More Than Just Another Bullet Hell
I do really enjoy an old style arcade shoot ‘em up, I have to say, and so when the subject of today’s review barrel rolled over the horizon, I knew I had to play it.
Going by the name of Psyvariar 3, it should come as a surprise to no one that this is the follow up to Psyvariar 2. However, this isn’t just a straight sequel: it has been designed, as the Xbox Store page puts it, “with deep reverence for the franchise by lovers of the game”.
The developers, Banana Bytes and Red Art Games released Sophstar, another shooter, in recent years, and that was pretty good. Can lightning strike twice? Let’s blast off and see what the score is…
A Surprisingly Ambitious Sci-Fi Story
One criticism I had of Sophstar was that the story felt somewhat lacking. However, that has been fully addressed here. Having a franchise to lean into has seemingly inspired the writers at the studio, and the intro sequence features the longest text based preamble I have ever seen in a game.
The brief synopsis is that a faction of Psyvariars have decided that the Earth, despite being abandoned long ago, is too precious to give up and so they vow to return. Recolonisation was very much on the agenda, but then, after many years of successful habitation, a signal has been detected from an alien source. Can the new generation of Psyvariars (fighter pilots, basically) save the Earth and humanity from disaster?
Neo-Retro Chaos In Motion
The presentation of the game is pretty much as you hope and expect. Psyvariar 3 is a vertical shoot ‘em up, with occasional detours in other directions which can throw you. The graphics are apparently “Neo retro 3D”, whatever that means, and while the action is firmly set in two dimensions, the backdrops to the screens have a very nice 3D effect that does fool your eye quite often. The number of times I’ve tried to fly around things that appear only in the background is beyond reckoning.
The ships we pilot, and the enemy sprites are well drawn, distinct from one another, and the sheer amount of bullets flying around could boggle the mind. Finding a path through the screen is a massive challenge. Lots of action is always guaranteed, and while the bosses are screen filling affairs, this is pretty much what we expect these days.
Sound is equally good, with a cool “fizzing” noise attached to the Buzz mechanic, and the rest of the gunfire and explosions all being lovely. Tunes are at a minimum, or else the action was too intense to allow me to spare a bit of my brain to listen to them: everything is trying to kill you, it seems. All in all, nothing to moan about here.
The Buzz Mechanic Changes Everything
Now, let’s get to the meat and drink of Psyvariar 3 – the actual gameplay. First thing to mention is that we are not short of content here. Starting a new game comes the opportunity to choose from a number of game modes: Arcade, Arrange, Mission (a collection of 49 short missions to achieve), Caravan, Endless, and best of all, Practice. There is so much content to try your hand at that even I was taken aback, and it doesn’t end with the choice of way to play.
No, once you have chosen your preferred method of play (I played Arcade a lot) you then have to choose which character to play as, from a choice of seven. Yes, seven different people with seven different ships and seven different styles of play: it is going to take a long time to master this game, let’s put it that way.
The way the characters play introduces a mechanic I wasn’t familiar with too, which seems to be unique to this series of games: that of Buzz. To Buzz, one must let an enemy’s bullet graze our ship, avoiding disaster by a hair’s breadth. Done successfully, and again depending on the character you choose, this has a number of benefits. It can make your shots more powerful, it can charge a shield or award extra smart bombs. It is an interesting system.
Each character also has different methods for amassing score, and even have differing smart bomb types, both short bombs and long bombs. Add in multiple difficulty levels, and you are in for a long old slog to beat this game 100%.
A Shooter Packed With Replay Value
It won’t be a joyless task, however, as there will be a ship and character to suit your style, and this can make the game easier. Alternatively, challenge yourself by using a character that doesn’t suit you: the choice is yours. The gameplay is fun and challenging, and the sheer amount of content will take some beating. A die hard shoot ‘em up hater will not be swayed by anything found in Psyvariar 3, but to everyone else, I urge you give this a try.
Important Links
Psyvariar 3 Revives The Classic Bullet-Grazing Shooter Series – https://www.thexboxhub.com/psyvariar-3-revives-the-classic-bullet-grazing-shooter-series/
The Buzz is Back: Bullet-Grazing SHMUP Psyvariar 3 Gets a 2026 Release Date – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-buzz-is-back-bullet-grazing-shmup-psyvariar-3-gets-a-2026-release-date/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/psyvariar-3/9PHB3B0DDSTT/0010
