Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess

Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess

released on Feb 28, 1992

Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess

released on Feb 28, 1992

Tasuke and Kyapiko are spending a nice relaxing day at the beach, when suddenly a huge spaceship appears overhead! This can only mean one thing... another invasion! Tasuke and Kyapiko suit up and set out to stop it... or is it all just a gross misunderstanding?


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A lot of the time this feels brutally easy and borderline boring, but then all of a sudden you’re in a mech suit that takes up a third of the screen or piranhas are jumping out of acid and chomping you or a boss is surprisingly difficult and/or actually fun.

Third swing and a hit: Shubibinman 3 is an unambiguous upgrade, finally jumping the series into the OVA-like world of Midi redbooks, PNG cutscenes and sparkly setpieces. It's a smooth ride that feels one part Valis, another part Twinbee.

It also has no mechanics. It also has no level design. It also has no transition into its game over screen. It also has no animations whatsoever for your charged projectile attack. It also has the most anti-climactic final boss of any worthwhile game I've ever played.

3's budget feels totally mismanaged: All the bling in the marketable areas and literal pocket change for everything regarding gamefeel and usability concerns. To call it a rough draft would be an understatement. It's unbelievable how they got this far into a trilogy and considered this an acceptable pass - even Masaya's worst games feel handled more professionally than this.

But it's all worth it for my antenna-eared goat Kyapiko