Cotton Reboot!

Cotton Reboot is the way to do a remake. It’s a bold reimagining of a cult classic, one that remains authentic to the cheeky, playful energy of the original game, but isn’t afraid to rework it to a significant degree and introduce an inventive new scoring system, creating an exciting new shmup outing in the process. But by including the original game, faithfully preserved and presented on equal footing, the remake never tries to replace the original. They’re different sides of the same coin, each serving a different purpose but providing the perfect complement to one another—and also laying the groundwork for when Cotton Rock ‘n’ Roll: Superlative Night Dreams lands later this year.

If you’ve never heard of Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams, that’s no reason to ignore Cotton Reboot! You need not be a retro gamer to appreciate this shoot ’em up’s excellent arcade/action gameplay, you just need to be a fan of cute, upbeat fun.

For light shmups that players of any skill can beat (SO MUCH more forgiving than R-Type Final 2), but with two different sets of mechanics that will give skilled players something to master, Cotton Reboot is a great game with a lot of fun to offer.

An easy recommendation for those who love Cotton and a solid recommendation to shoot-em-up fans in general, Cotton Reboot is a great return for a character we’ll hopefully be seeing more of soon.

Content aside –as it needs a bit more, in our opinion–, Cotton Reboot is a fantastic shoot ‘em up for those looking for a nostalgic trip.

Cotton Reboot! isn't just a new way to play a stellar old-school shoot 'em up; it's also essentially a modern sequel to this dormant shooter series thanks to the gorgeous new Arrange mode. Classic Cotton is cute and easy to pick up, but Arrange is a fast and wild experience that is definitely hard to master. There's some on-screen messiness in Arrange mode and the lack of gallery-style bonuses is a bummer, but this is still a must-play shoot 'em up for any fans of the genre.

Cotton Reboot does a fantastic job of bringing Cotton and cute 'em ups to a new generation of players with its excellent gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and great soundtrack.

Cotton Reboot! is a fantastic re-imagining of a classic side-scrolling shooter. It looks and sounds better than ever and thanks to being able to switch between soundtracks, players can enjoy whichever audio experience they prefer. Including the original game’s X6800 port is a nice move and makes this a fantastic value for anyone looking to see what made the series so beloved in its heyday and still enjoy a redone experience too. There are a couple of issues with blind spots that haven’t been fully addressed, but the overall forgiving game design makes Cotton Reboot! a fantastic pickup for those who either already love side-scrolling shooters or for those who want to get into them, but just need something that’s more forgiving to fully enjoy the genre.

Cotton Reboot! breaks out the witch’s magic and makes a thirty-year-old game feel fresh and new. While not every update lands perfectly, and some content is worthy of a warning, this is an adorable shooter that looks and plays great. Here’s hoping Cotton can return with even more magic soon.