No Money, No Problem: Warning Forever

Title: Warning Forever
Developer: Hikware
Platforms: PC
Free
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Warning Forever is another game I consider a freeware classic. Along with Facade and Nitronic Rush, it was one of the games that introduced me to indies. Warning Forever is a bullet hell SHMUP with a cool vector graphics style. But it's not like any other SHUMP you've played. This is the David and Goliath version: just your tiny ship against one boss.

You have your rapid fire weapon and your reflexes and you must survive. You can target parts of the enemy and blow it apart piece by piece. But what makes Warning Forever special is that the boss learns and adapts to your tactics. Focus all your fire at its front and the next iteration will be more heavily armored in the front. Get killed by lasers? The next boss will be brimming with laser turrets. Each boss grows bigger, more menacing, armed with more weapons, until your tiny ship is facing off against a screen filling monstrosity. Every boss is randomly generated according to your own tactics and performance. How long can you survive? It's an innovative formula that I'm surprised never caught on. While one studio released an spiritual successor with updated visuals (Infinity Danger), I prefer the vector style of the original. You can download Warning Forever here.

*The controls are a bit weird. Z is to fire (and select menu options), X is for slow more precise movement, D activates an aiming mode that allows you to aim at the boss as you move and alters the spread of your fire. F pauses. Arrow keys move.