The average level in Cygni: All Guns Blazing clocks in at around 15 minutes, but it feels more like a two-and-a-half-hour special effects extravaganza that should end with a “Directed by Michael Bay” credit. The game’s audio-visual spectacle is hard to overstate, powered by Unreal Engine 4, with waves of alien jet fighters bombarding you from every direction. The screen is often overwhelmed by models, bullets, and particle effects, making it easy to lose track of what’s happening if your focus slips for even a moment.
After just a few hours of play, my senses felt completely overloaded—yet in the best possible way. This might seem like an overreaction to a series of action-packed setpieces, but a visually stunning, expertly polished shmup like Cygni is a rare treat. While I appreciate pixel art, there’s something exhilarating about dodging incoming trains, shooting at a flying space whale, and obliterating sleek alien tanks when the graphics and gameplay are this impressive. The game runs smoothly for the most part, though there were some frame drops in the chaotic final level.
Mechanically, Cygni’s shoot-’em-up gameplay will feel familiar to fans of Ikaruga or Radiant Silvergun. It offers the frenetic energy of bullet hell games, but at a pace that’s more accessible to players who don’t live off Red Bull. In fact, Cygni is quite forgiving for a shmup; unlike the genre’s typical straight-line firing, this game gives you about 30 degrees of leeway to aim left or right, letting you shoot at angles and move around the screen like it’s a twin-stick shooter. You can also take a few hits before dying, which is a lifesaver in a game where visual chaos is your biggest enemy.
Each level is a relentless barrage of incoming ships, with lasers and rockets flying everywhere—a standard fare for the genre. However, where classic shmups emphasize visual clarity, Cygni embraces the chaos, flooding the screen with enemies from all directions. Despite this, the game’s difficulty remains balanced enough that it never feels impossible.
You start each level with enough shields to absorb five hits before a game over, but some enemies drop extra shields when defeated. You can also reroute shield power to your guns, trading defense for offense, or use that power to launch ultra-powerful rockets that can hit enemies on your flanks and rear. This adds a layer of strategy to the game, as you have to make split-second decisions about whether to prioritize offense or defense.
Cygni is generous with these pickups, though sometimes to a fault. The abundance of shields can make certain sections feel too easy, as you’re able to tank damage and keep your damage boost active. While this might be the game’s way of giving players a breather, these moments can feel dull on repeat playthroughs.
The game also features ground warfare beneath the aerial dogfights, reminiscent of Xevious, but far busier. During brief lulls in the action, you can target ground enemies for extra points and shields, or fend off giant walkers and artillery platforms trying to distract you from the aerial combat. Both your air and ground weapons can home in on targets for reduced damage or be manually aimed for full damage, adding another layer of risk-reward gameplay.
All these extra hit points and homing weapons make Cygni a bit gentler than old-school shmups, but the game encourages daring behavior. Despite the overwhelming amount of enemy fire, I never felt like I was searching for the one safe spot on the screen. Instead, I was eager to zip around, collect extra shields, and convert them into rockets for maximum destruction.
The only significant disappointment is the game’s story, which feels oddly lackluster for a shmup. Although I didn’t expect much plot, the game’s cutscenes and lore library add little to the experience. The story feels like an afterthought, and the game doesn’t benefit from it.
On the other hand, Cygni left me wanting more of its intense gameplay, despite my minor criticisms. With only seven levels, it’s a lean experience, but the desire to improve boss times, play through the game in co-op, and maximize high scores adds plenty of replay value. Arcade mode offers a tough endurance challenge for genre veterans, and there’s postgame content in the form of equippable upgrades and custom firing patterns for your ship.
Overall, Cygni is a stunning game that captures the thrill of a great bullet hell shooter while offering players unique tools to make improvement easier and reward bold tactics. Defeating each boss is immensely satisfying, and I found myself diving straight back into arcade mode for another round as soon as I finished.
