1943 Kai
Biplanes in the PacificGenre: shooter - vertical
Publisher: Naxat Soft
Year: 1991
System: PCE
Gameplay Score: 4
Gameplay Notes:
Fantastic, frantic action. The screen gets absolutely filled with enemies and projectiles, but a generous health bar and numerous pickups make the difficulty somewhat manageable. Responsive, fast controls. My only complaint is the pickup system, which is like those dang bells in Twinbee. Use these for a still-difficult but more fun experience: Choose weapon with SELECT button: Pause game then press UP, II, LEFT, II, UP, I, RIGHT, I Freeze weapon timer: Pause game then press RIGHT, LEFT, II, I, UP, DOWN, I, II, UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN Invincible side fighters: Pause game then press UP, RIGHT, DOWN, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP, LEFT, I, I, II, II, SELECT
Level Design Score: 4
Level Design Notes:
All the stages meld together. They ammount to wave upon wave of enemies. It's quite repetitive, but there's so much going on that I didn't mind too much. This is a low 4, but definitely above average. The Kai in the title indicates the inclusion of a set of stages after you've completed those from the original arcade. These stages ramp up the difficulty even further with a steady stream of enemies.
Theme Score: 5
Theme Notes:
I've always loved the WW2 motif for shooters. Probably nostalgia speaking. Also, the after stage artwork showing you flying away from a raging inferno always gets me pumped.
Art Style Score: 4
Art Style Notes:
Decent, but unimpressive graphics in the early stages. The graphics change slightly cnce the Kai stages show up, almost like the turn in The Messenger. No hint of slowdown, despite the chaos onscreen.
Audio Score: 5
Audio Notes:
The music goes from good to great in the Kai stages. Fantastic sound effects and explosions round out a pitch perfect audio experience.
Overall Score: 83
Review ID: 8000
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