Daisy

ZeroRanger is, like many other retro-styled indie games, a tribute to the past - in this case, a love letter to the entire shmup genre. It's absolutely packed to the gills with references, like boss fights with the Vic Viper, or projectiles pulled straight from the final boss of Esp Ra.De.. Yet despite this, it never coasts on the strength of its influences or falls into the realm of pastiche. It's a fun, solid shmup in its own right, with two ships, several selectable weapons, and a transformation mechanic all giving you a lot of flexibility in how you approach its various stages and boss fights. To top it off, it's all wrapped up in a gorgeous presentation and a killer soundtrack (seriously the soundtrack is really really good). Also you can transform your ship into a sword-wielding robot, which rules.

And then you finish the first loop and the game's meta-narrative takes hold, sending you through an unexpected and exciting set of twists and turns, both narrative and mechanical. This is a rare story-focused shmup, and an even rarer one where that story is actually compelling. And while other games may have done a lot of the things ZeroRanger is doing, nobody has ever done them in the context of a shmup before, and it's thrilling.