Rick Henderson Standard Edition: Switch Run-and-Gun Starter Guide

By Premium Edition Games | Published: 2026-11-03

Category: ハウツーガイド

Learn how to play Rick Henderson on Switch with this run-and-gun starter guide. Get controls, tips, and a step-by-step approach to survive the chaos.

Quick answer

Start on the easiest difficulty, focus on survival over scoring, and upgrade your ship whenever possible. Use these steps to build a reliable run-and-gun routine in Rick Henderson on Switch.

Why Rick Henderson rewards patience over aggression

Rick Henderson is an endless horizontal-scrolling shoot-'em-up with retro 16-bit graphics. Unlike traditional run-and-gun games, you don't control a character on foot; you pilot a ship. That means your movement is constant, and the challenge comes from dodging unpredictable space events and enemy patterns rather than jumping between platforms. If you're used to side-scrolling shooters where you can stop and aim, adjust your mindset: keep moving, but move with purpose.

The game offers multiple difficulty modes. Resist the urge to start on a higher setting. The endless structure means a single mistake can end a promising run, and learning enemy factions and boss patterns takes time. Stick with the easiest mode until you can consistently reach the third faction.

The one upgrade you should prioritize

Upgrading your ship is essential, but not all upgrades are equal. Focus first on anything that improves your survivability—extra shields, faster firing rate, or better maneuverability. Damage upgrades are tempting, but they won't help if you're constantly taking hits. In an endless shooter, staying alive longer gives you more chances to learn and score. Once you can survive reliably, then invest in offense.

Step-by-step: your first successful runs

Pick the easiest difficulty: Start on the lowest available difficulty setting. Spend your first few runs learning enemy bullet patterns and boss telegraphs without the pressure of a harder mode. Don't switch difficulties until you can consistently reach the second boss.
Learn your ship's movement and firing rhythm: Spend a full run focusing only on dodging and firing. Don't worry about score. Get comfortable with how your ship accelerates and how quickly bullets travel. If you're dying in the first minute, slow down your movement and watch enemy spawn points.
Upgrade survivability first: When you earn upgrades, choose shields, speed, or fire-rate boosts before raw damage. These keep you alive longer, which gives you more time to learn. Avoid damage-only upgrades until you can reliably survive past the first faction.
Study each enemy faction's signature attack: Each of the five factions has distinct enemies and bosses. After each run, note which attack ended you. Next time, focus on countering that specific pattern. Keep a mental log of boss tells—most have a wind-up animation before their biggest attack.
Use short, focused runs to practice: Instead of long marathon sessions, play in 15–20 minute blocks with a single goal, like 'reach the second boss' or 'dodge all homing missiles.' Short runs keep you sharp. Stop after three consecutive deaths to the same pattern; take a break and return with fresh eyes.

Product facts

Rick Henderson (Standard Edition) [Nintendo Switch]: Rick Henderson is an endless horizontal-scrolling shoot-'em-up with five enemy factions and multiple difficulty modes. The endless format means you should prioritize survival and pattern learning over trying to 'finish' the game quickly.
Rick Henderson (Standard Edition) [Nintendo Switch]