Whip Rush was one of the earliest shooters I ever played for the Genesis. After the awesome Thunder Force 2 and the mediocre Arrow Flash I was ready for something different. Unfortunately I would not find that here. Despite its best intentions Whip Rush can’t avoid its similarities to Irem’s classic series. Now if only it were as good. Ultimately this is a generic and completely forgettable entry in a genre that was overcrowded on the system.
In the 22nd century mankind has burned through all of the natural resources in the Milky Way galaxy. By the year 2222 overpopulation has led to man to search the universe for a new planet to colonize. Years later word is sent of a suitable planet to inhabit. But before contact is established the signal goes dead. A week later a massive alien fleet appears ready to destroy Earth. Luckily the experimental ship Whip Rush has been completed and is ready to push the invaders back.
As an early Genesis title I remember Whip Rush being particularly impressive. The multiple layers of scrolling in many of its environments really stood out coming from the NES. The later levels in particular stand out as they become more technological rather than organic. Looking on it now the presentation is inconsistent. There is a huge disconnect between the cartoonish colors of the enemies and the realistic shading of the backgrounds. It makes the game look kind of goofy. The music is generic rock that lies in the background and just dies. At the very least the gameplay is solid.
The weapon selection is kept pretty small. There are three primary weapons: missiles, lasers, and fireballs. Furthermore each can be upgraded three times. Missiles feature rapid fire and limited tracking capabilities. The laser is the most powerful but the hardest to position in order to hit enemies. The fireballs are completely worthless. The Fireballs fire in the opposite direction of your movement which is flat out dumb. The game revels in placing you in tight spaces rendering this stupid weapon useless.
The most interesting weapon is the options. You can equip two options at once and place them at different points around your ship. Depending on the weapon and position their firing direction and its shape will change as well. By holding down the attack button they can be shot outward as a means of attack as well. If it sound like R-Type I’m sure it was intentional.
Death is handled a little differently here. There is no life bar however you can suffer a few hits. At full power taking a hit will reduce your weapons back to the default cannon. One further hit equals death. Considering there is no shield item this makes for a nice equivalent. You will more than likely lean on this heavily toward the end of the game.
The biggest crime Whip Rush commits is that it lacks any identity of its own. Many of its best elements are reminiscent of other, better shooters and not implemented as well. Using your options as a projectile is clunky and the second half of the game relies on this quite a bit. When the game scrolls in the opposite direction you are at its mercy since most of your weapons aren’t effective at back attacks. There are some bright spots. The level design contains many vertical scrolling segments that provide reason to switch weapons. But these moments are few.
The opening stages are relatively easy but there is a sharp difficulty spike by the game’s midpoint. By that point power-ups become scarce and the enemies more aggressive. The levels become more densely populated with turrets making it very difficult at times to avoid taking hits. It is especially notable because there is no shield item to protect you. Although you respawn immediately you lose all weapons upon death. This makes some of the later bosses all but impossible if you die. It sounds harsh but I like it, the curve is executed pretty well.
In Closing
There are aspects of Whip Rush that I like. But as a whole the competition on the Genesis is too fierce to be worth a purchase. While the prospect of a game that plays similar to R-Type sounds appealing it simply isn’t good enough to compete against the far better choices available. Whip Rush is no substitute for the real thing.
