i beat zeroranger earlier this week. it's fun, and (as i expected, coming off of void stranger) definitely shows a ton of polish with the game design and presentation, even if some of what they're going for is kinda goofy. the actual density of references still hits me a bit weird, almost like a parody game at points. though some of the stuff feels more like really subtle or clever easter eggs like some of the spots where you can hit background enemies with lockons like in ray-games. and look, it's hard for me to complain about a game made by people who really love radiant silvergun. a lot of shmup fans really don't get along with that game but i adore it, and the elements (outside of the boss warnings, which are way too literal for my taste. one of them even is just the same "TINY VALOR" lol) that call back to it really directly make for a kind of fun remix/response to the game for me. it's interesting to see someone else's take on ideas like the weapon controls and story. nobody cooks the same way hiroshi iuchi does, for better or worse, but it's fun to see what people like about his games
more importantly, melee/super short range attacks in shmups are awesome. if i ever make one that's what i wanna do too. it's also interesting to me that the loop seems to exist above all to give people an excuse to play with the new toys on the earlier stages (which is cool), hence 2-4 being completely different from 1-4. i think that's actually a pretty nice way to set up the game for people who don't have arcade player motivations
anyway, as a 2-loop game that gives a pretty sizeable amount of extends and has a pretty annoying final boss sequence (not that one, lol) i don't feel a lot of inclination to actually try and 1cc, but i have started playing a bunch of white vanilla instead. the reframing and new bits have a more fun energy for me, since the chaotic remix nature of the caravan design and "fake" story sell some of the more obvious gags and references more successfully for me. the weapon choices have a lot of weight due to the quick kill aspects, and the crab boss and bonus stages are really fun. got a grade B 1cc a bit ago, and i'm really enjoying it and will definitely keep playing for a while. full Z seems pretty demanding though...i'm not sure i'm that sick at shmups
i feel like above all i have no idea how to speedrun grapefruit lol. feels like one of the hardest parts of the game to me (though the gross eye is also mega rude unless you pick drill, which i otherwise find a lot more clunky to play with)