Developer: Naxat Publisher: Naxat Release: 12/07/90 Genre: Action
Even though the Turbo Grafx-16 has a ready supply of shooters it is nothing compared to its Japanese counterpart. The PC Engine library is overflowing with shooters of all stripes, so much so that it is almost embarrassing. With that being said it is inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. Burning Angels tries to make a splash with its anime angels and overhead action. But in the end it is very generic. The best thing I can say about it is that it sure is a shooter ass shooter. I think gamers are looking for more than that however.
Burning Angels was released in that early 90s period when anime starring two hot girls was all the rage. With its two busty leads it calls to mind Dirty Pair, which is ironic as that series also has a shooter for the Famicom Disk System. Dr. Kaga, the leader of the Burning Project has been kidnapped by aliens and it is up to the Burning Angels, a pair of mercenaries, to save him.
You have a choice between two ships, Dragon and Phoenix. Each has their own distinct weapon sets that alter the experience. The Dragon has a wave beam as its primary weapon with long range missiles as a supplement. Options exist but for Dragon they are stationery. Phoenix oddly enough uses bubbles instead. Its options rotate around the ship and its missiles are short range but explode on impact. Weapons can be upgraded multiple levels and the game is very generous with its power-ups. The burning in the game’s title refers to the burning meter that fills up by collecting stars. Using simple button combinations you can unleash a variety of devastating super attacks. These range from a massive laser beam to transforming into an invincible phoenix for a few seconds.
For every hit you take you lose a power-up or weapon level. Plenty of games have used this mechanic to encourage skilled play to varying results. In Burning Angels the hit in firepower is immediately noticeable. It is especially dire for the Phoenix ship. The bubble attacks are not powerful and lack the spread of the wave beam. At low levels you will have to work twice as hard to cover the same ground as those using the Dragon. Burning Angels is an intense game with bullets flying everywhere and little room to breathe. I would even go as far as to say it can feel unfair at times. Someone must have noticed as power-ups drop every two or three minutes. Chances are you will lose them quickly but at least they tried.
Burning Angels leans a bit high on the difficulty scale. Even though you have a life bar that does little to even the odds. You can take quite a few hits but you have a single life with no continues. If you are playing in coop if one player dies the game is also over. That is brutal. I like the frequency of power-ups but damn does it feel as though they make very little difference. With so many bullets on screen it is hard to maintain a decent power level. The only saving grace is that the game is short so it is doable with practice. The question is will you want to.
Technically Burning Angels hits all the right notes. It has plenty of power-ups, looks good and is no slouch in the action department. It simply does not stand out. Many of its features are present in other more exciting titles. The graphics are alright but there are better looking games on the platform. The art direction is reminiscent of Trouble Shooter and Super Star Soldier, just not as good. The weapon system is rudimentary and has nothing you have not seen before. The levels are long to make up for its brevity. But that just means they become repetitive. Waves are predictable to an absurd degree. And while you have plenty of weapons they feel weak and make taking down the larger ships a slog. With no cool scoring mechanics you are playing just to see the ending. And in that regard you might as well play a better title.
In Closing
Burning Angels is decent for what it is. But on a system blessed with classic shooters that is not enough. The game is good and can be fun but with so much competition you would really feel the need to play every game in the genre to settle for this one.
