This review contains spoilers
Jesus Christ this game is a masterpiece. Didn’t expect Phoenix & Black Jack to show up cause I’m clearly unfamiliar with the manga but yeah. You can feel Tezuka's classic touch, primarily his message about life's universal value, how it permeates thru the organic, the technological, and even the stars.
Treasure delivers on all fronts in terms of game development. The leveling up system felt fair and challenging at the same time (wish I didn't level up my shot meter so much early on lol). there's lots of variation in the 7-8 levels as well, ranging from Gunstar Heroes-ish beat 'em up sections to horizontal shooter segments. There's even times where the stage setting changes basic gameplay functions, like the level with altered gravity. The only drawback was the blue Knight dueling bit, which felt unfairly punishing/annoying (I hate that the A button timing had to be SO exact, and Astro Boy dies in one hit wtf). There's also too much ambiguity and confusion on what to do next during the second replay half of the game, but that's a fairly minor quip.
Overall the music, visuals, and dialogue sections are beautifully made. Feels like Treasure put tons of thoughtfulness and detailed effort into making a faithful, robust tribute to Tezuka's work. Everything meshes together for an absolutely astonishing experience.
Treasure delivers on all fronts in terms of game development. The leveling up system felt fair and challenging at the same time (wish I didn't level up my shot meter so much early on lol). there's lots of variation in the 7-8 levels as well, ranging from Gunstar Heroes-ish beat 'em up sections to horizontal shooter segments. There's even times where the stage setting changes basic gameplay functions, like the level with altered gravity. The only drawback was the blue Knight dueling bit, which felt unfairly punishing/annoying (I hate that the A button timing had to be SO exact, and Astro Boy dies in one hit wtf). There's also too much ambiguity and confusion on what to do next during the second replay half of the game, but that's a fairly minor quip.
Overall the music, visuals, and dialogue sections are beautifully made. Feels like Treasure put tons of thoughtfulness and detailed effort into making a faithful, robust tribute to Tezuka's work. Everything meshes together for an absolutely astonishing experience.
2008
The Electric Underground said everything I could say about this game better than me but, oh well I'll say some words i guess lol. I'm used to the CAVE bullet hell style so this one was a little jarring at first, kept getting iced by random bullets because I wasn't adjusting to its unique gameplay style (also the bullets blend in too well with the backgrounds which can be a problem).
uh anyways this is a great collection, graphics look charming even decades later, and the OSTs are absolutely impeccable. surprised i haven't seen more people talk about the music for these games? i have only ever 1cc'd super easy/easy modes in shmups and this one is no exception, i suck but one day...things'll change i tell ya. Buy this game, I endorse it. thumbs up
uh anyways this is a great collection, graphics look charming even decades later, and the OSTs are absolutely impeccable. surprised i haven't seen more people talk about the music for these games? i have only ever 1cc'd super easy/easy modes in shmups and this one is no exception, i suck but one day...things'll change i tell ya. Buy this game, I endorse it. thumbs up
2013
i'm notoriously lazy with actually playing thru a game a second time even with multiple characters, so the fact I actually did that here is a big green flag for me. kisuke was your typical grunting angsty Bakugo-type dude but the gameplay was phenomenal no matter who you play (Momohime was my favorite tho, and by then I finally figured out how to forge new swords lol).
VanillaWare games are consistently beautiful, always in shock any time I see the release date on their titles since they all look so fresh visually, you'd think they were made in the last couple years. game suffers from too much backtracking and runnin back and forth to the exact same locales, and there's a bit of a repetitious-ness to the level design that can get a bit boring. however, the gameplay itself is such a blast and the atmosphere is so singular that it more than makes up for it. First game I played on my PS Vita after finally acquiring one in January and I jailbroke it, so I'm feeling especially fond #Feels towards this title. T___T
VanillaWare games are consistently beautiful, always in shock any time I see the release date on their titles since they all look so fresh visually, you'd think they were made in the last couple years. game suffers from too much backtracking and runnin back and forth to the exact same locales, and there's a bit of a repetitious-ness to the level design that can get a bit boring. however, the gameplay itself is such a blast and the atmosphere is so singular that it more than makes up for it. First game I played on my PS Vita after finally acquiring one in January and I jailbroke it, so I'm feeling especially fond #Feels towards this title. T___T
2015
Will say something more detailed eventually but this game gives me unprecedented amounts of dopamine. my whole life i've struggled with playing games - despite being totally into them - because there's a pervasive sense of pointlessness/some gnawing inside that tells me my enjoyment (of games specifically) is totally vapid and I should be out in the streets protesting or something, or partaking in some other larger communal activity that explicitly/tangibly supports others (tho this is partially inspired by too much time living in the Bay tbqh lol). I don't intellectually agree with that sentiment and I recognize it stems from unhelpful thought processes and experiences, like verbal denigration suffered in childhood, deeply internalizing that I should reject my own pleasure if I'm the only one who benefits, etc. Still, it's a feeling I often grapple with. On the positive side, I don't feel that way at all with BB. The sense of triumph over adversity and sheer joy from re-emerging from death time and time again and navigating such a stark environment and odds and barely winning is just...i don't know. i think i'm finding actual life-value in this and it's frankly inspiring, and I frankly feel super goofy gushing about a game so much lol. I'm only saying stuff countless people have already discovered but it does feel good to finally 'get it' myself.
i've had BB since 2017 and i've finally given it another shot these last few days after giving up on it for a long long time out of sheer frustration. overcoming the fear of dying repeatedly and overcoming fears of my own personal inadequacies in terms of player skill really is doing a number on my brain in a good way. i'm someone who notoriously plays on easy mode most days because i'm usually so exhausted after work, that it seems like a grating and unnecessary chore to challenge myself difficulty-wise. feel the total opposite now with from software stuff, however. also, reading Miyazaki's interviews about his life growing up poor and his thought process behind the game development of anything Souls-related/in the style of Souls games really brought home the overarching thematic beauty and structural genius of these titles. Giving me a much needed mental boost rn and it's honestly the only thing i wanna do when i'm off work.
I also really love that Miyazaki said that the top of his book shelf includes Devilman and Berserk, so the similarity in manga and atmospheric dark fantasy interests enhances the experience even more for me, on an individual level. 5 bloody stars.
i've had BB since 2017 and i've finally given it another shot these last few days after giving up on it for a long long time out of sheer frustration. overcoming the fear of dying repeatedly and overcoming fears of my own personal inadequacies in terms of player skill really is doing a number on my brain in a good way. i'm someone who notoriously plays on easy mode most days because i'm usually so exhausted after work, that it seems like a grating and unnecessary chore to challenge myself difficulty-wise. feel the total opposite now with from software stuff, however. also, reading Miyazaki's interviews about his life growing up poor and his thought process behind the game development of anything Souls-related/in the style of Souls games really brought home the overarching thematic beauty and structural genius of these titles. Giving me a much needed mental boost rn and it's honestly the only thing i wanna do when i'm off work.
I also really love that Miyazaki said that the top of his book shelf includes Devilman and Berserk, so the similarity in manga and atmospheric dark fantasy interests enhances the experience even more for me, on an individual level. 5 bloody stars.
2021
More CAVE psychic-butterfly shmups plz.
TwinBee Yahoo alone is def 4.5 and the music. Oh my god the music in that one is spectacular. Just the Sparkly sugary saccharine bullshit anime-style OST I’ve always loved
1998
Soundtrack is a friggin’ masterpiece tho
1992
Pleasantly surprised by this one, has a lot of fun elements that make it a tad different compared to other 90s beat ‘em Ups (slicing ppl in half, Hopping on horses, other stuff). I dig the setting too, I can’t think of any other anime style titles set in China from the same era. Two bloody thumbs up