Grind Stormer

Grind Stormer is a vertically scrolling space shoot ’em up originally developed by Toaplan. As a young secret agent in 2210, you enter a virtual reality simulator in the NA-00 space fighter, an arcade machine that no player has cleared and returned from. As you investigate the simulator’s purpose, you begin to question whether it is really just a game.

Two versions

The game includes both the international Grind Stormer and the Japanese version, V・V (pronounced V Five), which use different power-up systems. In V・V, collecting rhombus items lets you select weapons using gauges, making it important to choose the right weapon for each level and enemy encounter. Grind Stormer replaces that system with instant power-ups gained by collecting items.

Fight through the barrage

You dodge waves of bullets and attack enemies with the NA-00. Its standard WING satellite helper provides different attack patterns, including a forward barrage and a wide strike. The heavy bullet patterns make the game difficult, while Very Easy mode, rewind and quick saves give newcomers ways to learn and progress. You can also adjust the auto-fire rate and practice in a customizable mode.

The game features an upbeat sci-fi FM soundtrack composed by Masahiro Yuge. Online leaderboards track Single Credit, No Assist and Assisted plays, and you can capture replays of your runs. Rewind covers 10–18 minutes, depending on the action. The game also includes minimal input lag, pixel-perfect or full-screen scaling, 90-degree gameplay rotation, and support for Raw Input on Windows or Steam Input.