Update to a classic Saturn rail shooter that looks decent for an update to an old title and keeps the same level design but loses the otherworldly feel of the original, has a lack of extras, and a poorly handled "modern" control scheme that is disabled by default.
The game plays like a normal flight rail shooter where you move a reticle around to target enemies and your dragon moves in the direction you are aiming to avoid the obstacles or shots that you can't shoot down. You can rapidly push multiple fire buttons for a very fast rate of fire that can be good for more damage on one target or to shoot down enemy shots, or you can hold the button while you scroll over targets for an auto lock laser shot that fires at its targets when you let go. You can rotate the camera your view to the left, right, and behind you where your dragon will lose it's maneuverability while it allows you to deal with threats from those angles. A radar identifies which side enemies are on by showing them in yellow and can show more active attackers in red. For an update of an old game it looks good and mostly stays in line with the style of the old by just greatly expanding on what was already there and removing the frequent obstacle and texture pop in of the Saturn title, the gain of clarity and having a much wider, brighter, and detailed environment does make the game lose the otherworldly feel of the original game though. The soundtrack is good and there are some enemies and moments that make use of the ability to shift facing in a way that is interesting compared to a lot of other rail shooter.
It is a very short and easy game, setting it to medium difficulty I beat it in under an hour without ever losing a life and shooting down about 95-99% of enemies on each level and I believe dying would have just used one of the 11 or so continues I ended up with that could put me right back at a boss fight. The modern control style when used will allow you to aim and move separately from one another, which should be a less awkward way to control the dragon and make the game even easier but the severe decrease in movement speed and for some reason the choice in turning off the ability to rapid fire your weapon by quickly hitting multiple fire buttons make it both a poor choice and not really how the game was designed. As you aren't flying a ship but riding a dragon the original way also makes it feel more like you are attempting to guide the dragons movement rather than just flying a ship that reacts in the exact way you want it to. Beating the game unlocks a few minor options like a stage select, god mode, most helpfully a rapid fire button option where one of your fire buttons can just be held down to shoot quickly saving the need to quickly mash them. Nothing that will change the game in a way to make it last longer though or make new playthroughs any more interesting.
For a likely quickly done remake of what seems to usually be considered the worst and most basic game in the four game series it's a fine playthrough but it's not going to be as interesting as it was on release and hard to justify buying at the full $25 price.
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/1688379991950766080
The game plays like a normal flight rail shooter where you move a reticle around to target enemies and your dragon moves in the direction you are aiming to avoid the obstacles or shots that you can't shoot down. You can rapidly push multiple fire buttons for a very fast rate of fire that can be good for more damage on one target or to shoot down enemy shots, or you can hold the button while you scroll over targets for an auto lock laser shot that fires at its targets when you let go. You can rotate the camera your view to the left, right, and behind you where your dragon will lose it's maneuverability while it allows you to deal with threats from those angles. A radar identifies which side enemies are on by showing them in yellow and can show more active attackers in red. For an update of an old game it looks good and mostly stays in line with the style of the old by just greatly expanding on what was already there and removing the frequent obstacle and texture pop in of the Saturn title, the gain of clarity and having a much wider, brighter, and detailed environment does make the game lose the otherworldly feel of the original game though. The soundtrack is good and there are some enemies and moments that make use of the ability to shift facing in a way that is interesting compared to a lot of other rail shooter.
It is a very short and easy game, setting it to medium difficulty I beat it in under an hour without ever losing a life and shooting down about 95-99% of enemies on each level and I believe dying would have just used one of the 11 or so continues I ended up with that could put me right back at a boss fight. The modern control style when used will allow you to aim and move separately from one another, which should be a less awkward way to control the dragon and make the game even easier but the severe decrease in movement speed and for some reason the choice in turning off the ability to rapid fire your weapon by quickly hitting multiple fire buttons make it both a poor choice and not really how the game was designed. As you aren't flying a ship but riding a dragon the original way also makes it feel more like you are attempting to guide the dragons movement rather than just flying a ship that reacts in the exact way you want it to. Beating the game unlocks a few minor options like a stage select, god mode, most helpfully a rapid fire button option where one of your fire buttons can just be held down to shoot quickly saving the need to quickly mash them. Nothing that will change the game in a way to make it last longer though or make new playthroughs any more interesting.
For a likely quickly done remake of what seems to usually be considered the worst and most basic game in the four game series it's a fine playthrough but it's not going to be as interesting as it was on release and hard to justify buying at the full $25 price.
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/1688379991950766080