Developer: Atlus Publisher: Jaleco Released: September 22, 1987 Genre: Action
Zelda II was an interesting experiment and one that remains polarizing to this day. Regardless of your feelings about it one cannot deny its scope and sense of adventure. Yet despite its success there were few titles like it in the US. Over in Japan there were many copycats such as Chester Field and Getsu Fuma Den. Bio Senshi Dan was another such title that almost came to the US as Bashi Bazook. Stupid title aside this is a cool little import gem that scratches that adventure game itch like few others.
In the year 2081 Earth has been left in ruins. Aliens have ravaged the planet, leaving it near inhospitable. These aliens are guided by a mysterious entity known only as the Increaser. To hopefully change the future a warrior named Dan is sent back in time to the year 1999, before the aliens arrived. The plan is to defeat them and their leader before they rise to power and hopefully change the Earth’s fortunes.
Bio Senshi Dan is eerily similar to Zelda II in many ways. While it is level based like your typical action game it isn’t linear. Each level is large, with many rooms with people who give you tips, shops and secrets. In that respect it is similar to the Goemon series. The levels aren’t so large that you will end up hopelessly lost but a map would have been nice. You can make a beeline to the end level boss but you have to find them first. But if you do you will miss out on many precious items and weapons.
Enemies drop energy that functions as both currency and power for your weapons. Dan starts out with nothing but the clothes on his back and a weak sword. But in short order you can buy more. The first upgrade allows you to throw your sword (sound familiar?) but the rest run the spectrum. There’s a rolling shield, the psycho blossom, a thunder sword, and even a smart bomb. Even though the secondary weapons use different amounts of energy you never have to conserve any. You can grind out energy or even wrestle aliens for more. But you have to temper how much time you waste due to the boss meter.
Technically there is no time limit in each level. There is a meter that gets higher as you progress representing the end level bosses’ evolution. The sooner you reach the boss the smaller and weaker they are. Take too much time exploring and you’ll face a large and aggressive monster. Even though I have painted a grisly picture the system is fairly balanced. Most will reach the bosses at their mid-stage, where they are strong but have predictable patterns. The only level where it becomes somewhat of an issue is the final stage, where the meter goes into overdrive once you have completed the prime objective of destroying the three hearts.
The action and exploration might be similar to Zelda II but the platforming is similar to Metroid. Unfortunately the controls are less than ideal. The controls are very stiff; once you begin an action you are locked in like Simon Belmont. To the game’s credit the platforming is low stakes. At most you will get angry as you miss a ledge or overshoot a simple jump. It isn’t until stage four that you will contend with instant death pits. The slowness of the controls remind me of Prince of Persia in the sense that you cycle through every animation before initiating another. As a result Dan is slow to react. You will suffer many cheap hits trying to dodge the simplest attacks at every turn. The game almost feels as though someone recognized this as your life bar is extremely long to compensate.
Even though the controls are stiff Bio Senshi Dan still remains a fairly easy game overall. I’ve already mentioned the massive life bar that serves as a buffer for cheap hits. You can rest at inns to replenish health and can find health items at a decent clip. Enemies are not very aggressive and you have to go out of your way to die. Despite the Bosses becoming stronger the longer you dawdle if you take the time to find every hidden item in each stage you will still reach them at their average level. You don’t need to buy the other weapons; the default throwing sword is strong enough on its own. You can even buy every weapon in the final level for a cheap 250 energy if need be. So in spite of the game’s flaws they don’t bring the game down much.
In Closing
Bio Senshi Dan is a cool import gem and makes for an entertaining afternoon, warts and all. The NES could have used more titles like this in the US. Had it been localized I’m sure it would have found an audience. But don’t’ let that stop you; there is a fan translation that will allow everyone to enjoy this action adventure.
