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[Image] Another day, another Dreamcast-related shooter pops up on the Nintendo Switch eShop. This time, coming absolutely out of nowhere, it's Duranik's much-loved Sturmwind. Sturmwind hit the Dreamcast way back in 2013 after initially starting life as a project for the Atari Jaguar CD titled Native - indeed, there are fleeting references to Atari's maligned system hidden throughout Sturmwind.
[Image] Following the likes of Ikaruga, Zero Gunner 2 and Gunbird 2, Sturmwind EX for Nintendo Switch looks to be something of a 'remaster,' with improved screen resolution and totally redrawn graphical assets. The Nintendo Switch version will run at 1080p (docked) and at 60fps, while the upcoming Xbox One version will be full 4K, according to Duranik.
Though Sturmwind was originally released back in 2013, it was given a re-release in 2016 on Dreamcast and time has been kind - it's still as much of a blast to play now in 2019 as it was back when it first came out. This new Switch port has been handled by Duranik and is published by b-alive GmbH - the same outfit which published the recently released Steam version, as well as such gaming behemoths as Equimagic: Gala Show of Horses and Farm World. Hmmm.
Sturmwind EX features ripped directly from the Nintendo website (although I've removed the multiple typos and added some punctuation):
In Sturmwind EX you can play mission mode with all 16 levels, saving your progress with every finished level, or play arcade mode with 6 levels and no continues. Other features include: 2 different game modes: mission mode and arcade mode 16 Levels 3 difficulty levels Different weapons selectable Upgradeable weapons, drones and different weapon-/drone-formations Additional super weapons like super beam and smart bombs More than 20 large boss enemies Hundreds of different enemies Achievements, Highscore and Level statistics Customizable user interface We've covered Sturmwind here at The Dreamcast Junkyard multiple times, and even interviewed Johannes Graf, the man behind Duranik a few years ago, so it's pretty safe to assume we're pretty big fans of the indie shooter. [Image] Sturmwind EX releases on Nintendo Switch on Friday 8 November 2019 and is priced at £11.69. No word on a physical release yet, but we'll be sure to give it the same Dreamcast/Switch comparison treatment as we did with Ikaruga, Gunbird 2 and Zero Gunner 2.
Related articles: Developer Interview: Duranik Feature: Why Sturmwind Is Still Incredible News: Sturmwind Re-release Imminent