Ugly but intriguing shooting experience
This is something of a curiosity, a science fiction themed shooter that owes a lot to horizontally scrolling classics like R-Type and Gradius but which was never actually finished, leaving only this brief glimpse into what might have been. On the surface, it's familiar stuff, offering little in the way of narrative while there are only three rather short levels available (due to its unfinished nature), which also feature the usual expected boss battles. The visuals themselves are actually rather shabby, being pretty ugly and with poorly designed sprites and backdrops but the parallax scrolling is quite nifty for its age and makes up partly for any other visual shortcomings. However, it's the game's difficulty level which is perhaps the most notable aspect and which makes it of greater appeal than it might at first appear. Unusually though, this isn't due to the usual factors which make such games challenging, such as insanely high levels of bullets and ridiculously tough enemies, but rather from the way that various in-game variables can be set to make things easier or more difficult. These include the likes of effects of colliding with objects and the amount of enemy fire that is unleashed, with novice players even able to make themselves invincible if they like. The boss battles are suitably satisfying, with many parts to destroy before they succumb so if you can get past the ugly graphics and limited number of levels, there is something to be enjoyed here, although it is likely to be only truly dedicated shooter fans who will see this for what it is.
