Adding to what has already been a stellar year for retro-inspired shoot 'em ups, Red Art Games has today announced that it will be overseeing a physical release for Sophstar which will launch December 16th, 2022.

There will be two different editions of the release for you to get your hands on: Standard and Sophstar Arcade Edition. The Standard release is on pre-order for 29.99€ and contains the game only, whereas the Arcade Edition will be priced at 44.99€ and also includes an exclusive poster inspired by Japanese arcades that you can find below. Both editions are currently available to pre-order from the Red Art Games store.

Sophstar Poster
Image: Red Art Games

For those of you more inclined to grab a digital copy of the game, Red Art has also announced that it will be running a special pre-order discount on Switch before the game's digital release on October 28th. The digital game is currently listed at 12.99€ / $12.99 / £11.69, but those who pre-order the title between October 21st and October 27th will be entitled to a 10% discount.

Much like the brilliant Radiant Silvergun and Moon Dancer, Sophstar is a vertical scrolling shmup inspired by retro arcade play. You play as Soph, an intergalactic traveller with teleportation powers whose life is forever changed after heading out on a recon mission - how very mysterious.

Check out the following features and some screens to see the game in action:

-Proper arcade 240x320 resolution
-6 Different game modes
-8 Stages on Arcade/Story mode
-60 Stages on Cadet School mode
-9 ships to choose from, each one with different main weapon, subweapon and teleport. Pick the one that suits you style better or just go the extra mile and master all of them!
-Tons of unlockable features.
-6 Difficulty levels
-Different endings depending upon player skills.
-More than 20 bosses/mid-bosses to fight.
-Smooth controls with ""Focus Movement"" which allows for pixel-perfect movement.
-Approachable score systems for both new and veteran shmup players.
-Vertical (Tate) screen mode for authentic arcade feeling.
-Innovative teleport system
-Score Attack, Timed Challenge, Endless Mode and Ultimate Challenge are some of the modes that give you extra content and hours of gameplay.

Sophstar releases digitally on October 28th, with physical copies rolling out from December 16th.

What do you make of this latest addition to the Switch shmup catalogue? Fly down to the comments to let us know!