Soukyugurentai

• Release Date: 1997
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: Vertical Scrolling Shooter
• Similar Games: 1942 (Arcade)

Game Description

Soukyugurentai is a 2D vertically scrolling shooter that uses some techniques to give gamers a 3D feel. Some stages use polygonal backdrops, while others use multiple layers of scrolling. Enemy units also confront players from below and from above to add to the illusion of depth.

Players have a selection of four ships to choose from. Each ship is a different color, and each has different handling, weapons upgrade paths, and lock-on web patterns. The upgrade system consists of two types of power-ups. After collecting a certain amount of the first type, players can upgrade their ship's basic lasers to fire more shots. The second power-up item is a bomb, which can be stored and used to inflict great damage on part of the screen.

Soukyugurentai offers three ways to destroy enemies. Players can either shoot enemies using their lasers or use their limited stock of bombs. Alternatively, players can project a lock-on web to target enemies. The lock-on web can target enemies located above and below the ship, and when players release the button, a volley of homing shots will seek out enemies. Each ship has two lock-on web formations that can be switched at any time during the course of play. The one drawback to using the web is that players cannot shoot while it is targeting.

Roots & Influences

Soukyugurentai is a vertical scrolling shooter firmly entrenched in the basic ideas of the genre made popular with games like Raiden and Xevious.

Review: Overall

Home console enthusiasts have two versions of Soukyugurentai to choose from. The Saturn version, published by Electronic Arts, is arguably the best with its ability to keep the game moving at full speed even with hundreds of things moving around on the screen at once. But the PlayStation version is also a strong contender, as in addition to being a very enjoyable shooter, it also introduces a fourth ship for players to use.

Like the Saturn version of Soukyugurentai, the PlayStation version uses techniques like multiple layers of scrolling and 3D backgrounds to give the game a 3D feel. The effect is done well, as the game has enemy units rising up from underneath you and swooping down from above to add to the overall 3D feel. The graphics are all fairly detailed and give the game a nice, attractive look.

Just like the Saturn version, sometimes you'll come across enemies that spray a cloud of bullets at once. Throw in two of these enemies, assorted other enemies on screen, plus your ship and its own shots, and you may have two hundred or so individual graphic elements moving around. Interestingly enough, each ship will rotate, scale and interact with each other looking for collisions. But the PlayStation chokes on the graphic complexity, slowing the game down immensely when so many things are moving around at once.

The sound effects are adequate, but aside from letting you know that you've hit something or that something has hit you, don't really contribute much to the game. The music is a bit better, however. Soukyugutentai gives you a selection of techno-inspired tracks that fit the intense gameplay quite well. Some of the tunes are even catchy.

Unfortunately Soukyugurentai was released at a time when the shooter genre had been in decline for some years. Had it been released in the genre's heyday, Soukyugurentai would have been known to all as a great classic. Instead, the game will go down in history as being fondly remembered by a few diehard shooter fans while being overlooked by most people.

No, the game doesn't offer anything new, but it brings together all the classic elements of a shooter in a package so well balanced that playing through it is bliss. In one aspect of gameplay the PlayStation version is even superior to the Saturn version, as it separates shooting and the lock-on web into two buttons. The slowdown does seriously impair the action, but in some cases it's actually beneficial as it gives you more time to weave your way through clouds of bullets.

If you're a shooter fan and have a PlayStation, you will want to add Soukyugurentai to your collection. While the Saturn version is preferable because it doesn't suffer from the slowdown problems, both are worthy purchases.

Review: Enjoyment

If you can overlook the slowdown, the game is a phenomenally good shooter.

Review: Graphics

Even though the game is 2D in nature, it gives you a great sense of 3D. The only problem is the horrendous slowdown with many things going on at once.

Review: Sound

The music is fairly good, and tends to complement the gameplay in tempo.

Review: Replay Value

You have a selection of four ships, each with different weapons and handling characteristics.

Review: Documentation

In 1997 an eight-page manual is a bit skimpy, but it does manage to cover all the basics of the game.