D-Force for SNES

Image: MobyGames

D-Force

D-worst

Genre: shooter - vertical

Publisher: Asmik

Year: 1991

System: SNES

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

No extra lives, no weapons, no nothing. You've got a peashooter that can be upgraded to a spread shot but that's it. The most egregious slowdown in a shoot em up ever. Your ship has an enormous hitbox and moves slowly.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Juvenile level design. Levels 2 and 3 can be completed without firing a shot until the boss and for both you can beat the boss by selling down in a safe spot. In fact I'm writing this with one hand while holding B with the other hand as I take down the level 3 boss. I'm not paying any attention to it. The gimmick is two planes to toggle between like Raiden. Press R or L to zoom. Problem is that there's stuff on both levels so you often zoom straight into an enemy, killing yourself. So it's best to just avoid fire coming from the other plane. This only happens on a few levels. Most stages are standard vertical scrolling on one of the two planes.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

You're a helicopter fighting dinosaurs and advanced weapons. So it's the same premise as the arcade game Prehistoric Isle, I guess?

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Extremely simple graphics. Sprites are small and scale with the Mode 7 effect but have limited motion. They look NES quality when zoomed in on. One of the least visually impressive SNES action titles.

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Music has decent composition but only one sound is used - an organ. Could've been much better. The sounds are the real problem here. They are sooooo bad. Shooting is a weird sound akin to an old typewriter. The death keel sound when you run out of lives is so ridiculous that I literally laughed out loud.

Overall Score: 21

Review ID: 126