Elders Games 2-D vertical space shooter Solar Shifter EX has finally made its way to the consoles thanks to Head Up Games. This wild and crazy bullet hell is going to test your skills, and your patience. You take control of your ship and try to drive off the last remains of an alien force that is threatening to destroy the sun. These aliens are bent on your destruction and will send wave after wave to try and end your quest to preserve life as you know it. Story aside, game play is simple, avoid incoming bullets and try to take out as many enemies as you can. When you destroy an enemy, they will drop energy that can be used to upgrade your weapons if you are able to make it through the stage. You can also use the right stick to jump to one of four different areas of the screen to instantly avoid incoming damage - this is a good thing because your screen goes from empty to saturated with bullets quicker than you can curse. The jump or shift mechanic is something that you will have to get used to using as tapping the stick in the wrong direction will certainly be instant death. This game doesn't just require good reflexes and aim, it demands them. You will get very frustrated fairly early into the 18 missions if you are not able to dodge incoming attacks. The missions do feature a fair amount of check points, but even taking that into account, you are going to have to memorize EXACTLY where you need to be if you are not the quickest on the stick. Even that is an iffy prospect when a few stray bullets will cause you to head right back to the last check point. There are very few spots where you can actually earn health, so you have to protect what little you do have. Unless you are playing as one of the alien ships - those things seem to be able to take a beating. The graphics in the game are beautiful. You will fly over 8 different environments through the course of the game, but you don't just fly bottom to top. The board will twist a bit in between sections which makes for a nice change over a lot of other shooters. There is also a wide variety of enemies to blast, and they will light up the screen with missiles, lasers and other deadly projectiles. The music is a pumping score that unfortunately gets a bit drowned out with all the cannon fire. Luckily you can adjust the sound in the options menu. The game boasts 12 achievements on the XB1 version and getting them all will be a testament to your skill as a player. While 8 of them can be earned by making it through the game the rest will require something special. You will have to complete 4 different levels without taking any damage, and that will be a true test of gaming prowess. Solar Shifter EX is available on XB1 and Steam. It has been announced as coming to the PS4. You can grab it and test your skills for $9.99.