I'm pretty selective with my ratings, I feel. Sure, I make myself rather predictable by typically sticking within the 5-7 range, but it's not like I'm throwing out high or low scores out the wazoo. Generally, I focus on the speculation and intake process of what people have been saying about something, and sort my expectations around those, so usually nothing really strikes me out or base myself on gut feeling when I check them out. Shmups aren't really my forte, but I do have experience with a fair number of them to know the dos and don'ts, plus I like throwing myself at the mercy of danmaku "go big or go home" escalations, so I was expecting to at least casually enjoy this.
The first boss reinforced my initial outset since, from the get-go, it already establishes everything CAVE wants to bedazzle you with. Majority of its patterns and enemy positions are simple and easy to fixate on, but the application of these Koujuu buggers (literally!) within their speed is what sets this apart. Spread shots, buckshots, rollers, overlays, if you can name and think of it, chances are Akira Wakabayashi and Co. have thought of it. A lot of the characteristics expressed from these bugs also shine due to Akira focusing strongly on the entomological aspect of these creatures to relay onto the artists, with director and programmer Tsuneki Ikeda also noting that it was a return to roots foundation, along with utilizing this as a benchmark for new hardware. Obviously there's some Nausicaa-distilled vibes lingering beneath and on top of the naturalistic world, but the differing aspects of the forests within Mushi's world also tend to give rise into other foundations as you go along, marking your progress as either the blues of Stage 4 or the washed greens of Stage 2 to name some examples, establishing more of an interpersonal relationship with the player and the bullet mechanics. This also doubles up on the repeat learning of the reliable M Shot, the wide but meek W Shot, or the strict yet powerful S Shot. It takes two to tango after all, even if the denizens prefer blasting you away.
To go further about the remarks Ikeda has given, as well as deepen my point about simplicity thrusting itself unto elegance and sensation, two details he's revealed before are about the stronger focus on the characters Reco and Aki, alongside the principles of establishing the high of navigating around these bullets in the first place. That said, I'm choosing to forgo an in-depth look into the mechanical side of the game, since to reiterate I'm pretty green with shmups and also cause I'm still aiming to improve myself with this, and not to mention I'm more focused on the character angle. Shmups tend to not indulge on this aspect of game design, which is fair, but the way Mushi goes about it is very intriguing. Even disregarding the fervent chaos and hostile bombarding, art CGs shown upon level completion visualize the story between Reco's past venture within a forest, and Aki's help in succoring her life via a bracelet embodying crystalized forces of the Koujuu. Years have past, climate has worsened for her village, and its through her flight with the help of a beetle named Kiniro that she sets off to ascertain what has wrought upon them, subtly embellishing and engrossing herself within this area. I wouldn't classify it as Man Vs. Nature as it first appears, despite the parasitic symbiosis between the humanoids inhabiting the area and how the creatures react to them, but there's a subtext feeling of melancholy. The way Reco learns and overcomes these sorts of ordeals and predicaments within the setting is akin to we, the players, adapt and recognize all these obstacles. In a way, it's fitting the True Final Boss is Like That to be climax of both of these themes, even if the true reason is because they just wanted to fuck around with your expectations and play.
I always figured I'd like Mushihimesama, but there's a lot of special somethins within this gem of an amber-colored set. I've done Arrange, I've dabbled with Maniac and Ultra, and even partook in trying out Ver 1.5 as well, all of which are worth exploring. Related to that, the compositions provided by Manabu Namiki and Masaharu Iwata are top-to-bottom bangers. I already went into enough lengths in justifying my High IQ reading of a simple plot, not to mention I already went on-and-on about the connection and design workings between the player and the system, so I'll just go over my favorite tracks of this: Requiem Of The Sky, Like A Night Of Falling Stars, Levi-Sense, really I just recommend sitting down and soaking it all in regardless of playing the game or for casual listening. We talkin S-Tier OST material, be it the original or various arrangements made for the other modes, and I already went the extra yard and put the OST onto my phone to listen to whenever. This one's for my rotational books for sure.
The first boss reinforced my initial outset since, from the get-go, it already establishes everything CAVE wants to bedazzle you with. Majority of its patterns and enemy positions are simple and easy to fixate on, but the application of these Koujuu buggers (literally!) within their speed is what sets this apart. Spread shots, buckshots, rollers, overlays, if you can name and think of it, chances are Akira Wakabayashi and Co. have thought of it. A lot of the characteristics expressed from these bugs also shine due to Akira focusing strongly on the entomological aspect of these creatures to relay onto the artists, with director and programmer Tsuneki Ikeda also noting that it was a return to roots foundation, along with utilizing this as a benchmark for new hardware. Obviously there's some Nausicaa-distilled vibes lingering beneath and on top of the naturalistic world, but the differing aspects of the forests within Mushi's world also tend to give rise into other foundations as you go along, marking your progress as either the blues of Stage 4 or the washed greens of Stage 2 to name some examples, establishing more of an interpersonal relationship with the player and the bullet mechanics. This also doubles up on the repeat learning of the reliable M Shot, the wide but meek W Shot, or the strict yet powerful S Shot. It takes two to tango after all, even if the denizens prefer blasting you away.
To go further about the remarks Ikeda has given, as well as deepen my point about simplicity thrusting itself unto elegance and sensation, two details he's revealed before are about the stronger focus on the characters Reco and Aki, alongside the principles of establishing the high of navigating around these bullets in the first place. That said, I'm choosing to forgo an in-depth look into the mechanical side of the game, since to reiterate I'm pretty green with shmups and also cause I'm still aiming to improve myself with this, and not to mention I'm more focused on the character angle. Shmups tend to not indulge on this aspect of game design, which is fair, but the way Mushi goes about it is very intriguing. Even disregarding the fervent chaos and hostile bombarding, art CGs shown upon level completion visualize the story between Reco's past venture within a forest, and Aki's help in succoring her life via a bracelet embodying crystalized forces of the Koujuu. Years have past, climate has worsened for her village, and its through her flight with the help of a beetle named Kiniro that she sets off to ascertain what has wrought upon them, subtly embellishing and engrossing herself within this area. I wouldn't classify it as Man Vs. Nature as it first appears, despite the parasitic symbiosis between the humanoids inhabiting the area and how the creatures react to them, but there's a subtext feeling of melancholy. The way Reco learns and overcomes these sorts of ordeals and predicaments within the setting is akin to we, the players, adapt and recognize all these obstacles. In a way, it's fitting the True Final Boss is Like That to be climax of both of these themes, even if the true reason is because they just wanted to fuck around with your expectations and play.
I always figured I'd like Mushihimesama, but there's a lot of special somethins within this gem of an amber-colored set. I've done Arrange, I've dabbled with Maniac and Ultra, and even partook in trying out Ver 1.5 as well, all of which are worth exploring. Related to that, the compositions provided by Manabu Namiki and Masaharu Iwata are top-to-bottom bangers. I already went into enough lengths in justifying my High IQ reading of a simple plot, not to mention I already went on-and-on about the connection and design workings between the player and the system, so I'll just go over my favorite tracks of this: Requiem Of The Sky, Like A Night Of Falling Stars, Levi-Sense, really I just recommend sitting down and soaking it all in regardless of playing the game or for casual listening. We talkin S-Tier OST material, be it the original or various arrangements made for the other modes, and I already went the extra yard and put the OST onto my phone to listen to whenever. This one's for my rotational books for sure.
10 Comments
@FallenGrace Hoping this and other CAVE games make it onto the modern consoles, so far it's only available to purchase on Steam (where I played it) and Switch. Rather preferable places in my case, but ya know, wider reach is always better. Your comment on the cover reminds me that I wish I could've brought up the artist, Tomoyuki Kotani, in some capacity, cause they've always done great work in illustrating cutesy yet formidable protagonists!
The bit of my score was something I was thinking about even writing this review, since there were a couple of nagging factors that made me doubt if it deserved it or not. I pushed all of those aside cause I think having a game getting me to screech in excitement and adrenaline hype rushes multiple times in different sittings is deserving of the max score.
The bit of my score was something I was thinking about even writing this review, since there were a couple of nagging factors that made me doubt if it deserved it or not. I pushed all of those aside cause I think having a game getting me to screech in excitement and adrenaline hype rushes multiple times in different sittings is deserving of the max score.
So I wasn't aware it was on Steam, only PS2 and arcade. It runs on a deck pretty well apparently and is 65% off so I grabbed it 👍🏻
Great review. I wish I was as well researched as you. This game never looked too appealing to me despite my insistence on playing shoot-em-ups, but the cover rules.
@FallenGrace Oh right, I forgot you got the Deck recently! That's good, hope you'll enjoy it!
@curse @Weatherby Thank you! I was initially just gonna leave it rather simple and talk about the stages like the last few journal entries, but one thing led to another and I was seeing some other tidbits the team at Shmuplations were able to translate. It's been a treasure trove to sift through for various reasons and for a lot of teams, I recommend checking the site in full out if you ever get the chance to.
@curse @Weatherby Thank you! I was initially just gonna leave it rather simple and talk about the stages like the last few journal entries, but one thing led to another and I was seeing some other tidbits the team at Shmuplations were able to translate. It's been a treasure trove to sift through for various reasons and for a lot of teams, I recommend checking the site in full out if you ever get the chance to.
Phenomenal review as always! I played this earlier this year and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it way more than the other two CAVE games I played (DoDonPachi DaiOuJou and Deathsmiles), but it's also going to be hard to top Gradius V and Radiant Silvergun for me. I'm no expert at these games at all, but something about those Treasure shmups hits differently.
@MobileSpider It's funny you mentioned Treasure, cause I was thinking on doing Ikaruga next for this mini-STG binge I'm gonna dabble in. I already bought it a few years ago, so now's as good as time as any to dig into it!
@BlazingWaters - I really need to finish Ikaruga soon. I've played it a few times, but I always put it down after a few stages. Maybe I'm just waiting for the right time when I can fully appreciate it.
excellent writeup and yeah, this game is one of the all time bests
really happy i found it earlier this year
really happy i found it earlier this year
@MobileSpider Totally get it man, there were a couple of games I had a similar engagement level with that I was appreciating but haven't yet fully dived into. I'm expecting Ika to give me the same number of loops and run-ins when I try it out, especially since I'm going under various waves of short stuff I wanna wave into atm.
@appreciations I was content on kind of leaving this to the wayside, but seeing a number of people on here, you included, talk highly of this gave me an urge to try it out. One quick session on a night later, and I was hooked in no time. Tempted to even get all the Steam achievements, something I usually don't give a shit about, that's how much it clawed me lmao.
@appreciations I was content on kind of leaving this to the wayside, but seeing a number of people on here, you included, talk highly of this gave me an urge to try it out. One quick session on a night later, and I was hooked in no time. Tempted to even get all the Steam achievements, something I usually don't give a shit about, that's how much it clawed me lmao.
FallenGrace
1 year ago
I feel pretty similar to you in how I review games does make it feel like I'm maybe too critical but I try and use the scale fully so a 9 or 10 is truly something I've loved.