This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format.

Paying homage to the Atari days, we have the brilliant arcade shoot ‘em up, Horizon Shift ’81. The influence of the ’81 element of the title is clear from the moment you download, with the Atari-inspired game art adding a nice touch. This shmup has you take control of a ship protecting a central line from threats on both sides, with the ability to move beneath and above the line creating double the chaos. It’s a blend of various titles, but most prominently brings to mind Space Invaders and Asteroids with the huge bosses of more contemporary shmups.

Gameplay is pretty standard fare, but the twist of shifting between different sides of the horizon as well as the ability to jump injects a unique freshness. The power-ups are also pretty stock, but feel suitable and are given regularly enough to feel fair, although not so often that you feel boringly overpowered. As with many shmups, not all power-ups are created equal and there will be times when you actively avoid the shotgun whilst raining bloody murder on your enemies with your spread gun. You also have the ability to fill up a ‘bomb bar’ at the bottom of the screen, which launches a devastating screen-spanning attack once activated.

All of this makes you a powerful force, but is balanced by one-hit deaths. The difficulty can also be affected by the various modes on the title screen, all of which up the ante by removing lives and checkpoints to eventually create a cripplingly difficult experience.

The retro look of Horizon Shift ’81 is gorgeous, with the vintage sprites providing nostalgia while simultaneously looking sharp, sleek, and neo-modern. The decision to have the screen size minimised to emulate the feel of playing on an arcade machine is also a great touch.

Overall, Horizon Shift ’81 is a great time. A fast-paced shooter that oozes enthusiasm and passion, in addition to the appropriate level of respect for the games of years gone by. Oh, and the soundtrack is just banging. Some proper techno goodness that’ll get your blood pumping for those boss fights.