Akuchizoku is a horizontal shooter created by cactus, featuring three playable levels, two difficulty settings, three different pilots and two gameplay modes. The difficulty setting adjusts the number of bosses and enemies you would have to face in battle.

Hold the Z key to shoot, and press the X key to launch a missile. Tap the C key to activate your special weapon, though this move is limited to one use per ship.

Only one pilot is available in story mode, but any level and pilot can be selected in free play mode.

Rom Check Fail is a new action game from the developer of Fishie Fishie and Polychromatic Funk Monkey. Players have to clear the screen of all enemies to complete each level, but the task is made a little more difficult by the random switching of gameplay rules where ideas are recycled and remastered as an odd mix of arcade or console classics from the past.

Use the arrow keys to move. The space key acts as an action button. Press the left alt and enter key to switch between full screen and windowed mode. The game has twenty stages in total.

OMEGA's Every Extend is quite the departure from standard shoot 'em ups. The objective of the game is to detonate your ship in the midst of your adversaries. Enemies appear in random patterns, hence positioning and timing are both important in setting off a huge chain reaction and earning a healthy combo bonus. Every time this ability is used, one extend is deducted from your total although it's possible to replenish this counter by getting high scores for each detonation.

In The Hive you play as Alex Rig, a reporter who was investigating a missing persons case when he discovers a heavily-fortified research facility while snooping around for clues. Similar to Iji, Prince of Persia and Flashback, Alex will be doing a lot of climbing up platforms and crawling through air vents to find ammunition or health-replenishing items that he can keep in his inventory for later use.

The taser he carries is effective enough against guards at close range, but only rifles and shotguns can protect him from being overwhelmed by chasing mutants that are more resilient to bullet damage. Both the protagonist's health and his weapons can be upgraded in small increments, provided that you manage to locate the special items required to level up their stats.

The controls might feel clunky and unresponsive at first, but if you give the game a chance to impress it could even suprise you with its high production values in just about every other area. This 2D platformer was created by Vanni del Moral as his entry for submission to the YoYo Games' 'Discovery' competition.

Yahtzee continues to impress with 1213 Episode 2, a platformer made using the AGS engine. Our clueless protagonist can now be made to run by holding down the shift key, and the environment is no longer limited to a grayish shade.

There is some backtracking as 1213 can only carry one item at any moment, but fortunately less time is required to travel from place to place thanks to his newfound ability.

Tumiki Fighters is a shooter by Kenta Cho that is quite different compared to his other efforts. Just about all the objects in the game are made out of colorful blocks, including your own fighter plane.

Enemy ships that have been destroyed will break into pieces. These parts can be collected by simply touching them, and they will act as extensions to your own fighter plane. Your attack strength increases with each part you collect, although they will fall apart if an enemy bullet hits it.

You can retract the enemy ship parts by holding down the X key, although no further parts can be picked up until you release the button.

A Game with a Kitty is an excellent platformer developed by Bernie in two weeks. The premise is simple, guide Kittey on a quest to investigate the mysterious tower that has magically appeared on the outskirts of his hometown.

The cute little protagonist can jump on enemies to eliminate them. Collect coins to unlock special skills and access unexplored areas, while health can be restored at save points.

Anika's Odyssey is a short adventure game by Jeff Nusz, and features art by Tom Robinson. The story begins with a simple task of fetching water from the nearby water pump, but quickly becomes a magical journey involving encounters with strange creatures of the forest as you attempt to recover one of your lost belongings.

Iwanaga is an action game that is reminiscent of arcade classics like Cabal and Blood Bros., in which the player has to dodge swarms of bullets while shooting back at enemies at the same time.

Hold the Z key to shoot, and use the X key for special moves such as double jumps or dash. The default control scheme can be switched easily during combat.

Items are collected automatically when your character isn't shooting at enemies. Orange items restore health, while blue ones increase your secondary weapon charge and time limit. Swap between both weapons by pressing the X and down cursor key.

Bullets can be slashed by tapping the Z key rapidly, This only works on projectiles with a purplish tinge and not the ones which are blue in color.

There's a certain balance to maintain as shots weaken after prolonged use, so switching weapons regularly can be vital to maintain health and increase the time limit. A small hit point will appear when the Z key is held down.

The final boss requires a certain strategy to beat, and much like Buster's Vacant Ark multiple endings are included for each difficulty setting. Use 7-Zip to unpack the files, and JoyToKey for joypad support.

In Titanion, the ship you pilot has a capture beam that can be used to coax enemy craft to your side. These deserters will form a line formation and act as options, increasing your firepower in the process.

There is a standard level progression implemented, with all captured enemies retained from one stage to the next.