Alien Soldier + Neon Genesis Evangelion + Kingdom Hearts + The Room = Sin and Punishment
Entry number eight of the list of obscure games, though this game technically shouldn't count because I'm pretty sure it's not that obscure. It's been recommended by none other than PKMudkipz, thanks again for the recommendation.
So real talk, I actually had a majority of this review written up, but without telling me, my mother turned off the electricity in the house erasing it all. So excuse me if this review comes off a bit bizarre.
As an aside, I want to state: Please don't have your first playthrough of this game be in the Normal difficulty. I learned that the hard way and got my ass squarely kicked. The Easy Mode and the Tutorial exist for a reason, and even with those you'll still get your ass handed to you on a platter. Either way the game is still kino, but I recommend not learning to run before you can walk.
Sin and Punishment is a rail shmup (for the most part), where you are constantly moving forward and have to move left and right to avoid attacks and enemies. You have a dodge roll, the ability to change between a free aim shot that does more damage or a lock-on shot that does less damage but is "more accurate", a double jump, and close range sword strike that does massive damage to enemies.
This is all fine and good, but don't forget, this is an N64 game. This is a personal thing, but I have never been a fan of the N64 controller. Don't get me wrong, there are absolutely worse controllers than it, but I've always seen it as extremely clunky to use. I didn't use an N64 Controller to play this game, and to some extent I'm glad I didn't because of how aiming and moving works.
Unlike the other shmup's I've played so far, movement and aiming are not interlocked, and instead you aim with the analog stick and you move your character with the D-Pad. It's a little awkward at first, but you will eventually adapt. The game doesn't really ask for too much movement from the player outside of boss fights and a few other instances, so it's not too bad.
Your double jump is allocated to the shoulder buttons, and that's where I had the hardest time with muscle memory, because my mind had me keep pressing the A button to jump because that's just the norm. It's not bad, but definitely unorthodox.
Level wise there's only a total of nine levels (ten actually, but the first is a dream sequence), split into segments of three. Each level contains multiple bosses, called commanders, which refill your time meter and give a bonus to your score. At the end of the level is the Central Commander, and once you beat them the level ends.
A majority of the levels are pretty straightforward, like the first level which has you running through a large field and shooting the fuck out of a bunch of monsters, or the second level where you blow through a section of Tokyo.
There are exceptions though, Level 1-2, or the third level, is easily my least favorite in the game. It's an Elevator Level, which is one of my least favorite tropes in video games. Elevator Levels usually shove the player into a very narrow and small space with a fuckload of enemies. In concept it's cool, but in execution I haven't played a single game with a good Elevator Level. Now, the level is definitely manageable, but it is definitely the biggest low point in the game for just feeling lazily designed with enemies just popping in and out over and over, and laser shooting robots whose beams cover the entire floor. The bosses at the end weren't bad though, but I will say the fight with Radan was a bit... odd. When most of the fights in the game are 3D On Rails fights, having a 2D shooter boss primarily relying on your melee attacks was a bit... weird.
After that the next stage I had an issue with was Stage 2-2. The stage itself is not inherently bad, my issue, and this winds up being an issue for me the entire game. While the game itself takes up to an hour, there are just points where the game feels longer than it really needs to. The Aircraft Carrier level is a decent example of that, because at various points, while I was super happy with the absolute coolness vibes of shooting a navel vessel while flying around on a levitating scrap of metal, I was also growing kind of tired with how long the level was going on.
It felt like it was dragging when it would've been way more kino for something as exciting as blowing up an Aircraft Carrier to be faster paced. That's where I feel like comparing the game to Alien Soldier, another Treasure developed game. Alien Soldier is so well paced, Chainsaw Man paced if you would, that every level feels quick, concise, and awesome. Nothing in Alien Soldier drags on (with exception to Seven Force), and that game has 25 stages.
Then there's the second to last stage of the game, Stage 3-2. It suddenly becomes a 2D Run and Gun... with the same controls. I'm sorry, but it is extremely awkward to jump in 2D with shoulder pads. It's one thing when I'm dashing with them in like, a Mega Man X game, but here it's very awkward.
You don't even really have to shoot anything for a majority of the level, it's literally better to just run right and do nothing just to get to the end. For a second to last level, it's quite the wet fart.
Final Boss Spoiler for a 22 Year Old Game Warning Because Simon Won't Leave Me Alone Over it LMAO:
Luckily the final level, and the others, fully make up for it. I mean, you literally fight a Fake Earth while standing on the real earth by shooting all of its projectiles back at it. If that isn't like, the definition of Kino I don't know what is.
SPOILER WARNING OVER.
The game is very much inspired by the likes of Evangelion, with one boss causing what looks similar to the Third Impact and being surrounded and shooting out orange tang like fluid that looks a lot like LCL. The main protagonist, when he transforms into his Ruffian form, looks very reminiscent of Unit-01. It definitely made getting to Level 1-3 extremely worth it.
The story is both bugnuts ridiculous but also absolutely hilarious and cool at the same time. You take the role of both Saki Amamiya and Airan Jo as you face off against the alien like Ruffians and the Armed Volunteers, finding yourselves in the middle of a cosmic conspiracy that could change the world forever.
You serve Achi, who is the creator of the Ruffians, which were made to stop world hunger apparently, and you fight against the Armed Volunteers who have setup these Ruffians to fight against themselves to create a narrative so that the leader, Brad (I'm sorry, I cannot help but laugh that one of the main antagonists of this game is just called fucking Brad. I have a friend named Brad and that just makes me laugh harder.), could be accepted by humanity and become a world leader I'm assuming.
Eventually it turns out that Achi was orchestrating everything to defeat her mysterious enemy (I'm guessing this gets elaborated on in the sequel), which leaves Saki to have to take her out, which he ultimately does.
I'd definitely take the story much more seriously if the acting wasn't so laughably awful. But hey, that's honestly the charm of it. Some of these deliveries are just so bad at points, though I do feel like at least the actress playing Airan tried sometimes to sound part way decent.
Overall, while I have my issues with Sin and Punishment, I still think that it's a great game and one that you should experience at least once. Just don't buy the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Please, 50 bucks for a shitty service is not worth it.
Entry number eight of the list of obscure games, though this game technically shouldn't count because I'm pretty sure it's not that obscure. It's been recommended by none other than PKMudkipz, thanks again for the recommendation.
So real talk, I actually had a majority of this review written up, but without telling me, my mother turned off the electricity in the house erasing it all. So excuse me if this review comes off a bit bizarre.
As an aside, I want to state: Please don't have your first playthrough of this game be in the Normal difficulty. I learned that the hard way and got my ass squarely kicked. The Easy Mode and the Tutorial exist for a reason, and even with those you'll still get your ass handed to you on a platter. Either way the game is still kino, but I recommend not learning to run before you can walk.
Sin and Punishment is a rail shmup (for the most part), where you are constantly moving forward and have to move left and right to avoid attacks and enemies. You have a dodge roll, the ability to change between a free aim shot that does more damage or a lock-on shot that does less damage but is "more accurate", a double jump, and close range sword strike that does massive damage to enemies.
This is all fine and good, but don't forget, this is an N64 game. This is a personal thing, but I have never been a fan of the N64 controller. Don't get me wrong, there are absolutely worse controllers than it, but I've always seen it as extremely clunky to use. I didn't use an N64 Controller to play this game, and to some extent I'm glad I didn't because of how aiming and moving works.
Unlike the other shmup's I've played so far, movement and aiming are not interlocked, and instead you aim with the analog stick and you move your character with the D-Pad. It's a little awkward at first, but you will eventually adapt. The game doesn't really ask for too much movement from the player outside of boss fights and a few other instances, so it's not too bad.
Your double jump is allocated to the shoulder buttons, and that's where I had the hardest time with muscle memory, because my mind had me keep pressing the A button to jump because that's just the norm. It's not bad, but definitely unorthodox.
Level wise there's only a total of nine levels (ten actually, but the first is a dream sequence), split into segments of three. Each level contains multiple bosses, called commanders, which refill your time meter and give a bonus to your score. At the end of the level is the Central Commander, and once you beat them the level ends.
A majority of the levels are pretty straightforward, like the first level which has you running through a large field and shooting the fuck out of a bunch of monsters, or the second level where you blow through a section of Tokyo.
There are exceptions though, Level 1-2, or the third level, is easily my least favorite in the game. It's an Elevator Level, which is one of my least favorite tropes in video games. Elevator Levels usually shove the player into a very narrow and small space with a fuckload of enemies. In concept it's cool, but in execution I haven't played a single game with a good Elevator Level. Now, the level is definitely manageable, but it is definitely the biggest low point in the game for just feeling lazily designed with enemies just popping in and out over and over, and laser shooting robots whose beams cover the entire floor. The bosses at the end weren't bad though, but I will say the fight with Radan was a bit... odd. When most of the fights in the game are 3D On Rails fights, having a 2D shooter boss primarily relying on your melee attacks was a bit... weird.
After that the next stage I had an issue with was Stage 2-2. The stage itself is not inherently bad, my issue, and this winds up being an issue for me the entire game. While the game itself takes up to an hour, there are just points where the game feels longer than it really needs to. The Aircraft Carrier level is a decent example of that, because at various points, while I was super happy with the absolute coolness vibes of shooting a navel vessel while flying around on a levitating scrap of metal, I was also growing kind of tired with how long the level was going on.
It felt like it was dragging when it would've been way more kino for something as exciting as blowing up an Aircraft Carrier to be faster paced. That's where I feel like comparing the game to Alien Soldier, another Treasure developed game. Alien Soldier is so well paced, Chainsaw Man paced if you would, that every level feels quick, concise, and awesome. Nothing in Alien Soldier drags on (with exception to Seven Force), and that game has 25 stages.
Then there's the second to last stage of the game, Stage 3-2. It suddenly becomes a 2D Run and Gun... with the same controls. I'm sorry, but it is extremely awkward to jump in 2D with shoulder pads. It's one thing when I'm dashing with them in like, a Mega Man X game, but here it's very awkward.
You don't even really have to shoot anything for a majority of the level, it's literally better to just run right and do nothing just to get to the end. For a second to last level, it's quite the wet fart.
Final Boss Spoiler for a 22 Year Old Game Warning Because Simon Won't Leave Me Alone Over it LMAO:
Luckily the final level, and the others, fully make up for it. I mean, you literally fight a Fake Earth while standing on the real earth by shooting all of its projectiles back at it. If that isn't like, the definition of Kino I don't know what is.
SPOILER WARNING OVER.
The game is very much inspired by the likes of Evangelion, with one boss causing what looks similar to the Third Impact and being surrounded and shooting out orange tang like fluid that looks a lot like LCL. The main protagonist, when he transforms into his Ruffian form, looks very reminiscent of Unit-01. It definitely made getting to Level 1-3 extremely worth it.
The story is both bugnuts ridiculous but also absolutely hilarious and cool at the same time. You take the role of both Saki Amamiya and Airan Jo as you face off against the alien like Ruffians and the Armed Volunteers, finding yourselves in the middle of a cosmic conspiracy that could change the world forever.
You serve Achi, who is the creator of the Ruffians, which were made to stop world hunger apparently, and you fight against the Armed Volunteers who have setup these Ruffians to fight against themselves to create a narrative so that the leader, Brad (I'm sorry, I cannot help but laugh that one of the main antagonists of this game is just called fucking Brad. I have a friend named Brad and that just makes me laugh harder.), could be accepted by humanity and become a world leader I'm assuming.
Eventually it turns out that Achi was orchestrating everything to defeat her mysterious enemy (I'm guessing this gets elaborated on in the sequel), which leaves Saki to have to take her out, which he ultimately does.
I'd definitely take the story much more seriously if the acting wasn't so laughably awful. But hey, that's honestly the charm of it. Some of these deliveries are just so bad at points, though I do feel like at least the actress playing Airan tried sometimes to sound part way decent.
Overall, while I have my issues with Sin and Punishment, I still think that it's a great game and one that you should experience at least once. Just don't buy the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Please, 50 bucks for a shitty service is not worth it.