The God Lance takes flight! Got a build going with basic player movement, and strafing functions. Parameters will need tuning, but we have a solid model to start building from. Strafe speed and distance has already been increased from this example. Also, fire rate is a bit slow here. First step is getting the basic feel of movement and shooting down, then we'll start introducing enemies and bullet patterns. Can't wait to get the charge shot going!
I've also been working on various enemy designs, and studying bullet patterns in many different games. The first boss encounter is a giant airship that spans 3 screen widths. Looks a bit hardcore for the first boss, but it is a shmup after all. I'll let you use your imagination on how this fight goes down.