It's been a decade since I first played through Liberation Maiden. During the time between then and now, it came back into the forefront of my mind when I heard that Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda51 were behind this title. I didn't even know who the heck those people were back then. With the 3DS eShop coming to a close soon, I figured I would go back and replay it with that newfound knowledge and respect.
You play as the former assassinated president's daughter, piloting a mech that blasts your enemies into lush vegetation as you take back your country's land. The music is nonstop electronic rock, and the sound of locking onto enemies and blowing them away is cathartic, to say the least. The beautiful character designs are done by Yusuke Kozaki. The game's got a nice style to it.
The main gimmick of Liberation Maiden is that your weapon ammo doubles as your shields. Firing your weapon uses fragments of your shields. With no shields, you'll take damage via your actual health bar beneath. You build up your shields by defeating enemies. It's actually a really cool way to handle health/ammo. You move with the circle pad and aim by dragging the stylus on the touch screen. It's a comfortable enough control scheme for a game that doesn't ask too much of the player. I say this because as fun as it is, the game is pitifully short. It'll only take you an hour or two to beat the game. Granted, it's extremely addicting, and there are 30 optional achievements that unlock gallery artwork with long descriptions (that help elaborate on the quite barebones plot somewhat). The game's only $8, and I can still recommend it at that price.
You play as the former assassinated president's daughter, piloting a mech that blasts your enemies into lush vegetation as you take back your country's land. The music is nonstop electronic rock, and the sound of locking onto enemies and blowing them away is cathartic, to say the least. The beautiful character designs are done by Yusuke Kozaki. The game's got a nice style to it.
The main gimmick of Liberation Maiden is that your weapon ammo doubles as your shields. Firing your weapon uses fragments of your shields. With no shields, you'll take damage via your actual health bar beneath. You build up your shields by defeating enemies. It's actually a really cool way to handle health/ammo. You move with the circle pad and aim by dragging the stylus on the touch screen. It's a comfortable enough control scheme for a game that doesn't ask too much of the player. I say this because as fun as it is, the game is pitifully short. It'll only take you an hour or two to beat the game. Granted, it's extremely addicting, and there are 30 optional achievements that unlock gallery artwork with long descriptions (that help elaborate on the quite barebones plot somewhat). The game's only $8, and I can still recommend it at that price.