Rick Henderson is a retro-styled shmup, from the developer Fat Pig Studio, first released to Steam in 2001 before zapping its way to consoles later in 2022. Now, the pixel art shooter is making its way to physical release for Switch and PlayStation 5 courtesy of VGNYsoft, which has a range of options to choose from. Rick Henderson’s physical editions will be available for pre-order from the 28th of May 2025, although no specific shipping date has been mentioned as of yet.
The game pays homage to the 16-bit shooters of old but features a unique modern twist that creates a new adventure each time a playthrough is started. There are dozens of weapons and upgrades to play around with and several difficulty levels to add some replay value. Rick Henderson has been designed to cater to veterans of the genre as well as newcomers. There are several different versions to pre-order, starting with a basic standard and rising up to extra-packed elite editions.
- Infinite replayability, with waves handcrafted with love
- Standard and Hard mode for both casual and players who are up for a challenge
- Boss Raid mode
- Tutorial
- 3 player ships, each with their special ability to match your play style
- 27 weapons. Use Bullet, Energy, or Missile weapons against Unarmored, Armored, or Shielded enemies to different effects
- 25 perks to upgrade your ship
- More than 40 enemies split into 5 factions
- 5 bosses, each in three variations, for a total of 15 challenging baddies to challenge your skills + final big boss.
- Fun scoring system for both casual and hardcore players: score multipliers, grazing, ranks, and perk bonuses
- Beautiful golden days of 16-bit pixel art graphics
- One color mode for the visually impaired
- Blood-pumping synthwave music
