Iro Hero

Iro Hero ends up being a competent euro-shmup homage to the dual phase/puzzle shmup gameplay pivoted by Treasure's Magnum Opus. While some designs choices could be avoided with some proper care while transitioning the game to Switch, what is on offer is solid shmup action for those who are seeking something a new challenge. Hard as nails, often unfairly so until you learn to play with perfect precision, we still consider it worthy of your time.

Another solid, but fairly unoriginal shoot 'em up, Iro Hero's colour coding mechanic adds a layer to the gameplay that elevates it above a bog standard shooter. A cheap and cheerful game to pass ten minutes while a 30GB update for the latest AAA game downloads.

Iro Hero is quite interesting title. It mixes classic shoot 'em up gameplay with color changing mechanics that allow you to avoid enemy fire. The game is short and provides quick 1000G on Xbox.

Iro Hero is a decent game with a poorly thought-out execution. The game is difficult but almost unforgiving, as longer-than-usual levels and a high enemy count mean you'll start at the beginning of stages far more often than you'd like. The mechanics are barely explained in-game due to the ill-conceived layout, and the story suffers the same fate as well. With an inconsistent presentation to boot, Iro Hero is a game that's solely for hardcore genre fans, as everyone else will barely make it out of the first stage before deleting it in favor of other, better-executed shooters.

If you're the type of player who likes to be challenged by a game, then this one will certainly scratch that itch. Iro Hero wears its influences with pride, and it brings a hardcore shoot 'em up experience to Nintendo's hybrid console, paying homage to the classics while ramping up the difficulty considerably. Are you up for the challenge?

There are great bosses with different fighting styles, the graphics are fun and non-distracting from the gameplay, and the music and sound effects all add to the overall action. However, throwing endless enemies and obstacles at a player all in the name of creating a difficult game does not inherently produce a rewarding challenge. Unfortunately this title sorely missed that mark.

No, it won't replace the Ikaruga's or Raiden's of your past, but Iro Hero is a valiant crack at the all-too-rare shoot ‘em up genre. If you've got a top-down, bullet-heavy adventure itch that needs scratching, Iro Hero will likely satisfy.

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Iro Hero, a new shoot-em-up on Nintendo Switch, takes too many conventions of gaming past.

Fantastic music and unique scoring system aside, Iro Hero simply isn't a fun shoot 'em up.