Cyber Cross: Busou Keij for PCE
Review #8023
Cyber Cross: Busou Keij
Shinobi starring Power Rangers
Gameplay
Begins as a standard Kung Fu clone. Enemies spawn in from the left or right and you only have a punch to take them down. Nearly all go down in one hit and they barrel towards you so the entire gameplay loop is timing your strokes to hot them without taking damage yourself. You can gain health and a Power Rangers power up that gives you an improved weapon. There are three - a sword, gun, and boomerang. The sword has a wide overhead arch, making it great for taking out flying and jumping enemies. With it, the game feels like Shinobi. The gun turns the game into Rolling Thunder. And the boomerang is an abomination that must be avoided at all costs.
Taking damage will remove your current powerup but pickups are plentiful, so the game is quite easy.
I have three major complaints - slow movement, laggy controls, and grounded gameplay. Enemies move much faster than you do, so progress is best made by slowly inching along to take them out individually. Laggy controls eat inputs and force you to be deliberate in all of your choices. And you can only punch while jumping, regardless of your power up, which rewards grounded gameplay. Twitch gameplay this is not.
Level Design
Ok, yes, this is a walk to the right with no verticality, 8-bit game. Enemies spawn in at predetermined spots and will overwhelm you if you continuously plow forward. But most stages have two or three levels of platforms which allows you to avoid or engage in many of those enemy encounters. And you can jump up or down at will, like Shinobi and similar games. The stages kept me engaged long enough that I finished the entire game - on my first playthrough. So, not bad.
Theme
Generic 1960s or 1970s Japanese rubber suit aesthetic akin to Ultraman or Power Rangers. Nothing to complain about or praise.
Art Style
NES quality artwork and sprites. No detail in the backgrounds, although each stage looks distinct.
Audio
Nice but forgettable chiptunes.
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