Started with keyboard cause I thought using the mouse would be cheap. Then I hit lvl 2...holy shit. Right back to the mouse. Anyone use keyboard or joystick for this game?

Combination of my PS2 pad with a scheme in Xpadder but I use the keyboard when I do not have the thing near me or am just too lazy to get it.

I just realized I had it on turbo, and I was in fact playing a secret level which are supposedly very hard.

From what I have experienced, secret levels are not too hard as long as you stay alert and have a decently powered ship.

I use my Mayflash Arcade Stick, to have the full arcade feel.

WINDY and SOH JIN are two of the more difficult secret levels, though, especially that early in the game.

Yeah, forgot about Sohn Jin, that level can bite me. The others though I haven't had any serious issues when playing it, then again I take advantage of a ship setup up from the beginning that makes a decent portion of the early levels to not be very difficult.

I use mouse for movement, X for main gun, Z and C for left and right side weapons and space for changing rear weapon mode :)
Used this layout ever since I played Tyrian on my old 386 :D

I use a SNES controller connected to my laptop with a USB super retroport.

I use a wired Xbox 360 Controller for Windows and use A for firing everything, B or X for side-weapons only, and Y for switching weapons.
It's a lot easier to use the Twiddles(Those Fighting Game-style special moves in the game) with a controller than with a Mouse, and I just prefer to use a controller instead of a keyboard(Also, the 360 controller is brilliant). The only downside is the calibration, which usually takes a few minutes to get right.

I use the standard keyboard controls. Arrow keys for movement, Space for normal fire, Ctrl and Alt for sidekicks.

I tend to control with the mouse and fire with the keyboard. Offers more control with both (although the keyboard is often just holding the space bar), or so I feel.

For me the good old mouse works wonders. Though I can see why it may be considered Over-Powered compared to a keyboard...

I use a keyboard-only setup and I'm doing just fine.

I use the mouse and an Xbox 360 controller with the FCS (Thrustmaster) joystick type in DOSBox to fix the joystick problem so I can use the controller natively without using external programs like XPadder. The game works pretty well with an Xbox 360 controller.