CYGNI: All Guns Blazing Review | PlayStation 5

Given that the shoot 'em up genre has been severely underserved as of late (with the exception of The Knight Witch and Turnip Boy Robs a Bank), Konami's Contra: Operation Galuga served as a lifesaver earlier this year. Developed by KeelWorks, with CYGNI: All Guns Blazing, Konami steps in once again to save the additive shoot 'em up genre from its absence of quality titles.

Taking a page out of the current shoot-em-up genre, this one is a blast. Extremely intense, thrilling game where you control an aircraft and blow your way past hordes of enemies. A gorgeous combination of twin-stick vertical scrolling shooters with breathtaking flare. You won't want to miss CYGNI: All Guns Blazing.

 

Although twin-stick shooters tend to lean toward nostalgia, this one is a welcome change of pace. CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is perhaps the most recent adaptation of the classic shoot 'em up genre, and it looks amazing. All the best elements of vintage arcade gameplay are here, expertly combined with cutting-edge graphics and sound.

The story of CYGNI: All Guns Blazing takes place on the faraway planet CYGNI, where an alien species is attacking a human settlement. You take control of the ORCA aircraft as the female protagonist. There is a straightforward gameplay loop that consists of flying, shooting, and surviving. While shooting back, you pilot your aircraft to avoid hostile fire.

The campaign consists of seven levels, each of which has a distinct difficulty level, and there is also an Arcade mode. The game was designed to test players' skills, and I can assure you, it's not easy. It encourages you to break your personal best scores, as shown by the statistics for each difficulty level on the right.

The gameplay mechanism of CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is straightforward. You simply shoot everything and anything that comes your way, both air and ground units. Although the action moves at a breakneck pace, there are moments when it seems a little too hastened.

Despite playing in the easiest setting, every second seems like you're under constant fire from every direction. It's chaotic, but ultimately perfect for anyone who wishes to hone their average reflexes in this style.

 

The R3 lets you swap between ground troops and air units, respectively, for weapons. Using the left analog stick, you can steer your ship, and with the right analog stick, you can alter the angle of your shot. On top of that, there are missiles, which allow you to toggle the presence of homing shots. You can swiftly switch between shields and weapons while adjusting the extent of your shot.

You can increase your weapon's strength again while decreasing your shield's effectiveness. You'll soon reach a point when your shield and firepower are both fully charged, allowing you to swiftly recover from any damage dealt to your aircraft by acquiring shield triangles.

The scene around you is almost always filled with explosions, forcing you to make slip-second decisions. Unless you're prepared to put in some effort, this is not a game for beginners; in fact, it was the most challenging shoot 'em up I've played in recent times.

After the first few rounds of play, you'll soon realize that CYGNI: All Guns Blazing emphasizes the importance of replayability. Granted, it's quite difficult at first, but the fun really begins after you figure out how the gameplay works. Enemy bullets that strike you cause your aircraft to lose its shield, and if you have used all of your shields, the following hit will cause you to be destroyed.

With three lives, it's slightly easier to play on Easy difficulty, but playing on a high difficulty level requires careful error management to avoid many deaths. Joining up with a pal in co-op mode unlocks a revival option that greatly improves your odds of surviving.

 

This will feel like second nature after a few plays through, and you'll also find new regions to explore while fighting rounds of ground enemies to collect health slash pickups—a plus of a game that incentivizes replays.

While you may divide your strength between your shields and weapons, there is still an aspect of strategy. You must, of course, shoot everything that moves. However, you must also master the art of simultaneously flipping your shield and firing.

This necessitates quick thinking to decide whether to prioritize defense or offense. Unlike other shoot 'em up games, there are no power-ups in CYGNI: All Guns Blazing, so your success depends on your skills and how well you plan your builds for each run.

When your ship's shield is almost depleted, you must swiftly lower your weapon's intensity to replenish it and keep going if you begin to take excessive hits. When you gather the extra energy drops, just hang on to those; they'll accumulate when you need them to upgrade your ship.

When you level up, you can customize the weapon and drone presets, change their spread, save your designs, and use the currency you earn from energy drops to upgrade your weapons. Additionally, there are specialized upgrades known as Weapon Mass Distractions, Air to Surface, and Air to Air.

 

Additionally, you have the ability to customize your run by assigning and switching between drone and gun settings. As you level up, you'll find yourself receiving an abundance of triangle-shaped shield power-ups.

Once you've accumulated them all, they serve as the game's cash, allowing you to purchase the power-ups. Unlocking all of Signe's capabilities won't take more than a few playthroughs, and once it's done, the game turns way more fun to play.

After leveling up your aircraft to its maximum potential, your focus will shift to attempting to complete levels on higher difficulties; and once that's been achieved, beating the highest score is likely to become the sole objective. That's when the arcade mode comes into play. And as soon as you step into the arcade, you'll find yourself hooked.

Arcade mode is where the game really comes into its own, even if the story provides a good challenge with its varied courses and enemy encounters. Having a strong emphasis on high scores and worldwide leaderboards makes the game more inviting for improvement and replay value. The lack of power-ups adds a satisfying complexity by making players depend on ability and creative thinking.

Upon initial start, I was skeptical, but as I continued to play, I came to appreciate its intent. It's not really a challenging game to finish on easy—in fact, I never had to replay a level thanks to the free life system—but it sure is difficult to master. Apart from the campaign and arcade modes solo, you can also play in a cooperative mode.

 

After you feel like you've mastered the game, you may test your mettle against players from across the world to achieve the top score. Additionally, there are badges that can be unlocked as you go through the game and achieve specific goals.

Visually CYGNI: All Guns Blazing looks amazing. It manages to look stunning, just as a next-gen twin-stick shooter should. It feels really next-gen when compared to similar titles in the genre. Additionally, the soundtrack is just fantastic. Its rich sound design and complete symphonic music make this game very special.

Having said that, the game is far from flawless. Apart from the fairly strange method of tutorial, you're on your own to figure out how to play. While the game's visuals are stunning, the enemy design looks a bit repetitive. Not to mention the last boss failed to impress. It becomes a little tedious, in my opinion, when they throw a specific pattern of foes at you at certain portions.

There were a few boss bouts where dodging attacks seemed a little clumsy and unnatural. The boss battle was lacking in my opinion since, at times, you merely stand in one place while doing nothing. Lastly, it's not always easy to tell whether some enemies are shooting at you from the surface or sky.

 

Overall, CYGNI: All Guns Blazing followed the shoot 'em up genre's traditional standards and absolutely nailed it. It creates a fantastic gameplay cycle that demonstrates how less is frequently more, staying true to the simplicity of vintage arcade shooters and bringing back all the feelings we had for these games.

However, the campaign mode is brief, and there isn't a ton of weapon variation, so some players might get upset. But the seamless integration of the sights, music, and overall action delivers an immersive experience reminiscent of an intergalactic symphony. CYGNI: All Guns Blazing succeeds spectacularly in its mission to modernize the shoot 'em up genre and once again made me truly enjoy an arcade shoot 'em up game.
 

Azfar Rayan (@AzfarRayan)
Senior Editor, NoobFeed