From Bullet Hell to Cozy Arcade Shooter

When I first began working on my game, Super Space Arcade, I instinctively drew inspiration from bullet hell games. The genre’s intense, fast-paced action felt like a natural fit for the core mechanics of what I wanted to create. It was a no-brainer at the time. After all, arcade shooters and bullet hells share a lot of surface-level similarities—constant shooting, dodging, and reflex-heavy gameplay.

However, as development progressed, something felt off. I don’t even particularly enjoy bullet hell games myself. They’re too chaotic, too stressful. I’ve always preferred games that offer a sense of exploration, where you can get lost in the world and feel like you're progressing. And when I reflected on my favorite gaming experiences, they weren’t about overwhelming bullet patterns or impossible odds—they were about jumping through challenges, navigating space, and feeling like each step forward mattered.

This realization hit me hard after a demo session at the Berlin Games Scene. The feedback was clear and consistent: the game was too cluttered. Players struggled to keep track of their ships amidst the explosions and rubble. What I thought would be a frenetic, exciting experience was diminished by a frustrating element. The immersion, the elusive feeling of flow, was broken.

I remembered something my best friend, Olli, said. He’s my number one playtester, and he’d been running test sessions for Super Space Arcade while doing something that surprised me—he was listening to podcasts in the background. He told me that playing the game had become part of a relaxing routine. It wasn’t the adrenaline-fueled experience I had initially envisioned, but rather something much more chill.

That feedback stuck with me and it curiously mirrored how I felt playing the game myself. Despite my early goals for the game, I wasn't crafting a frantic bullet-dodging adrenaline rush. I was building a flow-state arcade shooter, something people could play without getting overstimulated or overwhelmed. The clutter wasn’t adding to the fun; it was distracting from the enjoyment.

Is the world ready for a "cozy arcade shooter"?

I started wondering if I was trying too hard to make my game fit into a box it didn’t belong in. What if I embraced what was already emerging? What if Super Space Arcade could be a game that, while still offering the core mechanics of an arcade shooter, also evoked a sense of comfort? Something that felt more like a journey than a test of endurance? I think this shift is what the game needs.

Of course, it's not like I can just re-label the genre and call it a day. Some structural changes will be necessary. One key adjustment I’m exploring is ditching the infinite track generation system. Originally, I had thought it would keep things fresh and challenging, but it’s clear that players are losing themselves in the chaos rather than the fun. It's also hard to realize which level you are actually at through just a number in the upper left corner. I want to switch this to a step-based level progression, where the focus is more on feeling progress and getting breaks between runs and the excitement for further exploration rather than endless waves of enemies and debris. I'm also exploring the idea of a map between levels that allows the player to have a choice in the next challenge by choosing between different branches when going forward, a bit in the style of the old Mario games. I hope this will give players more of a satisfying sense of progress and calming safe-spots between the action, while still keeping the arcade heart of the game intact.

It also introduces the possibility of having extra lifes that allow for replaying a level a couple of times before there is a definitive "game over", which I'm kind of excited for because it's also a classic part of retro games.

To really deliver on the idea of a cozy arcade shooter, I'll also need to add more content that complements the new vibe. Maybe it’s calmer enemy types, more downtime between intense moments, or perhaps some elements of environmental storytelling that enhance the exploration aspect.

In the end, Super Space Arcade is evolving into something far more unique and, in my opinion, exciting. It’s no longer trying to be another chaotic, reflex-heavy shooter. It’s becoming something more personal, something that reflects the kind of games I’ve always wanted to play but didn’t even realize I was creating.

This will also be a potential shift, or focusing on a different kind of audience.

If you’re curious to see where this journey takes me, I’d love for you to join the ride. You can wishlist Super Space Arcade on Steam, play the demo there and follow the game’s progress on any of the socials linked over at Worgames.

Thanks for following along—let’s see where this cozy arcade adventure leads us! Cheers!