#shmup

Keeping a boss or enemy alive to squeeze out maximum points.

Stringing kills or pickups together to keep a score multiplier alive.

Pumping continues to brute-force your way to the ending instead of one-crediting it.

Moving in tiny increments to funnel aimed bullets into one tidy line you can dodge.

Dropping a bomb to wipe the screen before a bullet pattern blooms.

A hidden final boss that only appears for players good enough to earn it.

Rotating the display 90 degrees to play a vertical shmup as intended.

Filler enemies that swarm in bulk and die the second you look at them.

The weak, throwaway enemies — small fry that exist to die.

The invisible region a game checks for collisions — in shmups, often way smaller than your ship.

Frame-rate drop when the screen's too packed — and shmup players love it.

A short, timed score-attack shmup — usually a frantic two-to-five-minute run.

Dense curtain-fire bullet patterns you weave through — the 'bullet hell' itself.

Skimming bullets as close as possible without getting hit, for score.

Clearing the whole game on a single credit, no continues.

A satellite drone trailing your ship, adding firepower or eating bullets.

A dig at shmups built around physics and shields instead of tight bullet patterns.

Maxing the score counter so it physically can't display any higher.

Firing a bomb in the split-second after you're hit to cheat death.

A spot on screen where a boss attack simply can't touch you.

Beating every stage so the game restarts harder instead of ending.

A bullet an enemy fires at you the moment it dies.

Playing a vert in tate mode by lying on your side instead of rotating the TV.

Firing from right up against an enemy to concentrate maximum damage.

Clearing a stage, boss or whole game without losing a single life.

An extra life — earned by hitting a score threshold or clearing a task.

Killing an enemy wipes its on-screen bullets — often turning them into points.

Dynamic difficulty that ramps up based on how well you're playing.