hit effects.

I understand motivations behind not allowing credit spam; some players might spam their way through and decide the game is too short, then call it a day. However - just my opinion - maybe making it "cheap" and easy to see the ending will better encourage those actually care about the process to focus more on performance during playthrough, and also potentially grasp the genre and the game more wholistically.

I personally find the bullet speed to be a tad bit too fast for me... I suck. That's about the only complaint I have in regards to game design.

After spending a bit more time familiarizing with the genre, though conclusion BLUE REVOLVER being a fabulous, carefully crafted game does not change, I feel quite mixed about all post-SaiDaiOuJou non-arcade bullethells. They generally leave me an impression of aiming primarily at being fun to grind & improve (like for 1cc and high score, etc.) instead of being fun to just play & enjoy. I think it used to be dictated by the whole arcade economy model - not only do the games have to attract random passer-by to have a try, then keep these random people hooked without being too easy. This calls for extremely well polished difficulty curve and making some of the surface level elements to be fun and engaging. For the latter I think Blue Revolver got visuals and music spot on, only falling a bit short in hit effects. I understand motivations behind not allowing credit spam; some players might spam their way through and decide the game is too short, then call it a day. However - just my opinion - maybe making it "cheap" and easy to see the ending will better encourage those actually care about the process to focus more on performance during playthrough, and also potentially grasp the genre and the game more wholistically. I personally find the bullet speed to be a tad bit too fast for me... I suck. That's about the only complaint I have in regards to game design.