Sol-Feace
The rare case where an F is better than a DGenre: shooter - horizontal
Publisher: Sega
Year: 1992
System: Sega CD
Gameplay Score: 4
Gameplay Notes:
Responsive controls. Strange mechanic where two options on top and bottom of your ship will fan out (aka angled up/down) if you move forward and the reverse if you move forward. This only happens when not shooting which allows you to adjust your shots ever so slightly. It's novel but doesn't have a huge impact on the gameplay since the angle can only be adjusted perhaps 30%. Regardless, the gameplay here is fast and frenetic! Some segments are almost bullet hell quality while other times it's about ship placement and memorization. So it's a good blend of Gradius and R-Type. Movement is fast but speed is not adjustable, which I'm fine with. I wish there were more weapon upgrades but this is easily one of the best shoot-em-ups on the Genesis.
Level Design Score: 4
Level Design Notes:
Lots of variety. I only wish there were more levels. A highlight is that all bosses have two phases. Some creative designs for those bosses.
Theme Score: 5
Theme Notes:
Typical setting, with aliens invading the solar system and your goal of pushing them back one planet at a time. A brief message appears between levels explaining your next objective. I like it. The opening cutscene is campy but well drawn and animated. Good stuff.
Art Style Score: 4
Art Style Notes:
Many levels look like a Thunder Force title. I also love the text font and the small, out of the way HUD. The level with a zoomed in ship (R-Type style) is a bit of an eyesore but most everything else looks great. Slowdown appears occasionally and some screens can become so crowded that it's hard to spot enemies and objects but overall this is a good looking game. It doesn't hold a candle to Axelay or Lightening Force, but it's pretty good.
Audio Score: 5
Audio Notes:
The soundtrack is an absolute highlight. Each track is upbeat and layered with interesting sounds and riffs that get your blood pumping. Bosses have their own tracks as well. Sounds are more of a mized bag. Your normal shots have an odd thumping quality, almost like they're hitting fabric. It's distinct and not too annoying though. Explosions sound great.
Overall Score: 83
Review ID: 12114
Had this game for my Sega CD. I actually had the unit that sat under the genesis, not to the side. What made this game especially memorable is the music, and that childhood memory was enhanced by my brother (a certified audiophile) hooking up a state-of-the-art stereo system on both sides of my CRT TV that I used to play this game. The opening cinematic was spellbinding, felt like I was watching a cartoon. Even the opening generic narration, with the GCS-WT supercomputer sitting in the frame with a lengthy text exposition, narrated by a guy with a low voice, was super compelling and even had me wondering about the dangers of artificial intelligence well before Terminator 2 aired on public TV.
ReplyDeleteBetween the speakers and the cinematics, it felt like I was the star of my own 90s space opera epic. At least until I got past the title screen as a young kid.
The actual gameplay frustrated me as a kid due to its high difficulty, I couldn't even complete the first level. I later revisited it as an adult (because I remembered how good the music was) to much more success, and found it to be a competently made shoot-em-up with some flaws. For instance, the game could really use a screen-clearing bomb weapon. Level 3 has some bad color choices where enemies and projectiles match with the red background of what I presume to be the planet Mars.
Some bosses are total bullet sponges. The boss before the last level is an enormous pain and I would not be able to defeat it without save states (there's 3 phases to it if I recall, including one phase where he shoots indestructible homing missiles at you that are very difficult to dodge and anticipate).
Gameplay isn't all that bad though once I "got gud". I like how your ship doesn't explode when hitting surfaces, it bounces off instead. I liked how there was a top, middle, and bottom weapon for the ship. Unlike others who reviewed this game, I did find some situations where adjusting the firing angles was useful, like when bombing ground targets on the moon mission.
The music is so good I would have never given this game a second look had the music not been so memorable and awesome.
Thank you for sharing the excellent thoughts, Mike. I liked both the Genesis and Sega CD versions, but I agree that the music and opening cinematic from the SCD version are top-notch.
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