Scrolling shooters are a kind of Video game and are also often called scrollers, shoot'em ups or just shooters. There are two different basic types of scrolling shooters, side-scrollers (also referred to as horizontal scrollers) and vertical shooters, so named because of the direction in which the environment scrolls. Some games incorporated both vertical and horizontal scrolling, but the vast majority move linearly in one direction or the other.
Scrolling shooters are typically set in deep space where the player controls a spacecraft and must destroy as many enemy or alien ships as possible while avoiding all oncoming fire. Power ups that increase the abilities of the player's ship or weapons are provided throughout the game. Scrollers are notorious for being some of the most difficult games to complete.
While most scrollers, such as the acclaimed R-Type, are set in space, there are many which eschew this environment such as the quirky Rabio Lepus Special, a side-scroller featuring "the worlds most fearsome rabbit". Other popular shooters are Cannon Fodder, where you lead a squad of soldiers into battle, UN Squadron, and Return Fire, the WWII-lite sim.
Popular scrolling shooters
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