I love how the title screen art for this game has a scantily clad Valkyrie riding a dragon in outer space battling a multiheaded hydra while a giant eagle looks on.  And none of that is in this game.  Except for the outer space part.  Anyway, Schildmaid MX is a bullet hell styled horizontally scrolling shooter with a neat gimmick.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

Controls are simple.  Just use the L stick to move and hold down the button to fire.  Another button will clear some bullets around you, but you only have limited use of that.  The neat thing about this game is how the shield works.  If you get hit by a bullet, a shield will activate and power-up your shots for a bit.  But try not to get hit when the shield is active too many times or it’ll disappear.  When it does, you’ll need to wait for it to charge again.  I thought that was a neat mechanic and reminded me of other gimmicky shooters that I like such as Taito’s G-Darius and Metal Black.  Unfortunately, after going through all your lives and you get a Game Over, you can’t continue.  If you could, I think I would’ve enjoyed this game more.

Kid Factor:

Schildmaid MX is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Fantasy Violence.  You shoot spaceships that blow up when defeated, and that’s it.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers may find it too difficult, though.

Tags: Game Reviews