What if the best weapon in a bullet-hell game was the enemy’s own attack? That’s the central idea behind REFLECT89, a skill-based arcade shoot-’em-up from EiSee Games. Its free Steam demo is available now, giving players an early chance to learn the reflector system and compete for high scores.
Don’t just dodge. Reflect.
Players choose between CORE and AURA, rotate a reflector around their character and redirect incoming projectiles towards the enemies that fired them. Carefully timed Perfect Reflections can build combos and boost scores. It’s a simple-to-grasp idea with a demanding arcade twist: the more accurately you read enemy patterns, the more effectively you can turn defence into offence.
What’s in the demo?
The demo takes players into 1980: The Signal Factory, where they can battle waves of enemies, confront the first boss, SPIDERBOT, and chase positions on the Steam global leaderboard. The full game is planned to feature ten stages themed around the years 1980 to 1989, 50 campaign waves, unique bosses, upgrades and an endless survival mode.
The full REFLECT89 release is currently planned for April 2027. The demo is free to try on Windows via Steam, and the main game can be wishlisted now.
Play the demo and wishlist REFLECT89 on Steam.
The leaderboard is witchcraft: our hands-on impressions
I went into the REFLECT89 demo expecting to have a quick go. Instead, I got utterly addicted. The soundtrack is fantastic, the reflection mechanic is satisfying to get right, and before long my competitive side had completely taken over.
It started with a few attempts and a respectable place on the leaderboard. That should have been enough. It absolutely wasn’t. I kept going, chasing cleaner reflections, better runs and a higher score, until I finally reached number one. I played solidly until I got there. The power a leaderboard has over me is frankly witchcraft.
That’s the clever thing about REFLECT89: its simple premise turns every near miss into a reason to try again. Add a soundtrack that makes the whole thing even harder to put down, and a quick demo can become a serious personal rivalry with a scoreboard.
REFLECT89 in screenshots
Meet the developer
We’ve already spoken with developer Alejandro Clavijo about the personal beginnings of REFLECT89 and the family drawings that helped inspire the game. Read our REFLECT89 developer interview here for the story behind the arcade action.
First Signal is our editorial discovery series. This is a news and discovery feature based on published game information, not a hands-on review.