A colorful, well paced Pop'n TwinBee Konami shooter, two player friendly. Charming and accessible, a soft intro to Japanese shmup.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter2 players3+
Co-op
Description
Horizontal shoot-'em-up featuring TwinBee and WinBee battling enemies among colorful clouds. Published by Konami, released in Europe in 1993. Two bell-shaped ships in horizontal shooting, colored bell system modifying power-ups, creative bosses and cheerful soundtrack. European version of Konami's TwinBee shooter on Super Nintendo.
The European PAL SNES edition of Konami's TwinBee from 1993, one of the rare TwinBee entries distributed outside Japan. The PAL cart is rarer than the Super Famicom version and stands as an identifiable piece for Konami PAL shmup collectors. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box climbs steadily, sustained by physical scarcity and by the particular aura of chibi TwinBee that saw only limited Western distribution.
Better with friends
An adorable shooter where two slapstick ships clean the skies together, with charged shots and color bonuses to share. The co-op is gentle and readable: covering each other, aiming for complementary power-ups and handling bosses two-player makes the adventure much warmer. Cute and accessible, it suits all skill levels and makes shared sessions a good-natured pleasure you restart with a smile.
Is Pop'n TwinBee still worth playing in 2026?
Pop'n TwinBee is a cute Konami vertical shoot up in the TwinBee arcade lineage, namely fruit power ups that change weapon color and a decidedly cartoon spirit. The local co op works very well and the controls stay precise despite dense projectile patterns. The cartridge keeps a striking freshness, both family friendly and demanding. Recommended to fans of readable vertical shmups, of Konami's colorful side and to duos wanting a shareable shmup with no steep learning curve.
