Overall Impressions
CounterAttack: Uprising is a fresh and exciting side-scrolling shooter. Relative Games clearly put a lot of care into the design. What really stood out to me was the co-op play. Whether playing solo or teaming up with up to seven others online, the action stayed fast and exciting. Compared to old favorites like Gradius and newer ones like R-Type Final, Uprising brings back arcade vibes while offering tons of ways to customize. It never feels boring or too basic. A few missions do get a bit repetitive near the end, but smooth controls and a strong engine make it hard to put down. It definitely deserves its “underrated SHMUP” label for doing the basics well while giving players room to experiment.
Gameplay Mechanics
CounterAttack: Uprising mixes fast action with smart choices. You pick from different ships, each with its own strengths. As you play, you unlock new weapons that change how you shoot and how much damage you do. My favorite combo is a fast laser paired with homing missiles. It clears enemies quickly and works well in tight spots. Big powers like time-slowing or orbital strikes make fights even more fun. Local co-op is great with quick join-in support. Online play was mostly smooth, though I saw a little lag in big lobbies. The cooldown on special powers felt a bit short sometimes, but the shooting itself is spot-on and fair.
Standout Moment: On stage six, I found a cool speedrun trick. Right before a miniboss showed up, I used my time-slow power. It froze the attack pattern, letting me slip behind and hit the weak spot over and over. It cut ten seconds off my best time—just one example of how this game rewards clever thinking.
Story and Characters
The story is simple but keeps the action moving. You’re a top pilot fighting off an alien attack on Earth. Your teammate, Echo-7, gives updates with a dry sense of humor. The characters don’t have deep backstories, but the story still builds tension. Instead of long cutscenes, you learn about the world through each level. There’s a good mix of places: icy asteroid fields, glowing gas clouds, and broken space stations. Short intel notes add extra details. I did want more info on the alien leaders, but the game keeps things moving without dragging out the story.
Visuals and Graphics
The game uses colorful pixel art with smooth, modern touches. Backgrounds scroll nicely, adding a feeling of depth in space. Enemies glow in neon colors that pop against dark skies. When you upgrade your ship, you can see the changes. Explosions light up the screen in orange and purple, and laser effects look sharp. On smaller screens, things can get a little messy during heavy fights. But on PC and consoles, everything runs super smooth at 60 FPS. Relative Games did a great job making sure it looks and plays great everywhere.
Sound and Music
Composer Lena Hartmann delivers a dynamic synthwave soundtrack. Tracks shift seamlessly between tension-laden stealth segments and adrenaline-pumping boss fights. I found “Nebula Rush” especially motivational during high-score runs. Sound effects snap crisply: lasers zing, engines hum, and explosions resonate with punch. Voice acting remains limited to brief mission prompts. Echo-7’s calm yet urgent tone fits the scenario well. Importantly, no song overstays its welcome, maintaining focus on gameplay.
Difficulty and Replayability
CounterAttack: Uprising strikes a solid difficulty curve. Early levels introduce mechanics and weapons slowly. By the time you reach world three, enemy patterns demand precise movement and timing. The highest difficulty truly challenges veteran players. I appreciated the sliding scale of challenge over fixed difficulty tiers. Notably, time-trial runs under three minutes unlock bonus missions. These speedrun targets encourage multiple playthroughs. A built-in leaderboard tracks your best times globally. Workshop and mod support add fan-created levels and ships. As a result, this community aspect extends longevity. I enjoyed replaying earlier stages to test new weapon combos and optimize my path through hazards.
Player Feedback Tie-In
Several players call this the best SHMUP in years. They praise deep customization and retro vibes. A common tip is mixing reactive homing weapons with a straight-line beam to clear tight corridors. Community leaders host weekly speedrun challenges. Some fans request more narrative depth, echoing my own sentiment. In summary, the game’s replay value aligns with glowing reviews. It still feels fresh months after release.
Developer Trivia
Relative Games began as an indie collective in 2015. They funded Uprising through a successful Kickstarter in early 2018. Lead designer Mark Huang cited arcade cabinets and Japanese bullet hell shooters as inspiration. The cross-platform engine code emerged from their internal R&D branch. They optimized network code over two years to support eight-player co-op. Interestingly, a planned sequel already exists in concept art form via a community survey released last holiday season.
Tips for Speedrunners: To elevate your speedrunning game and shave precious seconds off your runs, memorize miniboss spawn patterns to avoid getting caught off guard. Triggering a time-dilation ultimate just before miniboss entrances lets you clip through walls, bypassing obstacles with ease. Equip shield regenerators to survive longer under relentless fire, especially in extended, high-intensity levels. By learning enemy bullet patterns, you can perform frame-perfect dodges, slipping through even the tightest bullet hell scenarios. Above all, don’t hesitate to switch weapon combos mid-level—adapting to faster or clustered enemy types can mean the difference between a record-breaking run and a restart. Incorporate these speedrun strategies to boost consistency, survivability, and overall pace.
Final Thoughts
CounterAttack: Uprising offers a robust shooter experience with deep customization, tight controls, and engaging cooperative modes. Its visuals and soundtrack complement high-octane gameplay. While the narrative remains functional rather than memorable, world-building succeeds through environmental design. Difficulty scales smoothly, rewarding repeated runs and strategy refinement. Small networking hiccups in eight-player lobbies do not significantly detract from overall polish. Resident speedrunners and newcomers will both find reasons to dive back in. I highly recommend this title to fans of both classic shmups and modern, upgrade-driven shooters.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
CounterAttack: Uprising stands as a testament to precise design, strategic depth, and community engagement. I look forward to diving into its sequel when it arrives.
