I pride myself on being a well-informed gamer. Back in the days when everyone relied on the back of the box for their purchases I devoured any gaming magazine I could get my hands on to learn about new releases. It’s helped me avoid some truly horrendous stinkers over the years. But it also robs me of any feelings of surprise. The few times I have blindly bought a game have been genuine surprises however. Psychic Storm is a title I bought for one reason; the name sounded cool. What could have been an import disaster instead lead me to discover an awesome and underappreciated gem in the PC Engine library.
In the distant future Earth is under attack by a race of insectoid aliens who devour the planets in their path and integrate them into their bodies. The planet’s last hope of survival lies in the hands of four brave pilots, each with their own unique ship patterned after the very same aliens destroying the planet. It is up to you to guide Alex, Charr, Joe, and Nastasia with their Stormbringer ships and save the world.
The cast of characters may seem goofy in their introductions but they are distinct. Each ship has its own weapon load out which consists of a main weapon and some form of bombs. Alex is your typical hot blooded protagonist with his Vulcan cannon and missiles. Nastassia is probably the most unique. Her ship;s ion laser produces a short burst of flame that is powerful but her missiles are no good. Joe is my personal favorite. The hellfire is the second strongest weapon in the game plus his nuclear spread missiles explode on impact plus cause splash damage. The one I was most disappointed with his Charr. The psycho shell looks cool as hell but has terrible range. It might be the strongest weapon but its awful range makes it near useless.
Each pilot is further distinguished by their ship’s transformation. Each Stormbringer has an insectoid that drastically raises your attack power and has unique attacks. Joe’s ship turns into a scorpion that can charge energy in its claws and grab enemies. Alex’s ship becomes a butterfly that releases waves of energy from its wings. The insect form has a time limit that can be extended and is literally game breaking. The only drawback is that you become giant sized and a larger target and you only get three per stage. But the massive power boost is worth the tradeoff.
Structurally Psychic Storm is long by shooter standards. Each of the seven stages is split into two halves, with some running ten minutes or longer. The game’s pace is slow; a little slower than I would like to be honest. There are long periods of complete silence followed by relentless assault that can be a bit dull sometimes. It can be intense at times yet very predictable. Not all shooters need to as Ikaruga but in this case I think it would have helped. The slow pacing is alleviated somewhat by your choice; after the first two levels you can tackle the next four in any order. Some are more action packed than others but in the end most will have little trouble seeing the conclusion.
While its weapon system is light compared to other shooters it matters little in the end. Psychic Storm is one of the easier shooters I’ve played for a variety of reasons. Your life bar allows you to sustain seven or eight hits. Technically you only have one life but your three transform attacks function the same way. If you choose auto the game will even force it when you run out of health! Once transformed it is easy to blitz through a level as the game is generous with orbs that extend its duration. Boss battles can drag on a little long but they are the only trouble spots in the game. Even playing half seriously I made it halfway before I first approached death. For those less skilled at shooters Psychic Storm is very accessible although its ease robs it of replay value.
Although I may have initially been interested in Psychic Storm thanks to its name its graphics also helped. At first glance it looks very similar to Sapphire, a game that pushed the PC Engine the hardest. It doesn’t reach that height but is still impressive. Psychic Storm is the rare game that starts out strong visually but gets worse as you progress. The initial Tokyo city-scape is beautiful, with flashing neon lights and exorbitant amounts of detail. Subsequent worlds are flat and lifeless by comparison. The only standout elements on these worlds are the unique insectoid enemies and the bosses. The soundtrack is good from a composition standpoint but does not fit this type of game sadly.
In Closing
Psychic Storm is a very good shooter in the PC Engine library but it slightly trails the greats. It makes for a good second choice after Lords of Thunder. It is also cheap by import standards, making it easy to recommend.
