Gameplay was lacking after first boss

I read a lot of the comments before downloading Sun Sun Der, so I assumed the game would be similar to Aces High Over Verlor Island, with there being outstanding graphics and rather uninspired gameplay. As it turned out, the gameplay leading up to the first boss was nicely done. The game ran at a nice pace, the enemy formations kept it interesting, and there was even some replay value. Things went downhill after the first boss, though. I saw the same enemies, the same obstacles, the same power-ups, and even the same boss. It looks like it was a classic case of simply running out of time. With more variety in later levels, I could see this becoming a good SHMUP. I draw the line at "good" because I didn't really see any innovative structure behind the game- and innovation seems to be a crucial part of any succesful SHMUP.

As is typical with all of FredFredrickson's games, the graphics, sounds, and special effects were all outstanding. No complaints there. I have to wonder, though, how long it took to make all of that eye-candy. Given that the contest had a relatively short deadline, it seems it would have worked in Fred's favor to have worked more on the gameplay. If it's true that graphics draw people in, but gameplay keeps them playing... well, let's just say that Fred's already got a good reputation- it seems he could have sacrificed some quality in the graphics department for a more exciting gaming experience.

Some minor critiques:
-I didn't feel that the character sprite of the girl matched perfectly with the rest of the game.
-The game could have used some sort of instruction, as it took me a while to figure out how to use my power-ups. (And what they did)
-Felt like the HUD could have been bigger
-Grammatical errors in the story ("its" instead of "it's"). Probably just a typo, but even still it should have been grammar-checked before submission.