God-tier.
Espgaluda finds Cave stripping away everything that made its former titles renowned (insane difficulty, strict and occasionally obtuse scoring mechanics, 2nd loops, TLBs) in search of pure fun. This is not to say that the game isn't difficult--it is, very much so! But the curve is a gloriously smooth ramp this time, instead of a series of impenetrable spike-walls; and, more importantly, the best mechanic in any shmup I've yet played is on offer: Kakusei mode. Or, in layman's terms, motherfucking bullet time.
Honestly, ever since I began playing these games, I fantasized about one that would let me slow bullets down at will--even just as a practice-mode mechanic, or something. Cave have done much more than that, though -- they've integrated manual bullet-time into the normal arcade version of a game, perfectly balancing it to not feel too much like a blatant crutch.
Essentially, killing enemies builds your Kakusei meter, up to a maximum of 500. It depletes quickly once activated, and is tied intimately to scoring -- for every enemy killed in Kakusei mode, valuable gold ingots are acquired. Additionally, each enemy killed in slow-mo depletes your meter by a large chunk; meaning there's a great risk/reward tightrope to be walked, between stashing Kakusei for survival, or spending it liberally to cash in on mega-points. (It should be noted that points can get you extends, AND the bullets shot by enemies killed in Kakusei mode are cancelled! So the choice for a survival-focused run is not at all black and white).
It's in the flexibility, and the split-second choices that evolve from this system that makes the game's fun so pure. Have trouble with a particular midboss? Make sure your meter is full when you reach it, and you can coast through in bullet-time. Is a cluster of bullets hurtling toward you, and you fear that you might not be able to dodge through even in slo-mo? Activate Kakusei and fry the enemy who shot them with your giant laser, and watch those bullets disappear.
I believe this is how the game gets its reputation for being one of Cave's "easier" offerings--its design is extremely player-friendly, and strategies for both survival and scoring can be developed organically. That being said, it still took me around 100 hours to 1CC, so be careful going into it thinking it's going to be a cake walk if you're a beginner or intermediate shmup player. The last boss--especially their final form--is a real asshole.
As far as presentation goes, the sprites are cool, and the backgrounds are very Cave-y in that they provide sufficient narrative context without getting in the way of the action at all. The music seems generic, sure, but it grew on me as I played: it's the kind of stuff you don't mind hearing over and over again if you're going to put the time and effort into clearing this, and it's suitably hype.
Espgaluda might be my favorite Cave game I've played so far. It is just infinitely satisfying to stop-start time as you're rushing through hails of bullets, wrecking steampunk airships and fairy-tale villain bosses with your psychic powers.
Just a cool fucking game.
Espgaluda finds Cave stripping away everything that made its former titles renowned (insane difficulty, strict and occasionally obtuse scoring mechanics, 2nd loops, TLBs) in search of pure fun. This is not to say that the game isn't difficult--it is, very much so! But the curve is a gloriously smooth ramp this time, instead of a series of impenetrable spike-walls; and, more importantly, the best mechanic in any shmup I've yet played is on offer: Kakusei mode. Or, in layman's terms, motherfucking bullet time.
Honestly, ever since I began playing these games, I fantasized about one that would let me slow bullets down at will--even just as a practice-mode mechanic, or something. Cave have done much more than that, though -- they've integrated manual bullet-time into the normal arcade version of a game, perfectly balancing it to not feel too much like a blatant crutch.
Essentially, killing enemies builds your Kakusei meter, up to a maximum of 500. It depletes quickly once activated, and is tied intimately to scoring -- for every enemy killed in Kakusei mode, valuable gold ingots are acquired. Additionally, each enemy killed in slow-mo depletes your meter by a large chunk; meaning there's a great risk/reward tightrope to be walked, between stashing Kakusei for survival, or spending it liberally to cash in on mega-points. (It should be noted that points can get you extends, AND the bullets shot by enemies killed in Kakusei mode are cancelled! So the choice for a survival-focused run is not at all black and white).
It's in the flexibility, and the split-second choices that evolve from this system that makes the game's fun so pure. Have trouble with a particular midboss? Make sure your meter is full when you reach it, and you can coast through in bullet-time. Is a cluster of bullets hurtling toward you, and you fear that you might not be able to dodge through even in slo-mo? Activate Kakusei and fry the enemy who shot them with your giant laser, and watch those bullets disappear.
I believe this is how the game gets its reputation for being one of Cave's "easier" offerings--its design is extremely player-friendly, and strategies for both survival and scoring can be developed organically. That being said, it still took me around 100 hours to 1CC, so be careful going into it thinking it's going to be a cake walk if you're a beginner or intermediate shmup player. The last boss--especially their final form--is a real asshole.
As far as presentation goes, the sprites are cool, and the backgrounds are very Cave-y in that they provide sufficient narrative context without getting in the way of the action at all. The music seems generic, sure, but it grew on me as I played: it's the kind of stuff you don't mind hearing over and over again if you're going to put the time and effort into clearing this, and it's suitably hype.
Espgaluda might be my favorite Cave game I've played so far. It is just infinitely satisfying to stop-start time as you're rushing through hails of bullets, wrecking steampunk airships and fairy-tale villain bosses with your psychic powers.
Just a cool fucking game.
2 Comments
@JohnHarrelson Thanks so much!
JohnHarrelson
2 years ago