Horgihugh

Horgihugh is a horizontal side-scrolling shooter set in a world of different species and cultures. You pilot vintage airplanes through six stages, fighting the Gozarean invaders in a story about two former pilots who return to defend their family and friends.

Story

The nations of this world once lived in relative peace, until a murder in a small town sparked a war that spread across the planet. During the conflict, scientist Dr. Howard found a glowing stone and began studying its power, hoping to create a device that could neutralize weapons and transmissions and bring the war to a peaceful end. The war ended two years later, but the stone continued transmitting a signal into space.

Six years after the war, the Gozarean arrived and attacked the planet. One country still had weapons, in violation of the post-war peace accords, but its forces could not stop the invaders, whose counterattack devastated its largest cities. The world united to plan a counteroffensive, but the peace accords and the actions of the militarized country had left it without powerful weapons.

Hugh and Figaro, pilots who had evaded the war and retired to a small island south of the continent, had kept their vintage airplanes. Those planes are unaffected by the Gozarean's weapon-nullifying technology. After seeing the invasion harm their family and friends, the pair decide to fight, despite having previously refused the nations' requests for help.

Flying and fighting

You take on six challenging stages and 13 boss battles, using more than a dozen weapons and items that you can unlock and equip. The game includes last-minute dodges, unlockable upgrades and two difficulty modes.

The Buddy System pairs you with an AI-controlled companion. You can team up to deal extra damage and control some of the companion's movement.

Characters and music

The cast features anthropomorphic characters. The music is by composer Motoaki Furukawa, whose credits include Gradius 2, Gradius II, Salamander, Metal Gear and Policenauts. Character designs are by illustrator KOU, known for Mega Man ZX and the Shantae series, with pixel art by Kengo Tanaka and Hidekunki Sasaki.