Asub-genre ofShoot'Em Up games, which replaces the spaceships,Starfish Aliens, robots and lasers withkittens, fairies, squirrels, candies, and all thingsLighter and Softer. The stark space setting becomesWackyland, andMoe Anthropomorphism abounds.

But the gameplay is otherwise intact, includingthe difficulty. Yes, despite the facades, these games are still very difficult, and needa lot of skill to beat (especially when they overlap withBullet Hell). If you think otherwise, be prepared for a good smack in the face withSurprise Difficulty.

Sometimes these games have stories, and others just haveExcuse Plots, just like any other game.

Also, as with manyWidget Series, this isn't consideredthat odd in Japan, since cute is seen more as an artistic style, rather than being considered strictly for young children. That means these games are rarelyGuilty Pleasures. In fact, these games have found a solid niche among gamers.

Hack and Slash

• The "Pure White Lover Bizarre Jelly" mini-game inNo More Heroes was a regular shoot-em-up. InNo More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, it is now a Cute'Em Up.

Puzzle Game

• In the same vein as this trope, the Vista version ofMinesweeper has an option to replace the minefield with a flower garden. The explosion sound effects turn to chimes.
  • It is also possible to mix and match the mines and sounds, leading to a minefield chiming as it detonates, or a field of flowers exploding as they bloom.

Shoot'Em Up

• Parodius
• Twinbee
• Touhou Project mixes this withBullet Hell. The plots are also more intensive than typically expected for this genre. Because of this, and the sheer amount ofMemetic Mutation,Touhou gets a lot of fans that aren'tall that interested in the Bullet Hell aspect.
• Speaking aboutBullet Hell games,Bullet Heaven (anEpic Battle FantasySpin-Off).
• Pocky and Rocky
• Trouble Witches
• Twinkle Star Sprites and otherTwinkle Star games.
• Gunbird
• Air Zonk
• Harmful Park
• Magical Chase
• Akkanvader (better known asSpace Invaders '95: Attack of the Lunar Loonies!)
• Otomedius, Konami's combination of their own series,Parodius andGradius. Silliness + Plot + Boobs - Drugs.
• Star Parodier, a cute'em up entry in Hudson's otherwise seriousStar Soldier series.
• Rabio Lepus andRabio Lepus Special
• TheCotton series
• Fantasy Zone
• Coryoon
• Gun Nac
• Game Tengoku by Jaleco qualifies as this, along with being a both ofCrisis Crossover (between Jaleco's old arcade games) andAffectionate Parody of the arcade gaming history and tropes around it.
• King And Balloon (theoriginal cute-'em-up!)
• Death Smiles
• Cosmo Gang: The Video is an interesting example, in that it's a comical version ofGalaga, but the characters and bonus stages are based on the "Cosmo Gang" redemption arcade machine.
• Strato Patrol EOS, a minigame featured inKirby Mass Attack.
• Space Bomber
• Gundemonium Series

• Trope
• Rule of Cute
• Cute'Em Up