Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Clean Asia! delivers a relentless bullet-hell experience that demands split-second reactions and strategic thinking. Players choose between two distinct pilots—Mickey R. Dole in Attractor mode or Mackey I. Dole in Reflector mode—each offering a radically different playstyle. Attractor’s short-range dash slices through enemies, grants brief invincibility, and lets you collect metal fragments to launch powerful combo attacks. In contrast, Reflector offers a more classic shooter feel, with a dedicated fire button, reflect mechanic, and chargeable special shot powered by absorbed debris.

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Regardless of which twin you pick, the core loop remains the same: survive waves of colorfully chaotic foes, chain attacks to build combos, and manage your limited lives. With only three lives at your disposal, every hit carries weight, intensifying the tension as the screen fills with enemy projectiles. The learning curve is steep but rewarding—mastering the nuances of each pilot’s toolkit unlocks higher scores and deeper strategies, pushing you to refine your reflexes and timing.

The level structure is generous: you can tackle Thailand, New Korea, and China from the outset, letting you hone your skills on stages that progressively ramp up in difficulty and bullet complexity. Fast respawns keep the action moving, minimizing downtime and encouraging immediate retries. Whether you’re weaving through dense bullet patterns in Attractor mode or reflecting volleys back at foes in Reflector, the game’s pace never lets up, providing a satisfying adrenaline surge each time you jump back in.

Clean Asia! also rewards experimentation. Switching between pilots reveals hidden synergies—using Attractor’s combo chains to clear screens or exploiting Reflector’s defensive reflect to neutralize boss patterns. Score-chasers will appreciate the depth of its combo system, while newcomers can find a thrilling entry point in the more forgiving Reflector mode. Either way, the high-octane design hooks you from the first credit and keeps you coming back for “just one more run.”

Graphics

On the visual front, Clean Asia! embraces a minimalist yet striking art style that emphasizes clarity in chaos. Your ship appears as a tiny white dot against a backdrop of colorful outlined enemies that glow with neon intensity. This design choice ensures that every bullet, fragment, and enemy silhouette stands out, allowing you to track threats even when the screen is awash with spiraling projectiles.

The backgrounds transport you across invaded Asian territories, from verdant Thai fields under siege to the high-tech skylines of New Korea and the fortified battlements of China. While these vistas are somewhat static, their subtle animations and shifting color palettes create an atmospheric stage for the onslaught. Combined with pounding electronic music, each level feels like a unique battleground in a larger lunar conspiracy.

Enemy designs range from simple geometric drones to multi-segmented war machines that split apart in showers of debris. Bullets come in a spectrum of distinct shapes and hues, ensuring that even in the most crowded skirmishes you can parse your safe zones. When you activate Attractor’s dash or Reflector’s shield, dynamic visual effects—like trailing sparks or refractive glows—underscore the power of your abilities and heighten the sense of impact.

Despite its indie roots and entry in the AutoFire 2007 competition, Clean Asia! manages to feel polished. There’s a clean animation throttle that keeps frame rates rock solid, crucial when precision dodging is the name of the game. The result is a visually coherent package where design choices serve gameplay clarity, not just aesthetics.

Story

Clean Asia! weaves an offbeat sci-fi premise around its frenetic action: a race of hostile weapons, originally borne from humanity’s severed eyes, retreats to the moon only to return a decade later in an all-out invasion. Thailand and New Korea fall swiftly, while China defiantly refuses external aid. In dire need, America fields a pair of pilot twins, Mickey R. Dole and Mackey I. Dole, whose contrasting fighting styles become humanity’s last hope to reclaim the continent.

The narrative is mostly delivered via brief stage intros and flavor text, serving as a backdrop for the main attraction: explosive shmup combat. This sparse storytelling approach keeps the focus on gameplay, but still imbues each mission with context. You feel a sense of urgency as you blast through iconic Asian locales, imagining the broader conflict that rages just beyond the screen’s borders.

Characters remain largely enigmatic—Mickey and Mackey speak in curt mission briefings, and there’s little in the way of interpersonal drama or cutscenes. Yet this minimalism has its own charm: the game’s brevity and directness mirror the swift pace of the action. For players craving a more cinematic narrative, the story may feel thin, but for hardcore shoot ’em up enthusiasts, the lore provides just enough flavor to fuel their high-score runs.

Ultimately, Clean Asia! strikes a balance between setting and system. The exotic premise of lunar-eyed invaders and twin-star pilots gives you a reason to push through grueling patterns, even if you’re mostly here for the gameplay. It’s a stripped-down storyline that prioritizes adrenaline over exposition, perfectly in tune with the game’s breakneck tempo.

Overall Experience

Clean Asia! stands out as a lean, mean indie shmup that doesn’t overstay its welcome. It launches you straight into the fray with minimal menu navigation, offering immediate access to all regions and both pilots. This design ethos—pick your fighter, choose your battleground, and go—is a breath of fresh air in an era of bloated game systems and overlong tutorials.

The dual-pilot mechanic adds significant replay value. Attractor mode dares you to master aggressive combo chains and risky dashes, while Reflector mode invites a more defensive, strategic approach. Switching between them not only alters your offensive toolkit but also reshapes the way you read bullet patterns and manage space on screen. For completionists and score-seekers alike, this dichotomy ensures dozens of hours of experimentation and mastery.

While not as deep as some long-form shmups with branching paths or collectible loot, Clean Asia!’s tight level design and punishing bosses keep the stakes high. Its three-region structure might feel concise to veterans, but the learning curve and score-chasing potential extend its shelf life. AutoFire 2007’s roots are evident in the game’s handcrafted challenge—each encounter is carefully tuned to test your precision, timing, and adaptability.

In the end, Clean Asia! is a concentrated blast of bullet-hell mayhem wrapped in a nifty sci-fi premise. It’s perfect for players seeking quick pickup-and-play sessions as well as those aiming to climb leaderboards. If you appreciate clean visuals, razor-sharp controls, and two distinct ways to tackle chaos, this indie gem will find a permanent spot in your shmup rotation.

Retro Replay Score

null/10