Shikhondo: Blue Pieta Turns Korea's Bullet-Hell Series Sideways
DeerFarm's yokai-hunting shooter switches from vertical to side-scrolling, adds an eight-frame Counter Bomb and supports 32:9 monitors. Why shmup fans should pay attention to this small Korean studio.
Shoot 'em ups, or shmups, are one of gaming's oldest genres, and one of its most demanding. A few Korean studios still make them with real devotion, and DeerFarm is one of the best known. Its latest, Shikhondo: Blue Pieta, launched worldwide on Steam and STOVE on 18 May 2026, published by CFK.
It is the sequel to Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage, and it makes the biggest change the series has seen: it is the first Shikhondo to scroll sideways instead of vertically. On Steam it is rated Positive, with 93% of its early reviews recommending it, and console versions for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 are planned after the PC launch.
What is new
Two protagonists hunt yokai, supernatural creatures from folklore, across a city. This time the story moves to a foreign city, with darker urban stages that include a big city, an amusement park and a subway station, and foes drawn from foreign folklore. The story has full voice acting.
The game offers three modes: Arcade (the main story), Boss Rush and Custom. It also supports ultra-wide monitors up to 32:9, a rare treat for a genre that usually sits in a narrow box in the middle of the screen. Steam notes that the boss designs include gory elements.
How the scoring works
Shikhondo's signature system is Soul Collect, and it returns in an evolved form:
- Grazing enemy bullets, passing very close without being hit, fills a Soul Gauge.
- When the gauge is full, Soul Collect turns every bullet on screen into score items and doubles your score multiplier.
- Spend a bomb during it and you enter a second stage that quadruples your score.
New this time is the Counter Bomb. Press bomb within 8 frames of being hit and you avoid the damage, triggering Soul Collect or using a bomb. It needs a full Soul Gauge or a bomb in stock.
Together these systems create a constant tug of war. Grazing is the fastest way to fill the gauge, but it means flying into danger on purpose. The Counter Bomb gives skilled players a last-second escape, but only if they have saved the resources to use it. That is the kind of risk-and-reward loop that keeps score chasers replaying the same stage for weeks.
Who is DeerFarm?
DeerFarm is a small independent studio from South Korea that has stuck with the Shikhondo series and with shmups in general, a genre most studios abandoned decades ago. Its publisher, CFK, offers a Series Pack that bundles Blue Pieta with Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage, plus a version with the earlier game's soundtrack, a good entry point for newcomers.
Why it matters
Shmups are a niche, but a loyal one, and they reward studios that understand their details. WGC's take: switching to side-scrolling is a bold move for a series with a fan base, and adding a tight risk-reward tool like the Counter Bomb shows DeerFarm thinking like a player rather than a marketer. Korean indies are often praised for 2D action (see our editorial); Blue Pieta is that skill at its most concentrated.
How to play
- PC: Steam and STOVE, $24.99 on Steam.
- Consoles: Switch, Switch 2 and PS5 versions are planned; dates not announced.
- Modes: single-player only, with Arcade, Boss Rush and Custom.