HORGIHUGH is a horizontal side-scrolling shoot ’em up from Japanese developer PiXEL featuring vibrant retro graphics, intense boss battles, a unique power-up system, and an adorable roster of anthropomorphic characters.

## About This Game
## OVERVIEW
HORGIHUGH (ホーギーヒュー) is a challenging horizontal side-scrolling shooter from
Japanese developer PiXEL. Developed by a team of industry veterans, HORGIHUGH
mixes old with new to deliver a beautiful retro shoot ’em up experience that
sports vibrant pixel graphics, intense boss battles, a unique power-up system,
unlockable upgrades, and an adorable roster of anthropomorphic characters.
## FEATURES
* Classic shoot ’em up gameplay reminiscent of the 16-bit era.
* 6 challenging stages and 13 grueling boss battles.
* Over a dozen weapons and items to unlock and equip to help you blast through the enemy.
* Unique mechanics like last-minute dodges, unlockable upgrades, and the innovative Buddy System that lets players team up with an AI-controlled companion to dish out extra punishment and control some of their movement.
* Two difficulty modes to match your skill level.
* Charming and upbeat music from renown Konami composer Motoaki Furukawa (Gradius 2, Gradius II, Salamander, Metal Gear, Policenauts).
* Character designs from illustrator KOU (Mega Man ZX, Shantae series) and pixel art from Neo Geo background artist Kengo Tanaka (Ironclad Brikinger) and Hidekunki Sasaki (Dotto no Ken * Giga).
## STORY
This is the tale of a world different from that of our own. Various species
live here, their lives governed by their own respective values and
religions…
It is a world close to home in many ways. The various nations of this world
avoided meddling with one another, which allowed their people to live in
relative peace and harmony. However, this all changed when a terrible murder
occurred in a small town, which cascaded into a great war that engulfed the
entire world.

At the height of the war, the renown scientist Dr. Howard went on a journey,
spurred on by his lamentations on the world’s struggles. There, by pure
chance, he found a glowing stone. Howard plunged himself into his research to
try and analyze the stone’s power, to create a device that could nullify any
and all weapons and transmissions, which he hoped to use to resolve the war
peacefully. But the world did not wait for Howard and his invention. Two years
after the war had begun, it had come to an end.

Six years after the war’s closure, invaders we call the “Gozarean” suddenly
started attacking the planet, summoned by the signal that had been continually
transmitted into outer space by the glowing stone that Professor Howard had
long since forsaken. Only one country had the means of fighting back against
the Gozarean–a country who had retained their weaponry in breach of the post-
war peace accords.

They struck the sudden invaders with everything they had, but to no avail. The
Gozarean’s counterattack would go on to bring about massive casualties to the
country’s largest cities. Any attempts to establish communications with the
Gozarean resulted in failure. In light of this verified alien threat, the
world quickly unified and devised a plan of counteroffensive. However, due to
the peace accords and the rash acts of their one militarized country, there
were no powerful weapons remaining in the world.

–On a small island slightly south of the continent–

“Why kill them just because their values are different from our own?”
“It doesn’t matter if we understand one another or not. Lives are lives.”
“Yeah. I didn’t become a pilot to kill people.”

Such was the dialogue between the pair of pilots who evaded the war eight
years earlier. They were Hugh and Figaro; two pilots who had retired to the
south after the war started. In a fit of irony, the trusty vintage airplanes
that they had retained in evading the war were the only weapons that eluded
the effects of the Gozarean’s weapon-nullifying technology, marking them truly
as the world’s final wings of hope.

Although they had continuously refused the nations’ pleas for help, they
slowly witnessed the invasion’s effects on their family and friends, leading
to their finally deciding to sally out and defend those dear to them.

Thus marks the start of our tale.
## CONTROLS
Keyboard
-> <- ↑ ↓: Movement Shift: Shoot, Confirm Control: Loop the loop manuever Space: Control positioning of Figaro Enter: Bomb A controller/gamepad is recommended.

HORGIHUGH (ホーギーヒュー)