PixelJunk SideScroller is a 2D side-scrolling shoot 'em up similar to classic games like R-Type or Gradius. The graphics are very bright with psychedelic elements and often have a vector based design that reminds of games from an earlier generation. The game screen also has rounded corners to resemble a CRT monitor. The game is based on 'Road to Dawn', a bonus level in PixelJunk Shooter 2 unlocked after collecting all treasure in the game, with very different gameplay compared to the rest of the game. The ship faces right and can be moved anywhere on the screen while the background scroll horizontally automatically. To complete levels enemies and bosses need to be defeated and there are many environmental hazards to avoid. There are four types of weapons that are available at all times and can be switched on the fly. There is a machine gun, a laser gun (faster damage but a small beam), a wall gun (diagonal spread) and a charge attack to quickly move and ram. Each weapon can be upgraded independently up to five times, improving the power and range. The game consists of three stages split up into four sectors each, followed up with a final stage and boss encounter. There are various checkpoints and an unlimited amount of continues. There are four difficulty levels in total that are unlocked gradually. The game offers cooperative offline multiplayer where the two players share the lives.

File list:
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/PixelJunk SideScroller (USA)/UP9000-NPUA80567_00-PJSHOOTERSS00001.rap
/PixelJunk SideScroller (USA)/PixelJunk SideScroller (USA) (v1.01) (Update)/UP9000-NPUA80567_00-PJSHOOTERSS00001-A0101-V0100-PE.pkg