RF Generation Message Board

We've likely all heard the expression that, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." In gaming, we see that a lot. A landmark game comes out, gets rave reviews, and then other development studios rush to copy the elements from that game. It's a tried and true formula, and one that has allowed many developers and publishers to continually refine a game genre, while still adhering to the basics. What happens when a developer doesn't blatantly rip off another game, but instead, pays homage to several, while doing something unique, and yet still keeping the essence of what the genre is supposed to be? That's what happened with System Erasure, and their independently developed shmup, Zer0Ranger.

Rather than copying the formula of previous games, instead, it contains a lot of subtle references and Easter Eggs that pay tribute to many classic shooters over the years. It also brings a minimalist graphical style, and a unique look and feel. Take off in your fighter, and face off against the alien menace, ORANGE GREEN! Join the RF Generation Shmup Club in August 2020, as we take on the indie shooting game Zer0Ranger!

Zer0Ranger can be had here on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/809020/ZeroRanger/), or DRM-free on Itch.io (https://system-erasure.itch.io/zeroranger) as well.

Participants:
MetalFRO
Addicted
monstercloset
zoydo
Seamonkey
GravyBread

I'm relatively new to shmups and bought Zeroranger on the steam sale. Count me in for this!

Welcome aboard, and welcome to RF Generation!

Great game! I'll be around for this one.

I was in the Electric Underground’s stream the other day and I think both of you recommended this game. So I’m in!

Excellent! Happy to have you on board, and welcome to RF Generation! I'll be streaming the game all month, as well, like I usually do :)

For anyone who appears to be struggling with the game right away, allow me to suggest trying the White Vanilla mode, which should be unlocked after the first time you play. It's a bit of a remix, so the levels are 1:1 with the main mode, but enemies are somewhat less aggressive, there are fewer bullets, and it's easier to progress. It's also really fun!

Hate to say i disagree with you about that. :D

I'd recommend to play through Green Orange first (credit feeding) before playing White Vanilla, because Green Orange has a lot of cool surprises to offer and you might spoil this experience for yourself by playing WV first.

Green Orange is tough and you have to earn your credits, but it's absolutely worth the effort imo.

I signed up for La Calice Special 2020, so i will be mostly playing White Vanilla throughout the month. But i plan on playing some credits of Green Orange as well.

Here's the first score i got on Saturday (WV)
[img width=333 height=500]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50185849767_44f930d4b8.jpg[/img]

No worries, I welcome the disagreement! To me, it just seemed like White Vanilla was going to be easier to learn, simply because the patterns were a little less chaotic, but I see what you're saying. Great score, by the way!

I'm learning levels, and having fun, though there's some frustration with a couple spots where it seems like it's almost impossible not to take a hit, such as when fighting Artypo. But I'm definitely making progress.

My first attempt!

[img width=350 height=275]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ee_6MH_XkAEhFgg?format=jpg&name=large[/img]

Nice! I've credit-fed my way through the White Vanilla mode a couple times, and it's quite a ride. I got a C+ rating both times, but the 2nd time (last night), I managed to score Z ratings on a lot of it, so I'm at least moving in the right direction. I'm hoping to eventually get a 1CC on that mode, if not a credit-feed clear of Orange Green, as well. I'm really digging the game overall, and I think the minimalist graphical approach is really slick.

I played a run of Green Orange yesterday. Got to the St.3 Boss and lost my last life totally stupid because my pad disconnected. -.-

[img width=333 height=500]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50225847826_1bbbe4b164.jpg[/img]

Score Update for White Vanilla (865.332):

[img width=333 height=500]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50221157963_51e15303f5.jpg[/img]

I don't know how to insert an image on here, but my top score has so far been 50,222 and I got to 1-2. I'm using Type C. I haven't gotten to play as much as I would have liked, but the continues are pretty generous so I've seen some stuff further. I really like the color palette of this game and I keep being surprised how much detail they were able to pack in without compromising the colors

This is a good point. The graphic design of the game is quite adept, despite the limited palette. I liken it to what the teams at places like Konami, Nintendo, and Capcom were able to do with the Game Boy, and what they accomplished with just 4 shades.

My best single credit runs on WV/GO so far. Obviously no "killer" scores here but every run I seem to get just like a few seconds further so I'm very much hooked. Feel like WV might be my favorite of the two.

[img width=310 height=318]https://i.imgur.com/GfGwbH0.jpg[/img]

Very nice! Yeah, White Vanilla is definitely less punishing than Orange Green, and I enjoy the frenetic pace of it, with all the warping around. I managed to clear the main stages tonight, though I died pretty quickly on the true last boss. Even so, I made my personal best by a good margin, and feel pretty good about my progress so far :)

I think limiting the palette forces graphic designers to be more creative. I like how this game looks. I like the gameplay too. I think it's all done well but I'm just not seeing this as being one of my favorite shmups at this point. I can't quite put on my finger why. There's still 12 days to change my mind.

I've been playing mostly Green Orange. Here are my scores so far. I think I'm going to play a little more White Vanilla and see how that goes.

Yeah, definitely give White Vanilla some time. I like the hectic pace that mode has, with the warping between different segments. It keeps you on your toes, and doesn't really give you a moment of respite.

Finally beat my PB in White Vanilla.
Died at the last phase of the tlb. Still need to optimize the St.1 and 2 bossfights and i still struggle with the second bonus stage, so 900.000 seems possible to beat for me.

[img width=333 height=500]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50257962741_f1894b0c45.jpg[/img]

Looking good Zoydo! You're right MetalFRO. I've been playing White Vanilla recently and it's feels more balanced. I like the scoring bonus stages. The whole warping around to different parts of different stage is interesting. Every time you get past the furthest part in your past runs, you're thinking "now where am I warping to?"

Yeah, it really keeps the pace of the game up, and makes things very interesting.

Anyone have any final scores to submit, or final thoughts on the game?

I managed to reach the TLB in White Vanilla a few times, but haven't managed to beat it yet. I did get reasonably far with it this evening, though, so I think I could probably take it down, with enough practice. Green Orange still wrecks me, though. But I got my PB in White Vanilla this evening, so I'm pretty happy with that.

I wish i've had some more time to play Zero Ranger this month, but the other La Calice games kept me pretty busy. Still i managed to get a new PB for White Vanilla and i'm very happy with that.

Anyway, got some final thoughs:



Play Zero Ranger!

If i had to recommend a shmup to somebody who doesn't play shmups very freqeuntly, Zero Ranger would definately be one of my picks. It has a lot of surprises (replay value!), it has fantastic pixel graphics, fantastic music, fantastic stages and fantastic boss battles.

The fact that you have to earn your credits by grinding through the game makes it more accessible for newcomers, because you feel good beating the game even by credit feeding (creds are still limited).  It's still very challenging for more experienced players (2 loops, pretty hard!)

Vanilla Mode is a bit easier and maybe more attractive for new players if you're looking for a clear, but it's still a lot of fun to play for score, also for experienced players.

All this makes Zero Ranger not only a fantastic shooter, but also a fantastic videogame.

You should buy Zero Ranger now, it's fantastic!