This is what a blockbuster shooter should look like.
Arcade shooting games are, in truth, about fragility.
That might sound like a reckless inversion of what makes the genre so special and rewarding.
Cygni is delightful, dazzling - and likely divisive.
Embark on your first jaunt through the main campaign mode and you’ll find it unusually stuffed with cutscenes.
Fortunately, the quality of these interstitial scenes extends to the main game, too.
The detail is so evocative, in fact, it’s like looking over a real-life diorama scene.
KeelWorks creation is delivered in the ‘vertizontal’ style - that is, vertical scrolling over a horizontally-orientated playfield.
Thats all very convenient, as you start out with something of an underpowered peashooter.
Compared to the convention of a five-stage, 30-minute arcade shooter, that is significant.
But again, Cygni doesnt want to be held back by convention.
This isnt a shooter that encourages you to rush to its conclusion, hammering each stage back-to-back.
It wants you to take your time to absorb its world.
Those power-up units can be moved back to your shield if needed.
As such, Cygni is truly a game of on-the-fly resource management as much as intently precise bullet-dodging.
Thats especially true in the easiest difficulty setting.
Indeed, there could be a good number more of these stretches in the easy mode in particular.
This is why Cygni is still likely to cause a rift among certain players.
Shifting its focus away from bullet-dodging will feel sacrilegious to many.
Cygni: All Guns Blazing accessibility options
Subtitles with size control.
On/off prefs for camera shake.
Control over HUD display, size, and other UI element display.
Adjustable ship movement speed sensitivity.
13 languages supported by subtitles and game interface (five with full audio).
Audio equaliser and multiple volume controls.
Detailed text and image playing guide included.
Controller only; arcade sticks are not compatible.
The scoring, meanwhile, isnt especially good at encouraging high-risk or otherwise daring play.
It might be the games best mode.
Ultimately, this is no cynical dilution of the established shooter formula.
And that might be just what a blockbuster shooting game should look like.
A copy of Cygni: All Guns Blazing was provided for review by Konami.
