Marfusha

• Genre: Shmup(?)
• Spoiler Free Review: Thematic spoilers.
• Time Played: 3-4 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's fine for what it is. It doesn't have much and can quickly get to the point where you figure out the best ways to win, but a few hours of entertainment for a few dollars is worth it.
• Soundtrack: I think there were a few pretty good tracks, but there are only a handful total.
• Why I played: The aesthetic caught my eye. It has classic pixelated still drawings for it's scenes which will almost always get me.
• Did I cry: No. It's depressing, sure, but mostly in a parody way.
• Jank: This one is pretty janky. Not really in performance or controls, just in presentation. It's just what it is.
• Difficulty: I feel like it's a little easy for what it's going for. It only took me a couple attempts before I could run through and "Perfect" every level.
• Recommend to others: Not really, not that it's bad. I just don't know who I would recommend this to.

Marfusha, also called Marfusha: Sentinel Girls, depending where you get it, is a game inspired by the not-entirely well know prequel(that is a sequel in story, and a reimagining of another game, a visual novel with no visuals, that has since had a full remake) to Girls Frontline, the mobile game.

Some of the theming of that is obvious, and by that I mean the fact that you play as anime girl with guns in a highly militaristic setting. Marfusha's story is about a girl recruited to defend the city walls in a USSR inspired dystopia where you have the privilege of paying 98% of your income in taxes. Just when you think you might have more money to get certain upgrades you find out your going to be taxed for the very fact you don't have enough money.

Gameplay wise it's a pretty basic aim+shoot game. You're mostly defending a wall and you can walk back and forth to position yourself for enemies better or get them before they come close to it. You defend against a wave of enemies, get a chance to buy upgrade or usable items, and proceed to the next wave. It's fun for a bit, and there a bunch of a different endings and challenge modes making it worth replaying as long as it keeps your interest.