The 15 Best Amiga Shoot-'em-ups
The Amiga was a shoot-'em-up platform par excellence — Paula sound, 50 Hz smooth scrolling and massive explosions. These 15 belong in every collection, sorted by year of release.
1. Hybris
Discovery / 1988 · VerticalFirst Amiga shmup highlight, Scoopex-style firepower, enormously difficult. Predecessor to Battle Squadron.
2. Menace
Psygnosis / 1988 · HorizontalDavid Jones' (later GTA creator) debut. R-Type-inspired with Psygnosis aesthetic and soundtrack by David Whittaker.
3. Battle Squadron
Innerprise / 1989 · VerticalSuccessor to Hybris, 2-player co-op, insane scrolling speed, brilliant Ron Klaren soundtrack. A reference for many.
4. Xenon 2: Megablast
Bitmap Brothers / 1989 · VerticalBomb the Bass as soundtrack. Shop upgrades, insect inspiration, industrial look — Bitmap Brothers style at its best.
5. SWIV
Sales Curve / 1991 · Vertical (Helicopter + Jeep)Silkworm successor. Player 1 flies helicopter, Player 2 drives jeep. 2-player co-op classic.
6. Wings of Death
Thalion / 1990 · VerticalA dragon shmup with fantasy setting. Parallax scrolling in OCS quality that is hard to beat.
7. Apidya
Kaiko/Play Byte / 1992 · HorizontalCult status. You are a bee. Chris Huelsbeck soundtrack. Graphics by Frank Matzke. Level design like a work of art, hard to top. Outstanding.
8. Z-Out
Rainbow Arts / 1990 · HorizontalX-Out successor, uncompromising R-Type clone with its own twist. Hard, precise, stylish.
9. Project-X (Special Edition)
Team17 / 1992 · HorizontalTeam17's AAA shmup — large parallax backgrounds, huge end bosses, multiline firepower. The Special Edition is the playable version (the original was brutally hard).
10. Disposable Hero
Gremlin Graphics / 1993 · HorizontalVery polished late-era shmup with multiple weapons and detailed graphics. Underrated.
11. Agony
Psygnosis / 1992 · Horizontal (Owl)You are an owl. Graphically one of the most beautiful Amiga shmups ever — Tim Wright soundtrack, watercolour-style backgrounds.
12. Banshee
Core Design / 1994 · Vertical (AGA)Pure AGA showcase: 256 colours simultaneously, three parallax layers, multiple weapons systems. WWI aviation setting, one of the most technically impressive A1200 shmups.
13. Blood Money
DMA Design / 1989 · VerticalDMA Design stroke of genius (pre-GTA era). Buy weapons, crack safes, 2-player co-op. Too easy? Try making it to the end.
14. Ruff 'n' Tumble
Renegade / 1994 · Run & GunNot a classic shmup but a run-and-gun, but shoots just as furiously. Dreamlike sprites, cartoon visuals, outstanding.
15. Inviyya
Keith Jones / 2017 · Horizontal (New Production)Homebrew from 2017 — a brand new commercial Amiga development. Looks like the best 1991 shmup you never played. Proves: the Amiga is not dead.
Honourable Mentions
- Turrican 2 — not just a shmup, but shmup levels of world-class quality
- R-Type — arcade port, not perfect but important
- IO — psychedelic horizontal shmup by Graftgold
- Deluxe Galaga — modern classic, freeware on Aminet
- Gemini Wing — arcade port of the two insects
- Katakis — Factor 5 R-Type clone, only became famous as a bundle game