We Love It's Guide to…
Pilot a fighter through a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up, dodging attacks and risking close-range kills to boost your score.
Released 23 May 2024
Fly Close, Score More
Read Enemy Attack Cues
Switch Wide and Focused
An immersive pseudo-3D shoot 'em up experience that pushes the limits of pixel art. Push your score higher with the innovative Berserk System: the closer they are, the more points you get!
Developed by SHIGATAKE GAMES · Published by SHIGATAKE GAMES









DEVIL BLADE REBOOT is a single-player vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up in which you pilot a fighter against enemy formations and large bosses. Its campaign unfolds across a series of stages, with detailed pixel art and layered effects creating a pseudo-3D look.
Switch between wide and focused shots, use bombs, and dodge enemy fire. Destroying enemies at close range raises your Berserk score multiplier; using Boost can push your score higher while making encounters more dangerous. Four difficulty levels offer different challenges, with protective options on lower settings.
Play through the story or revisit stages, including boss encounters, in separate modes. Retro Mode recreates the original Devil Blade, while unlockables, achievements, and global rankings give repeat runs additional goals.
In this helpfulness-selected sample, players often praise the accessible difficulty options, saying they make the shooter approachable while leaving harder challenges for experienced players. Reviewers also repeatedly enjoy the close-range scoring risk and reward, attack cues that help them read incoming threats, and the game’s pixel-art presentation and energetic soundtrack. Some note that the campaign is short.
DEVIL BLADE REBOOT
Devil Blade, a 1996 indie shmup released only in Japan,
has received a full remake almost a quarter century later by the original creator,
taking advantage of the latest technology.
Dive into an immersive pseudo-3D experience that pushes the limits of pixel art.
With a perfect fusion of background music and evolving stage design,
you can experience a feeling only possible in a SHMUP!
Devil Blade Reboot is presented in a seamless and cohesive package,
for the first time in English!
Simply "dodge, shoot, and destroy" without any extra baggage.
Devil Blade Reboot strictly follows a strict design concept that pursues
catharsis of shmups to the extreme.
But, as they say... no pain, no gain! If you want to enhance your score,
you will have to shoot down enemies in close proximity. The closer they are,
the higher the score multiplier. With the Berserk System,
dangerous play is the way to climb the ladder, as high risk brings high reward.
【2D pixel art graphics with an obsessive level of detail.】
Rendered in the original native 320x240 resolution of the classics,
but with visuals that defy the limits of pixel art! Experience immersive pseudo-3D,
making use of modern techniques such as multiple parallax scrolling and zoom effects.
【Berserk System】
The closer you let them get, the higher your score will climb!
Dramatically increase the score... and the difficulty, by destroying enemies in close range!
The difficulty level changes drastically depending on the way you play the game.
From beginners who just want to clear the game,
to advanced players chasing the highest score possible,
Devil Blade Reboot is designed to be enjoyed by anyone interested in the genre.
【Retro and Reboot Mode】
While the enhancements of Reboot are visually stunning,
some may want to look back in history to see the origins of Devil Blade. We have you covered.
Included is an Arrange mode of the original "Devil Blade" created in Dezaemon+ in 1996
with the Berserk system added but the original atmosphere preserved.
Experience this retro recreation of a classic shmup,
delivered here for the first time outside of Japan.
・Ultra-hardcore, 100% pure, mechanics-focused vertical scrolling shmup
・Two types of shots + bombs - back to basics
・Berserk System increases score when enemies are destroyed nearby
・Story mode to play through all 6 stages in order
・Stage select to choose any stage to replay
・Four levels of difficulty that can be changed at the player's discretion
・Retro Mode that recreates the original Dezaemon+ version is included
・Unlockables that reward repeat playthroughs
・STEAM achievements and global rankings
・Multilingual localization handled by passionate shmup fans
・Heavily customizable settings to tune the game to your liking
・Built using the dedicated shmup game engine Shooting Game Builder
・Intense soundtrack by hasu drives the gameplay
※Dezaemon Plus is a shmup creation tool,
originally released in Japan for PlayStation on May 24, 1996.
・The "Guidelines for Live Streaming" are intended as a consideration and a request,
and are not intended to be legally binding.
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 12 |
| Age ratings |
|
| Controller support | Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| Website | Official website |