The story behind
Einhänder is cool, though you wouldn’t know it by reading the manual. Basically, the Earth and the Moon are at war, and you (the Moon’s hot-shot pilot) have to fly a suicide mission against overwhelming odds on Earth. At your disposal are three ships, and they are baaaad mamma-jammas! The Endymion models (named after a young shepherd in Greek myth blessed by Diana the Moon Goddess) pack a wallop, and are the beginning and advanced options. The Astrea model (also a Greek name; the daughter of Themis, Goddess of Justice) is a mid-range option, but in some ways the best. The name of the game is search and destroy; kill anything that moves. Along the way, you have the ability to pick up the special weapons that some ships carry, and add them to your arsenal.
Each of the levels has a stated objective, but as in every game like this, it’s all about the boss. Einhänder has a mid-boss and an end-boss for each level. They boggle the mind, dwarf everything in the game, and cut you down to size quickly. When I started playing, I felt pretty good plowing through the drone-type enemies, but the bosses are intense and really require strategy. Also, a huge gun with lots of ammo doesn’t hurt.