Castle of Shikigami (2001)

Developer: Alfa System
Publisher: Degica Games, Sourcenext, Cosmo Machia Inc., Taito, Mediaquest
Platforms: Arcade, Xbox, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 2
Genres: Shooter, Arcade
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense, dark bullet-hell grind through demon-infested Tokyo where mastering each character's unique abilities feels purposeful and demanding.

supernaturaldarktensevertical scrollingchallengingarcade-stylefocusedstylized

About

Castle of Shikigami is a dark, supernatural shoot-'em-up classic. Choose one of six characters and utilize their unique abilities to defeat the demons infesting modern-day Tokyo in this vertically scrolling shooting game. Use each character's shot, special Shikigami attack and bomb to conquer each stage and it's boss to ultimately discover who or what is behind "The Castle of Shikigami Incident".

Screenshots

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More by Alfa System

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.