While the game is an exercise in trimming the fat, there are a handful of bonus modes once the story mode is over. Despite the barebones menus, these extras are quite the sweetener. One of the modes is vertical-only, which means you essentially get Galaga shoved in there as an add-on, then a mode where you have to rescue trapped astronauts. But all of these modes feel like they build up towards “Shield Maiden”, which is where the real challenge in the game lies. With low health and weak weapons, your goal is to survive, and after finishing up the main mode, this is where we found ourselves wanting to spend most of our time. Overall, Habroxia is a neat little arcade title with some cool ideas.

Habroxia is about as standard as retro-style shoot 'em ups can get while still offering slight twists on the classic gameplay.

Habroxia is a cross-buy shoot 'em up that has a couple of good ideas but is hampered by being too easy and visually bland. There's definitely some fun to be had while it lasts but that isn't very long at all.