Recent reviews by Technohazard

Fly a little UFO around a 2D side scrolling map like Defender, and zap both earthlings and enemy UFOs alike in this short demo. The mother ship will appear periodically to bestow its otherworldly gifts, vacuum up livestock, or absorb radiation from human power plants. The cleanly rendered aesthetic works well with the physics-based flight system to make you feel like you're a zippy futuristic spacecraft literally flying circles around the slow and pitiful humans. The demo is easy enough that you probably could clear it the first time without dying, but if you're slow you could get swarmed. While the three primary laser types have their uses, I couldn't quite figure out the Gravity Polarizer. The two RMB weapons are fun to use, especially the charge laser - but run out of juice quickly. I didn't encounter any major glitches or errors while playing. As a technical demo this is proof that otherworldy intelligence exists. I'll watch the skies for the full game's arrival.

Forest Fire is already satisfying to play in its current form, and will undoubtedly get better as it moves out of Early Access. Pausing your movement to set fires is a nice rhythmic counterpoint to dodging various clouds, weather phenomena, and firefighting forces trying to stop your path of destruction. Don't worry about not being able to actively blast stuff like a 'normal' twinstick/bullet-hell, you'll have plenty to dodge and a tough enough time just trying to stay alive. The simple pixel art is clearly readable and doesn't distract from the gameplay. With more worlds, modes, and methods of ignition planned, this is a moderately sized blaze of a game that will continue to spread.

Thunder Kid is a tightly executed bullet hell in a style that fuses NES era style with low poly 3D. Controls are extremely simple - D-Pad controls the titular hero in a behind-the-back 3rd person shooter (think the base invasion stages in Contra, or Space Harrier). One button for Jump, one for Shoot forward, that's it. Gameplay is based on figuring out enemy timing and patterns. By dodging, and selectively eliminating enemies, the goal is simply to make it to the end of each level. Each area is ruled by a boss that ups the ante for bullet and beam pattern recognition.

There are no powerups or additional mechanics other than the occasional single HP restoration crystal dropped by blasted enemies. A steady progression of increasingly complicated enemy patterns and clever level design means you'll never even miss powerups. Progressive levels become ever more difficult but never truly unfair.

No unlocks or grinding here - Thunder Kid focuses on pure player skill at dodging, jumping and shooting. I'll be honest, there were bonus coins to collect *but I never figured out what they did*. There was no need to. Thunder Kid gives you all the tools to succeed. Your weapon is constant. Your speed is fast as ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ lightning. Play this with a gamepad.

The only thing lacking about Thunder Kid is its length - I beat it in just over 2 hours and only got stuck in a handful of difficult rooms. This is TK's only disappointment: because the gameplay is so tight and it's over quickly, you're left wanting more.
I can certainly see how this would be a speedrunner's delight.

If you're looking for a short and blessed experience blasting some blocky robots into oblivion, Thunder Kid will do it for ya.