Soukyugurentai

Developer: Raizing     Publisher: Electronic Arts     Released: February 7, 1997     Genre: Shooter

I consider myself somewhat of a lapsed shooter fan.  In the 8 & 16-bit era when you couldn’t sneeze without running into a shmup.  But as the PlayStation and Saturn came along the genre all but disappeared from America.  The truly best ones remained Japan exclusive and expensive as the genre became dominated by the bullet hell sub-genre.  Now bullet hell has never been my thing; I can bob and weave with the best of them but it’s a little too hardcore for me.  Every now and then one catches my eye which was the case with Soukyugurentai.  This is one of the best shooters for the Saturn which is saying a lot but I stand by it.

For as much as I love the game I almost missed out on it. Once shooters went the way of pricey imports I all but ignored them. But the message board chatter surrounding this one was too loud to ignore. Much like with Elevator Action Returns I took a chance on it and was rewarded. Had I known Soukyugurentai was similar to Galactic Attack (another game I adored) I wouldn’t have hesitated. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone every now and then. Just stay the hell away from games like Daemon Summoner.

Soukyugurentai does not have a large list of weapons.  In fact it doesn’t have any extra weapons at all.  And frankly extra weapons aren’t necessary.  Your ship’s standard cannon can be upgraded a few times and you collect bombs but that is it.  The main thrust of your offense is the NALS system-No blind spot All Range Laser System.  By holding down the button it creates a large targeting grid.  The shape and size differ depending on character.  The grid will lock on to any enemies in its radius.  Letting go lets loose a Macross style missile spread that clears the screen.  Each pilot has two separate targeting cursors, one that unleashes a missile spray and another that is a stronger single target laser beam.  Between the lock-on lasers and your wide shots you are more than equipped to handle anything the game tosses your way.

The game’s simple mechanics hide its brilliant design.  It’s easy to see how the NALS system would be overpowered in many other games.  Here there is an drawback to its use.  You can’t continue to fire as long as the targeting sphere is active.  So it becomes a question of how long and how many targets do you wait for before attacking.  The game rarely lets up and so you have to choose the more effective means of attack.  It is incredibly satisfying waiting until the last second to unleash a barrage of lasers that completely clears the screen.  The game encourages the use of NALS to rack up high scores but you would have spammed it anyway.

What is even more amazing is that in spite of its nail biting action Soukyugurentai remains accessible.  Although I’ve referred to it as bullet hell it never reaches the insanity of the more famous genre titles.  The targeting laser is fast and powerful and does most of the work.  Enemy attacks, even bosses, are telegraphed well in advance.  The game is generous with its power-ups, especially bombs after death.  You can cheese your way through its dicey moments but it usually isn’t necessary.  There are eight difficulty levels and even on the default setting five credits is generous.  Honestly if more shooters were as well designed as this they wouldn’t be so intimidating.

  

There are only six stages in Soukyugurentai and yet I feel the game has plenty of replay value.  Each character has nuances that lead to a different experience while playing the game.  It’s worth experimenting to see which is your favorite in the practice mode.  Mastering the intricacies of the scoring system to earn extra lives is key to achieving the one credit clear shooter fans love so much.  And beyond that the game is chock full of moments you’ll want to see again and again like Gunstar Heroes.

Originally Soukyugurentai was released in the arcade using the S-TV hardware which is identical to the Saturn. As such this is an arcade perfect port. Outside of the occasional polygonal object there is very little use of 3d. Soukyugurentai relies more on its art direction than technical wizardry to impress. Stylistically this is very similar to Taito’s Ray series in that action takes place on two planes. This leads to incredible vistas with layers of parallax scrolling as you descend from the clouds or invade an installation. The game tosses a ton of sprites without a hint of slowdown, a revelation coming off the 16-bit platforms.  There’s lots of scaling and zooming which is incredibly cool, especially against the massive bosses. The game even has a fantastic soundtrack. It truly is the total package.

In Closing

What an amazing game. Soukyugurentai is a masterpiece in my opinion and probably my favorite Saturn shooter. It is also one of the system’s best. Considering the Japanese Saturn has a shooter list a mile long that is high praise but the game is worth all of it.