Today’s Niche Spotlight is Rangok Skies, a retro-inspired vertical bullet-hell shoot ’em up by Samurai Games.
Long ago, the evil vampire lord Rangok was defeated with the help of an arcane artifact called the Vampire Spear. This mystical weapon was split into four pieces and divided between the great nations that fought to end Rangok’s tyranny. Now, the Vampire Spear is needed once again to defeat the forces of evil.
Choose from one of four playable characters as you fight your way through five stages. Collect power-ups and special abilities to take on massive bosses and hordes of enemies. Play alone or with a friend in local co-op, and compete with others to claim the high score in the online leaderboards.
You can find the launch trailer below.
Rangok Skies is available on Windows PC, and Mac via Steam for $19.99 USD.
You can find the rundown (via Steam) below:
Rangok Skies is a vertically scrolling arcade shooter inspired by the genre classics, such as DoDonPachi, Gunbird, and Strikers 1945.
Key features
- Choose your pilot: Four different characters, each with their own unique ship, weapons, bombs, and story endings
- Solo Mode: Start with three lives and three continue credits, and try to beat the game!
- Online rankings: Which leaderboard you’re ranked on – Terminators, Masters, Heroes, or Babies – is determined by lives lost, continues used, and score
- Auto-Shoot Accuracy: Hold down fire to slow your ship and enable more precise movements
- Special Weapons: For targeted mass destruction of most enemies and bullets
- Mega Bombs: Inflict screen-clearing devastation, perfect for tight situations
- Collect mini-items and rewards: Increase firepower, charge the Mega Bomb meter, boost your score
- Five intense stages: Each with their own enemies and huge end-of-level boss
- Local Co-op Mode: Play with a friend and defeat Lord Rangok together
- TATE Mode (縦): Supports turning your monitor vertically for the full arcade experience
- 60 FPS
- Plays in full screen
- Controller and customisable keyboard support
Story
A long time ago, during the Great Vampire War, four nations joined forces to defeat the evil Lord Rangok and bring an end to his dark reign of terror. Wielding the arcane ‘Vampire Spear’ – a powerful weapon forged by wizards – the nations prevailed and Lord Rangok was vanquished. Following their glorious victory, the Vampire Spear was divided between the four nations as a symbol of their strong alliance. A great period of peace endured, until…Present day. A mysterious message from an unknown sender has spread chaos across the four nations: “Bring the Vampire Spear, and you will be given rewards beyond your wildest dreams.”
War has started!
If you’re a developer and want your game showcased on Niche Spotlight, please contact us!
This is Niche Spotlight. In this column, we regularly introduce new games to our fans, so please leave feedback and let us know if there’s a game you want us to cover!
Image: Steam
