Eternal City - Toshi Tensou Keikaku for PCE

Image: MobyGames

Eternal City - Toshi Tensou Keikaku

Mechtroidvania

Genre: action - gun

Publisher: Naxat Soft

Year: 1991

System: PCE

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

I want so badly to love this mechtastic game, but sadly, the combat is beyond awful. The movement tech is great. Nothing wrong there. Fantastic, responsive controls, and a jetpack move that lets you jet around the stage like you're the Rocketeer. Good stuff. But the gun play is and enemy attack patterns are beyond frustrating. Your peashooter has no stopping power and enemies can come barreling toward your enormous hitbox at any angle they so choose. Hitting their tiny hitboxes before they can ram into you is so inconsistent, and enemy spawning is so rapid, that you take far less damage by simply jetting through the stage, tanking any damage you take. The reduces the game to a simple flight through a labyrinth. What a shame! Give me a sword or a spreadshot and this is a top-tier title. Oh and I forgot to mention that your weapon runs of out ammo quickly. You have to wait for its "energy" to restore. This is best done by finding a spot where enemies won't spawn and just sitting there doing nothing for a minute or so. Who thought this was a good idea?!

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

This is a Metroidvania with a huge map and locked gates throughout. There is no in-game map and without a guide and map I don't know how a person could possibly figure out where to go. The intended path is so convoluted and requires such massive backtracking that I was done after the second major turn. Occassional boss fights break up the monotony (even if they're dead simple), but overall it's one boring hallway after the next. The Metroidvania formula had yet to be perfected (Super Metroid was three years away), but the likes of Blaster Master were several years old at this point. Close, but no cigar, I'm afraid.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Mechs! Underground! An utterly generic opening introduces you as a young girl in a mech suit, but reveals nothing else. Not that it matters much - you're on a mission to kill all these robots that are shooting at you. The vibe of the game reminds me of Blaster Master, probably because of its subterranean setting and backtracking.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

The mech and robot designs are great and the sprites have nice shading, color, and animation. The explosions and other effects are wanting. Backgrounds feature a ton of detail for the time. No parallax or other interesting effects either. Still, I like the aesthetics.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

I keep bringing it up, but this game's audio reminds me of Blaster Master. Maybe even Wizards & Warriors in a couple of areas (especially Zone 2). Weak and frequent sound effects, but the music is the star here.

Overall Score: 55

Review ID: 8037