Here we have a fantastic old school shoot ’em up from Polish developer Infinite Dreams Inc. First released in 2004 on the PC, it’s since had an overhaul (the “reloaded” bit) and it’s available on pretty much every product imaginable.

Sky Force Reloaded

For us, the Nintendo Switch version was the one we plumped for as it was on offer for a mere £5. Steam was tempting for it, but this sort of thing excels in handheld mode.

It’s a top down shooter of old, but the premise of blasting everything in sight is more complex than you might think.

Initially, your craft is utterly useless. You really have to work hard on the first two levels to save funds to buy upgrades across your ship. As you improve, you become more kick ass.

There are loads of things to manage on the upgrade front, such as whether to choose more health or go full trigger happy and ensure you’re packing the most punch.

And this makes for great replayability, as you’ll often revisit levels when you’re all stacked up and annihilate the opposition. Most satisfying!

But you will have to think about each level strategically, as there are four mini-missions to complete each stage. To unlock new levels, you’ll need to earn medals by completing set targets.

Whilst it’s not as strategic as the obscure gem of a shooter Star Ghost, it’s certainly much more difficult. And there’s a lot more going on – there’s a huge amount of content for a, what seems at first, small indie game.

The reality is you really need your wits about you for Sky Force Reloaded. It’s bloody tough, it’s addictive, it’s engrossing, looks the part, and by Jove we can highly recommend it.