Drainus
A scrolling shooter with a bullet-absorption reflector system.
Drainus is a 2022 scrolling shooter video game developed by Team Ladybug and co-published by Playism and WSS Playground. It follows Irina, who steals a starfighter to save her father and overthrow an empire. The game features a reflector system that absorbs enemy shots for counterattacks.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Team Ladybug
- Publisher
- Playism; WSS Playground
- Artist
- Zou Nose
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows; Nintendo Switch
- Genre
- Scrolling shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Drainus is a scrolling shooter game. The plot follows Irina, daughter of an ill slave from planet Halpax under the Kharlal empire led by general Izumo. A humanoid soldier named Ghenie warns Irina about a galactic war thirty years in the future and requests her help. To save her father, Irina steals the titular starfighter to overthrow the empire. The player controls the Drainus space fighter over a constantly scrolling background, fighting enemies and obstacles until a boss is reached. The game primarily scrolls horizontally, with some vertical sections. A key mechanic is the reflector system, reminiscent of Giga Wing and Ikaruga: pressing a button activates a guard shield that absorbs purple enemy shots for a brief time, launching counterattacks based on absorbed projectiles. The shield can be deactivated to recharge, but wrong use causes damage, and certain projectiles cannot be absorbed. The player can adjust ship speed by holding a trigger. Energy tanks dropped by enemies serve as currency to enhance ship functions via a pause menu upgrade system. The ship also carries bombs that obliterate enemies within their blast radius.
Development and release
Drainus was developed by Team Ladybug, a division of Japanese online magazine DenFaminicoGamer, which previously developed Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue, Touhou Luna Nights, and Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. Character art was handled by Zou Nose, who worked on illustrations for the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Magic: The Gathering. The music was scored by a member under the pseudonym peposoft, who also composed for Luna Nights and Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. The game was built using the Mogura Engine 2. It was first unveiled at Indie Live Expo 2022 and released the same day for PC via Steam, co-published by Playism and WSS Playground. A soundtrack album supplemented the launch. A Nintendo Switch version was confirmed and made playable at Tokyo Game Show 2022, releasing on February 2, 2023. A physical version by Strictly Limited Games is also planned.
Reception
Drainus garnered generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. Game*Sparks Gurapo Suzuki praised the detailed pseudo-3D sprite visuals and found the bullet absorption mechanic made it easy to play, commending the story. Eurogamer's Martin Robinson noted the ability to absorb enemy fire lent a more sedate pacing, praised the cohesive artwork, but criticized boss battle oversights and the upgrade system, and suggested experienced shooter players may be disappointed with its difficulty. IGN Japan's Susumu Imai called it a well-crafted shooter, commending spritework and ship control, but felt it relied heavily on homages and criticized low difficulty. Rice Digital's Pete Davison gave positive remarks to the narrative, customizable power-up system, absorption mechanic, level design, presentation, and soundtrack. GameBlast's Farley Santos concurred about low difficulty and saw occasional visual chaos as a negative, but praised the absorption mechanic, stage variety, customizable options, and atmosphere. Edge magazine stated that the confident level design, creative set-pieces, astounding bosses, refined pixel art and animation combine captivatingly. MeriStation's Carlos Forcada highlighted the game's amalgamation of trends but criticized the music, certain visual details, and the penalty for dying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is Drainus available on?
Drainus was released for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch.
Is Drainus single-player or multiplayer?
Drainus offers single-player play.
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