Excellent Japanese Indie Shoot Em' Up! Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo Very Hard 1CC Review! (Switch/PC)

Excellent Japanese Indie Shoot Em' Up! Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo Very Hard 1CC Review! (Switch/PC). Mecha Ritz has made its way onto the Nintendo Switch with a big update! This hidden gem is a Japanese indie shmup that has been available on Steam for a few years, but has now has a console release as well, which is really cool and rare for these type of indie shmups.
If you are fan of Cho Ren Sha 68K, Hellsinker, Ring 27, and many more of these hidden gem early PC era shmups, Mecha Ritz will be right up your alley! The Nintendo Switch port, which I have also played, runs smoothly and has low input lag. The steam version is excellent as well. What makes this game really fun is the way it has a kind dynamic rank system that allows you to play the same mode across all skill levels, which is really interesting. The game is also full of "content" (for lack of a better term) due to having branching paths and significantly different ship types. The biggest drawback of the game, for sure, is the lack of built in leaderboards, which is desperately needs considering how much the game focuses on the scoring system. Mecha Ritz may look intimidating from footage, but it is actually a very kind shmup for new players and a fantastic way to get into the genre.
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[@psymagearcade]

Glad you gave it a positive review. It's definitely one of the best shmups out there despite the lack of proper autofire. As someone who's been playing this for scoring lately, there are some things that are important for anyone new to this game and want to play for score. One, you want to get as close as possible to those pickup item ships when killing them to get both a bomb and a shield per pickup, i.e. the double. That will improve your survival chances. Two, the Sweet Bonuses chain together as long as you don't get hit so the more you get in a row without getting hit, the more each one to worth up to around 25,000 or so. Last, scoring beyond the Sweet Bonuses comes down to how well you survive (how many lives as well as how many shields and bombs left each stage), how high you can push up the rank (which has to do with survival), and how fast you can get through the game. The clear bonus as shown at the end comes down to these things and you can end up with a very nice bonus like I did if you play well and speedkill bosses. Here's my run if you want to see how crazy the game can get, with rank into the upper 400s. I finished two minutes faster with one more life and got about a 3 million point clear bonus at the end: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4fSZ4yAjJmLpKM

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Awesome insights my friend!! The rank system of the game is really unique so I have been curious to see how the score grind in the game looks :-)

[@psymagearcade]

​@@TheElectricUnderground No problem. It's an excellent game with a lot of depth, but it took me a little while to figure things out and improve my scores. Also, it's one of the only shmups in this style that rewards getting through stages quickly. The different ships are very interesting as well like you mentioned and there should be one to accommodate any player's personal preferences, and each one will play a bit differently for score.

[@Phantom_Zer0]

Mark's level of skill in Shmups is so high that he already has a halo of light around his head, amazing. 🤣😜

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Ha the power exudes from my skin :-) this 1cc wasn't too bad though because the rank system is really merciful at the end

[@Phantom_Zer0]

@@TheElectricUnderground 👍

[@pessithemystic]

Oh here, Strictly Limited games are doing a physical of this for Switch. Just wanted to let you know 🤟🏻

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh that's really cool!

[@hooksnfangs6006]

I absolutely love this game! It makes point-blanking is so much fun because resources are just overly generous!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah chain deaths do not exist in this badboy ha

[@gob2806]

Damm. So far I have blindly followed your recommendations on Fight n rage, hexel nut, final vendetta and rolling gunner. Despite me thinking that the games looked like crap, they All turned out to be great. This game is another fun ride on my switch, when my baby is asleep. Thank you for yet another great review.

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

In a shmup, I really appreciate a nice character diversity. If a game is just a narrow shot ship and wide shot ship, the game atleast needs to be eye catching like Cave games. I might try this game on xmas.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh this game has a ton of ship variety!! My fav is the grey ship where you can plant and aim this swarm of options, it s really fun

[@adirangan]

Similar ranking system to soldner x2 final prototype. Another beginner friendly shmup.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh that's cool, I've never played soldner x2

[@adirangan]

@@TheElectricUnderground I really liked it! It actually was *so* beginner friendly that it got me into shmups again (as an adult) and is part of the reason why I found your channel :)

[@williammcguire130]

Skipped ahead to this fine video for the reason THAT I GOT A 1CC ON IT THIS MORNING! Completely out of nowhere!

[@aVataR_ehyeh]

Yo I'm ready to claim this as my SOTY (Shmup Of The Year). Which are yours? I mean new, or clearly updated versions of old shmups, as is the case with Mecha, rather than new ports of old games, although sure, why not, count them in. :)

[@KnjazNazrath]

Talking about console ports made me think a list of decent multiplayer shmups might be cool. I've been wantin' to ease my mate into shmups and the only thing I'm getting recommended is Jamestown+, and I'm sure there must be more out there.

[@Zenon00007]

Great stuff..👍

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Thank you very much Edward!

[@Saitamacz34]

I find myself booting this game quite regularly, on my switch, and It's always a blast. Really fast paced and friendly at the same time. Great stuff

[@low_re8094]

Looks awesome. Wonder if this will get a physical release on Switch. Waiting on a physical release of Crimzon Clover, but First Press delayed it by another year...

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh that would be cool! Might be the first physical console release of a doujin shmup that I can think of, since all the other ones that I know are PC exclusive. Man I wish hellsinker came to consoles!! Also that delay sounds crazy, wtf is going on?

[@low_re8094]

@@TheElectricUnderground You ever play Perfect Cherry Blossom? Probably been at least 10 years since I've played that, but it could definitely use a console port if it doesn't already have one. Unrelated, currently waiting on the Bullet Soul double pack. :-)

[@RewdanSprites]

Yeah! Mecha ritz is well good!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

It is! I hope more people check it out

[@PedroFerreira-sx2gd]

Glad to see this game finally reviewed, i played since the freeware version and when i Saw it on Steam i instantly buy it. Being more a classic shootemup i love this game. it Belongs to the big 4 indie bullet hell shootemups (along blue revólver, crimson Clover and hellsinker). It look like crap but plays great, Also is funny your comparasion with hellsinker, except in the autofire this game is the exactly the opposite of that game. It adapts to the dificulty in a very normal way. The bullet patterns are original and diverse and less predictable than most bullet hells. Hellsinker hás a elitist atitude in not allowing more crédits at a certain point, etc. For that reason i quit playing. Altough i admire the mechanics (the chess of shootemups)that are complex but not pretensious and justified that make it a unique game. In the end i regulary go back to mecha and blue revólver , both master pieces. Crimson Clover, altough great it is not my style. too rígid and demands too much pixel bullet dodging perfection.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yeah this game needs a bit more polish on the visuals, especially the backgrounds. I think the game could get away with the wire-frame look if it got more creative with the background elements. It does play very well though, I hope more people check it out!

[@CC-fi3pp]

Very hard but fun! Wow this channel has grown!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah, luckily it is really generous with the resources to help new players adapt to the bullet patterns. Also yeah the channel has grown a lot over the years :-) We've come a long way since the old days.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

Awesome playing. Game looks great. I like the distinction between macro and micro dodging.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes it has a fun mix of both! You ll do a lot of macro in the stages and micro on the bosses

[@theconsolekiller7113]

@@TheElectricUnderground Very nice. I may check this one out. Some of the little nuances in these shooters really make them stand out.

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

Have an algorrito!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yummy!!

[@then1533]

"Grande" video! Hey's other shmup Dezatopia ( also on switch and steam) is also very good.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah I need to check that badboy out sometime!

[@EdgardR.]

Yet another good review for an interesting shmup, but I'd rather play it on PC so I'll wishlist it and look up later that chinese page you mentioned

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh you can get this badboy on steam! I d recommend the steam version for sure so you can program yourself an auto fire button :-)

[@Mingodough]

Glad you haven’t given up on this style of review. If you get really big maybe this can be on a second channel lol

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah it's a style of review that's really only possible for shmups, since other genres are too long to do it with :-)

[@SolBuster]

Never heard of this game. And going through steam it's so hard finding gems like these. Thank you for bringing attention to this. These people just got a sale from me.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah this one def is a sneaky release, hope more people check it out because it is a cool game!

[@patriciozazzini3182]

The hardest game I ever played is still Air Gallet.I have to update my PC

[@TheElectricUnderground]

This game is really fast paced, but I wouldn't say it's overly difficult because the resources in this one are really generous :-) It should be able to run an pretty much any pc I would imagine ha

[@scienceandmatter8739]

Is there a AKAI KATANA SHIN review in the making you wanna tell us about..... +?

[@scienceandmatter8739]

3 games 1 release 12.12. But that's something you already know I gues

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes, will def cover it when it comes out :-)

[@cr3msonskys]

This game looks like it plays very solid for a newcomer. Artistically it reminds me of like back when compile and technosoft got their start on msx. Kinda combined with what an old arcade or vectrex with the color overlay could be like. Even a virtual boy. Imagine what that could be like but with rapid fire gameplay that we can only do today. We as shmup fans would have been salivating for this one I guarantee it.

[@SergeEXE2]

As a note, you can use Steam's Controller Overlay to set a rapid-fire button or toggle. It's worth learning and setting up. Works for Steam Deck, too! Speaking of, they also coded a native Linux port, just for Steam Deck users which I thought was super thoughtful and awesome. Works great!

[@Tuwiuu]

It wasn‘t that easy for me because steam prioritized the turbo button when holding down both buttons. In the end I had to create a new action set where the turbo button was unbound and have the fire button switch between the sets. That way it works like in other shmups

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh that's cool! Yeah I just use anti-micro on PC, that has fantastic turbo functions as well :-)

[@EMMA-GAMES]

Good taste :d

[@Mingodough]

How do you hold the mic for 20 minutes straight without your hand getting tired?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Years of practice my friend :-)

[@HideAndRead]

@@TheElectricUnderground 😏

[@Fantacide8821]

I'm so glad you liked this. Glad it's finally getting some more exposure. One interesting thing that's worth mentioning is the time mechanic related to the rank. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but playing at lower ranks runs the clock out. You can keep playing if you run out of time, but you won't fight the tlb (a giant teddy bear instead). So like you said, getting to the end is somewhat trivial, but you do have to play in the higher rank to get the full clear. I love games/shmups that let me push my skill level depending on my resources, and this game has that in spades. You can choose harder routes, or just let the rank run wild until you hit your breaking point and the game graciously backs off a bit. This game is great for veterans and new players alike, but I think it really shines at showing you how much you can improve your skills over time. It pushes you towards higher difficulty, but in a gentle way. You might even surprise yourself with skill you didn't even know you had. Thanks again!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

No problem, the game is really interesting :-) Great tip on the time and rank relationship, yeah the rank system of this game is really interesting because it is so linear and always the player to slowly and steadily improve and take on new challenge. I don't think I've seen a rank system like it.

[@Fantacide8821]

I agree, and I dont usually enjoy rank in games either. Extremely smart mechanic.

[@inrptn]

One of my favorite shmups of the last few years.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

It is a sleeper for sure!! I hope this vid helps bring more attention to it :-)

[@rockrollarc9792]

Let's see what this is like

[@TheElectricUnderground]

It s pretty sweet!

[@julianseph842gamez5]

Typical japanese shooters created via STGBuilder

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I think the game is really well made :-)