Molten Iron Malfusha (2D Shooting Game) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an introduction to the indie game "Molten Marfusha," available on Steam.
I read an article introducing this game on Twitter and decided to play it because it sounded interesting.
In terms of genreA 2D shooting game with roguelike elements.It's a very fast-paced and engaging story.

The main mode can be completed in just under an hour, while the challenge mode involves increasing your score as long as you can.
The main mode has 10 different endings (mostly character-specific endings).

Game Overview (No Spoilers)

"Molten Iron Malfusha" is a tower defense shooting game set in a dystopian world depicted in pixel art.
Marfusha, a young girl selected to guard her country's gates, carries out her assigned defensive duties in order to protect her life with her younger sister.

The mission will fail if the durability of the leftmost gate reaches zero, so intercept the enemy to prevent them from reaching the leftmost gate.
The gate's durability will be restored in the next stage.

Movement is controlled with the keyboard, and attacks are controlled with the mouse.
Adjust the firing angle with the mouse pointer and fire by clicking.
You can fire rapidly by holding down the click button, so I think it's easier and better to just keep the mouse button pressed down.
The game will automatically reload when you run out of ammo, but you can also manually reload using the keyboard.
For weapons with long reload times, it's crucial to reload in between enemy attacks.

You will receive a salary once you defeat all the enemies.
If the gate you are defending is severely damaged, the repair costs will be deducted.
The deductions for items other than gate repairs are purely for dramatic effect in the story, but the sheer size of the deductions effectively conveys the dark atmosphere of the nation.
While your salary increases as you progress through the stages, the amount you earn is kept within a certain range because more deductions are made.

Upon clearing a stage, three item cards will be presented at random.
You'll use the money you've saved to acquire one of the items and strengthen Malfusha.
There are cards that increase your stats, cards that change your main weapon, and cards that allow you to acquire sub-weapons.

Weapons have a durability value, which decreases by 1 each time you progress through the stages.
The initial handgun has unlimited durability but is extremely weak, so you'll want to switch to a different weapon as soon as possible.
The roguelike tension lies in whether you can draw a powerful weapon, and even if you do, whether you can draw another useful weapon just as its durability is about to run out.

The cards you can obtain may include not only items, but also companions.
Each of your companions is equipped with a different type of weapon, so they cannot be defeated by enemies.
You can only bring one character with you, but it will definitely increase your firepower compared to having Marfusha alone, making battles much easier.
Furthermore, the ending will be affected by who your party members are when you clear the game.

Every few stages, there's a segment where you can rest in the barracks.
Before going to bed, you can use one facility that can improve your stats.

This game has minimal story elements, with only a few inserted at key points between stages.
However, at our company, you can hear little lines spoken by colleagues you've added to your team, and even catch glimpses of national broadcasts playing on the radio.
Much of the setting isn't explained, but these subtle details draw the player into the game's world.

In main mode, subtotals of your performance are displayed at each milestone number of days.
The ending may change depending on your performance at this stage, so do your best to get good grades.

In Challenge Mode, you can use not only Malfusha but also other characters as playable characters.
The gameplay is basically the same as the main story, but it has a stronger roguelike survival element, such as the gate's durability not recovering even after the day changes.

Review (no spoilers)

I was able to see the best ending of the main story, and I reached the point of surviving for over 100 days in Challenge Mode.
This is the kind of game that you easily get engrossed in once you start playing, and you'll keep playing until you either clear it or get a game over.
I don't usually play games of this genre.
However, this game doesn't require a high level of action, so I think even people who don't usually play shooting games can get hooked and enjoy it.

The controls themselves are not complicated, allowing you to enjoy fast-paced combat with simple controls.
Since weapons have durability, you can't use strong weapons forever, and there will be times when you have no choice but to use weaker weapons.
One of the game's greatest strengths is the roguelike aspect of having to sometimes use weaker weapons and compensate for them with player skill.

While we often see stories about girls fighting with guns, what makes this work unique is the sense of misfortune that permeates it.
Watching these girls, deprived of accurate information in a dystopia and worn down without understanding why, as they are used to guard the gates, leaves me with a somewhat sad feeling.
The characters, drawn in pixel art style, move very well, and many of their gestures are adorable.
Each character is meticulously crafted with detailed graphics, making you want to play through the game repeatedly and use each character.

Strategy Notes

For information on how to complete the game, including the conditions for the different endings, please see below.Strategy wikiYou can find more details by referring to [this source].
Here, I'll write about my own gameplay experience and what I felt were key points for success.

Main Mode

To reach the good ending, day 40 will be the most challenging.
There are many enemies, and the gate's durability may be significantly reduced.
This applies not only to this stage, but sub-weapons such as "Airstrike," "Wide Shot," and "Credit Shot" generally have high firepower and can be your trump card when you need it most.
It's important to always have a secondary weapon equipped and to use it proactively when you feel you're in danger.

Furthermore, acquiring strong allies early on will bring you closer to the good ending.
To avoid being unable to hire a powerful ally when you're lucky enough to find one, you should always keep at least 20 in cash.
My recommended teammate is an advanced sniper.

Challenge Mode

My high score was 106 days, and I was satisfied with that for the time being.
I used Malfusha as my character, and luckily I was able to recruit an advanced shotgun soldier early on.
Because I was able to upgrade to level 3 relatively quickly, even though Malfusha's weapon was weak, he was able to provide considerable firepower as support.
While status enhancement is important, I prioritized acquiring defense-boosting items and barricades, and focused on building gate durability as I progressed through the game.

Just like in the main mode, I felt it was important to have a trump card sub-weapon and to be able to maintain a strong main weapon.
Just because it's not a powerful main weapon doesn't mean you should hold out until its durability drops to 2. If you switch back to a handgun, you'll be in big trouble.
Even if you feel it might be a waste, it's best to try to update as soon as possible.