No Money, No Problem: Catcher

Title: Catcher
Developer: Tobias
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Browser
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Catcher is a cousin to the common bullet hell shmup, save for one unique difference: you don't shoot.  Rather than blowing away enemies with projectiles, Catcher offers a far more interesting and intimate means of destruction.

With your left mouse button, you divide your vessel in two, stretching a deadly energy net between the two halves, and with your right mouse button, you contract, allowing you to tighten the noose around ensnared enemies. It's fluid, fast, and adds a strategic offensive angle to this kind of evasion-heavy gameplay. While it may seem like your limited arsenal would make the game repetitive, its vast array of enemies is what adds challenge and diversity. While the game starts off with simple stationary shapes and hordes of erratic homing foes, you'll soon find yourself weaving and ensnaring everything from spike-ridden stars, rocket and laser turrets, and enemies that phase in and out of existence, to massive snakes, shielded enemies that require timing to surround, and more. Catcher is a game of skill, precision, and focus, especially if you want to build extended combos. Knowing your enemies, how they act and maneuver, is key to surviving the increasing challenging levels.

Catcher is still in development, with more enemies and polish to come, but it's extremely playable and fun in its current state. You can download the game or play the latest version in your browser here, and follow Catcher's development on TIGForum.