Death Ray Manta SE
Developer The Future Of Videogames
Death Ray Manta is an arcade game where you shoot lasers to kill bad guys, flash lights at yourself and move to the next screen to do it all over again. Sorry, no T-Rex. From the Steam store page
167 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Sep 8, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
128 positive · 35 negative
95% range 72–84%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 128 | 35 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
4 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 167 · most liked firstA lovely little twin stick shooter that will make your eyes very happy! Frantic, colourful, cheap and most importantly, FUN! Does not take itself too seriously but there is a seriously solid game under the neon and terribly nice compliments the game flashes at you. Quite possibly the politest game I've played and I've played High Tea simulator 2007! The levels are bite sized but don't let that put you off. This is designed to be taken in small bites. Small small psychoreactive bites! Don't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its too hard you'll never get good at it and when you are just about to give up YOU GET A LITTLE BIT BETTTER AND KEEP GOING its making me so mad
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🐱Hey Farbs, whatcha making? 🧔Hi! I'm making this! 😼But Farbs, that's the incredible neon laserfish shmup Death Ray Manta SE. Rob made that already. 🧔That's true, and it's very cheap so I sure hope everyone has already bought a copy. Also, I'm making it again. 😾No! Bad Farbs! I want new games!
unlabelledView post →A quick-n-trippy little dual-stick shooter in the vein of Robotron, Llamatron and probably a horde of other games that end with "-tron", Death Ray Manta is carefully designed and balanced with all the skill and care you'd expect from a developer that's dedicated a frankly worrying percentage of their life to games about sea-life shooting things up with lasers. Death is almost as fast as restarting. The graphics are loud and neon, but in a way where you never lose track of what and where…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a nice tech-demo, but I hesitate to call it a game. The graphics and gameplay are all there (and are very solid), but there's no progression or goals whatsoever. You have 1 life and have to shoot down 30-something waves of enemies. That's it. There's no proper scoring system, no upgrades, no achievements, no options, no levels to beat. Nothing at all to incencivize me to play for more than 30 minutes. It's a shame. I hope the developer expands on what is there - cause it would be a fun…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It hurts my eyes soooo gooooood. If you like twin stick shooters this is for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has so much visual clutter that it's just going to give you a aneurysm if you try to get a proper high score trying to decipher what will kill you and what won't at a fast enough rate. They should have added more T-Rexes and less flashing lights.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been on a twin-stick binger for a couple months now, and I can easily say that Death Ray Manta is a must-have, especially for the low asking price. While Death Ray Manta may not have much complexity, it makes up for it in character that exudes that great gritty indie feel. This is totally a 'one more run!' kind of game. All you need is two sticks. The music is *sublime*. The graphics are pure eye candy. Unfortunately, the downside is that there are not really layers of complexity with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cool little game! It has a great vibe, although it wasn't very well communicated, from the start. Death Ray Manta is a very hippie shoot 'em up game. There are no leaderboards and no achievements, meaning you can only compete with yourself! There's also a score cap, which may or may not be your own objective during your time. The game has 32 levels, each with a special collectible that adds a point to your score. The levels get progressively harder and more complex, introducing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a real treat if you enjoyed coin-op games in their glory days - hand me over my walking cane, will you? It looks like a simple twin-stick shooter game with rooms taking seconds to clear, but it actually features a very simple score mechanic that requires you to learn and remember the level layouts. It is as much if not more memory than reflex-based. You got a single life, so you will learn! The sights and sounds, in all their paroxystic approach, are very fitting the silly theme of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is what we thought arcade games would be like when we grew up. I think Death Ray Manta loves me.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It works, but the fact that there is a huge sign that comes up between levels and blocks most of the player's view, along with the ever changing color scheme, kind of ruins any semblence of reasonable gameplay. Turn back the effects, dev team - when I can't tell if something is background or going to kill me, it breaks your game HARD.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This robotronalike is terrific and trippy. It says silly things and the balance of danger involved in getting the doubler diamond every level makes for some desperation. I can't believe it wasn't made by Jeff Minter – but it is a bearded hulking guy from the UK, I think, so it all pans out in the end.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A way too colourful shooter game to the point I had no idea what was going on at any time. It also has no settings of any kind. The price got increased in January 2023 from 1,59€ to 4,99€ for no apparent reason other that it can seem you are getting a better deal when they discount it 75% off. You don't. Works fine on Linux with Proton (Proton 4.2-1).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game, eh...this game. It's like someone looked at Geometry Wars, or titles by Jeff Minter (llamatron, tempest 2000) and said "hey! those games aren't nearly psychedelic enough. They've already got epilepsy warnings for flashing lights and whatnot, so how do I go one better?" *ponders for a moment* "Ooh! Ooh! Eureka! I'll make a game so visually extreme that it ACTUALLY GIVES PEOPLE EPILEPSY" The amount of special effects on display here is ludicrous, as the game bombards you with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wish this game had achievements. I like games like it but there are no rewards for playing it. You die and that's it you have to start all over from the beginning. You don't unlock anything. Feels like a demo.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death Ray Manta is a pure twin-stick arena shooter arcade game. You jump right into the vibrant colored action and tackle your highscore. Seizure warning! Pro: + pure, condensed action + smooth controls + great BGM + solid SFX + vibrant colors fill your screen + easy to understand + no DRM + cheap + trading cards Con: - highscore doesn't show other players - no achievements, even though the developer announced them Neutral: 0 transition between stages is sometimes unclear (it doesn't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked it so much I put a fish in this review. >(_) Yes, you should buy this game. Flashing lights and shooty goodness.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredibly shallow, no options menu, one life means full restart if you hit any of the threats you can hardly see. Shmups are built on visual clarity. I know this project is imitating Robotron and some other arcade games, but even those had more depth and clarity. I completed 55 of 64 points and reached an ending in 10 minutes. Every level feels the same, and it's immediately run out of ideas. No powerups, no satisfying movement or combat, it does nothing interesting or better than hundreds of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death Ray Manta is an intense twin-stick shooter game in the style of Robotron:2084 released by Williams in 1982. It follows the tradition of other classic games in the genre by giving it a psychedelic inspired makeover and casting a peculiar animal in the central role - in this case a manta ray with the ability to fire deadly laser beams from its head. The game is extremely colourful and eye-popping visually and has an electro sound track. Rapid reflexes are required to avoid an instant…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremelly visually polluted. The texts go too fast.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →VERY fun to actually jump in and play, Twin stick shooter.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Candy colorful shooting with neon '90s vibes music. You shoot, you conquer the high score and repeat until it become boring. Fun in short bursts.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death Ray Manta has lasers in his head He blew up his house, now he lives in space instead. Then at the local post office that same day but later He explained he'd soon be moving as his bungalow was now a crater. They were very helpful and gave him a change of address form As though laser house explosions were really the daily norm. But the constable called and was grumpy and told him if he left town there'd be trouble As his fat black handlebarred bicycle was now under three tons of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A non-biased quick look @ the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk-mBS0TTyw Reminds me of the glory days of Robotron but with a cool modern twist, and it's a blast. Two sticks, one fish, some flashing lights. Death Ray Manta is, quite definitely, a videogame in the purest sense. Rejigged, rebuilt, remastered for Steam in the year of our Molyneux 2015. Death Ray Manta is a short form top down arena shooter where you blow up enemies using colourful laserbeams. You spawn in the centre of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⣿⣿⡻⠿⣳⠸⢿⡇⢇⣿⡧⢹⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⡐⣯⠁ ⠄⠄ ⠟⣛⣽⡳⠼⠄⠈⣷⡾⣥⣱⠃⠣⣿⣿⣿⣯⣭⠽⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⢢⠏⠄ ⠄ ⢠⡿⠶⣮⣝⣿⠄⠄⠈⡥⢭⣥⠅⢌⣽⣿⣻⢶⣭⡿⠿⠜⢿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄ ⠄⣼⣧⠤⢌⣭⡇⠄⠄⠄⠭⠭⠭⠯⠴⣚⣉⣛⡢⠭⠵⢶⣾⣦⡍⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⣿⣷⣯⣭⡷⠄⠄⢀⣀⠩⠍⢉⣛⣛⠫⢏⣈⣭⣥⣶⣶⣦⣭⣛⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⢀⣿⣿⣿⡿⠃⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣎⢩⠌⣡⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠄⠄⠄ ⢸⡿⢟⣽⠎⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⠄⠄ ⣰⠯⣾⢅⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠄ ⢰⣄⡉⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠄ ⢯⣌⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣇⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣟⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⠈⢹⡧⣿⣸⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠗⣈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠄ ⠄⠘⢷⡳⣾⣷⣶⣶⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⢀⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄ ⠄⠄⠈⣵⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄⠄
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nope. Annoying music and sfx, annoying on screen messages. This game might have been created as a joke, but I don't get it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →- So epileptic (I honestly can't see anything in the screen) - So hard. - So monotonous.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is all flash and no substance. -No power ups. -No scoring system. -Only one mode. -No xp progression of any kind. -Die once and start over from the beginning. -Repetitive music, (as in one track). -Not even an options menu. How this game has 83% positive review score makes ya wonder...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A rather hard one to judge, as I seldomly play twin stick shooters, but this one isn't great at that either. The good thing here is that it offers everything it promises: very colorfull laser fights in space and some old sci-fi/disco theme. The bad thing is that that is ALL that is offered: it's a single track, sound effects are repeated the whole time and after a few variations of the enemies...that's pretty much it. No replays, power-ups, lives, ammo, weapons or anything. The only progression…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Do the manta ray!" Frank Black Pixies Just like heaven if Earth was flat and had an outer space with neon enemies that tripped the light fantastic on ultra light beams. OST: Great music to make out to.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you have sensitivity to lights and flashing colors, avoid this game. I have a mild sensitivity, but the effects are so OTT that I couldn't see what was happening most of the time, and my eyeballs started aching quickly. When you first start, you are thrown into the game without any hint at what you should do, and it pressed every button trying to find options for gameplay. It was after a few deaths that I realised it is a duel stick controller game, and the right stick is used for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nikola Tesla reincarnated as a fish inside the nucleus of an Uranium atom. Recommended!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do you like Llamatron? Robotron? Geometry Wars? Then play this *now* & thank me later. It's a great single screen, experimental, eye burning, ear burning experience, with a fantastic balance of push your luck & danger that's obviously a labour of love. Lots of lasers. Lots of explosions. Lots of fish jokes. I played the original a ton & this is the definite version to get.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death Ray Manta is about controlling space and space controlling you. In space. Death Ray Manta is about getting high on your own supply of icthycranial laserbeams. Death Ray Manta is about moving your butt and biding your time. Death Ray Manta wants you to go fast. Death Ray Manta wants you to go slow. The lesson is: Death Ray Manta wants you. Death Ray Manta is about being tough but fair. Death Ray Manta is not a cynical jerk like those other games. Death Ray Manta loves you. Death Ray…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DRM is a simple twin stick shooter about a manta who lives in space and shoots baddies with his laser beams. It's probably the most colorful game you've ever played. More particle effects than you can handle on a good day will give your monitor a workout. How many levels deep can you venture into the space arena?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely colorful with a loud soundtrack. Makes your eyes cry and ears bleed at the same time. Highly recommended for people into self-harm.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Epilepsy condensed in a bottle! Death Ray Manta is a super casual shooter, where the player simply attempts to collect a gem and finish all enemies in a fixed-sized arena. After killing your enemies, you go on to the next stage, with more enemies or more colourful stuff to make you dizzy. There are no other objectives or achievements. It costs as much as a beer bottle and has cards, so pricewise, this is great. Worked on Linux via Steam Proton (thanks Valve <3) flawlessly!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Before its time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Edit: original review I wrote was dumb, so I'll shorten it. There's really not much to the game. If you're into the sort of quick, mindless fun to which the extent of is pretty much shown in the trailer/screenshots this might be for you, but otherwise, pass on it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am generally not a player of shooters and I am absolutely terrible at this game... but I still like it. Why? Because DRM distills all the energy of a big shooter into a bite-sized chocolate bar made of colour & explosions stuffed with fish. Jump in, explode, jump out again--everything you need with a fraction of the calories. I'm not sure why I went with a food metaphor.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death Ray Manta is one of the best takes on twin stick arcadery that I've ever played. The frantic LSD-a-like visuals are softened by the rounds only lasting a few seconds which gives a welcome respite from the frankly stressful gameplay. Beautiful looking, great sounding and hard as nails, DRM is ideal for short burst gameplay. Possibly the politest game ever created.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very solid twin stick shooter mechanics, but the visuals are so chaotic it's hard to see what's happening on the screen. Endless particles obscure the view, and there is no objective other than "get as far as you can". Good game for a few minutes, but even at 3 bucks I'd say the game is not worth it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a flashy and fun shooter but I don't recommend this game to those who are extremely photosensitive they even put a disclaimer at the start of the game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fast, hard to understand for the first few minutes, over the top graphics. Suggested for anyone looking for a fast paced indie retro shooter.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Play, get better, get killed, play. Over and over. Love this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Colorful, crazy, cool. This game is so simple in concept and executed flawlessly. Guide your fishy thing through each of the stages, rushing to the short-lived gem and taking down the wave of baddies. The stages are short and played at a breakneck pace - the action never lets up! The gem being on a timer forces you into risky situations - a great balance of risk and reward. This game is tough - you'll die a *lot* - but it's very fair. You know you were at fault every time, finding yourself…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Are you back? Welcome back. The other thing I'm using, as very detailed reference, is the Death Ray Manta SE source. Rob supplied the whole Game Maker Studio project file in the install folder, which is a wonderful thing to do. My tech takes a simpler approach and only ever runs from source :)
unlabelledView post →I'm a fan of the shmup genre as a whole, but there's just nothing to this game. You're just thrown into shooting samey looking stuff without even being able to see half of what's going on. The strobing and multicolored light everywhere is good at two things: giving one headaches and totally obscuring what's actually going on - including where you are, where the enemies are, and where their bullets are. If you're looking for a solid twin-stick bullet hell game, I'd recommend Beat Hazard. That…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rekindled my love for wonderfully difficult arcade games. Frenetic & punishing in a way that will always make me want to try once more for a new high score.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death Ray Manta is a flashy, twin stick shoot em up that plays alot like Robotron meets Waves. Your only controls are Move and shoot, and there is no Options menn or items, so you must play fullscreen (ALT + ENTER may work) and you can't change the volume. There's 32 Levels according to the store page, which often take less than 30 seconds or 90 at most. I found this to be surprisingly fun for it's simplicity, but you may be turned off by the visual noise, disregard for player options,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hahaha... that's not funny.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has fish, lasers, and lots of flashing lights, all for a very reasonable price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Colours! Explosions! Flashing lights! Lasers! Fish! Death Ray Manta has it all! Except buses. Sequel material right there. DRM is a splendid little quick-fix blaster that I love for being bright (HI, LOOK AT THE SCREENSHOTS, THIS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT), immediate, and positive. Seriously, gaming could do with more pause screens that affirm "You're doing great!". For me, it's a lovely "had a ♥♥♥♥ day, how do I fix that" game. It's not deep and it's not complex and thank god for that. Also, A+…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My eyes have melted out of my head and it feels good. IF you like radiation and fish (with lasers) then this is the game for you. Beautiful, eye melting visuals, top synth-pop soundtrack and borderline impossible shooty shooty. Love it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun arcade shooter to fire up from time to time. Truly retro as it doesn't contain many of trhe hooks games use for progression, just your skill and your high score.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Strong Fish! Beautiful Fish! Death Ray Manta is a solid twin-stick shooter for a very reasonable price. The shooting feels good, and while the early levels seem a little simplistic, the pace gets frenetic soon enough. Maximizing your score requires not only twitch reflexes but also a reliable memory, because the bonus gems in each level are in the same location every run, and grabbing them before they disappear doubles your score for the level. I wish the game wasn't quite so garish; if you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome - buy it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visualy intense game and not to bad but with not options or configuration at all...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How do I put this? This is my favourite shoot 'em up. I think that does the job. Death Ray Manta is a shoot 'em up with set levels. They are not randomly generated, so you can learn levels and speed run through them. This means that there is an end to the game, as you can't have an infinite game of independently designed levels. So that begs the question *I would assume* "How long is it?". I have no clue. Absolutely no clue. There seems to be a whole lot. My record is getting through about 30.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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