Pixel Co. Ltd, the Japanese game developer, retro store, and event company, has just released a new Famicom-inspired vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up over on Steam (as spotted by @gosokkyu)
The game, which is called Xelan Force, was first conceived as a special project to commemorate the first ever "Retro Game Summit" event last year and features a soundtrack from composer Yasuhiro Inazawa (whose previous credits include the light gun shooter Death Crimson OX, the adventure game Captain Love!!, and the Sega Saturn RPG Dragon Master Silk) and visuals from Studio Vigor (that previously worked on Xiaomei and the Flame Dragon's Fist).
It is set in a galaxy far, far away, where an evil alien named Moldark has captured a satellite base containing the last remaining survivors of the planet Xelan. Players will assume control of a rogue pilot named Levi Kuzier who boards an under-development aircraft named the "Riserion'' and must fight through waves upon waves of enemies to try to take back the occupied base.
According to the Steam page, the game will feature a special P.L.S. (Player Level Score) system that will adapt the difficulty to the player's performance. This will also increase or decrease the amount of points players will earn, depending on the difficulty level.
You can pick up the game now on Steam for £7.49. There are no keyboard controls sadly, with a controller being required to play.
A version for the Nintendo Switch is set to release in Japan on February 29th. As far as we're aware, there is no public comment available on whether the game will also be released on Western storefronts.