CR '24: Mar-Apr - Fanatical For Fourth Gen Fan Translations
Apr 18, 2024 9:10:49 GMT -5
Post by Sarge on Apr 18, 2024 9:10:49 GMT -5
I finished up Kishin Douji Zenki: Rettou Raiden. I do think there's a lot to like here - there's some very mild exploration elements in the later stages, enough so that you can really rack up extra lives. Granted, I was using save states, but it's not a game that would really require them as by the end I had over 20 lives. That's not to say there aren't a few tricky spots, but it's a very doable game on a first run.
I did enjoy that there were a few command-style moves that you could pull. A double-tap forward gives a dashing attack, holding up creates a very useful whirlwind attack, and holding the button charges up for an energy shot. The jump kick covers some horizontal space, so it can also be useful both in the platforming and in a boss battle. And there's a forward/backdash on the L/R triggers. There was another move that I accidentally pulled that I'm not sure what the inputs were, though, but there's at least a little depth beyond "punch punch punch". I feel like the game could have used a bit more that leveraged the entire moveset, though, which leads into...
...the game's length. It's not very long, comprising five stages. I won't say that it's really any different from a lot of other action games of that time, though - even some of the 16-bit classics only last for an hour or two, tops. There's no password backup here (as far as I know), so you need to do it all in one run, but that's not an onerous task unless you don't have a lot of time. I think I probably spent around two hours on it over a few nights - save states are your friend, which is why I was playing on a PowKiddy RGB20S. (Neat system, but the d-pad is uncomfortably situated so I felt some cramping during the session. )
I have no familiarity outside of other games in this series with whatever anime/manga this is part of, but one of the big positives is the graphics. Big sprites, solid-looking environments, some nice special effects - this has all the hallmarks of a late SNES release. It also has the hallmarks of many SNES releases in the slowdown. Big sprites = big slowdown in many spots. I'm not sure if they used FastROM or not, but it's definitely not the most optimized game in the world. I don't remember much of the music, so at least it was inoffensive.
The fan translation was pretty good overall. I just caught one instance where there was a "you're" instead of "your" employed, which triggers me just a little bit, but I think much of the banter and interaction between the two characters was captured well - there's a sort of Inuyasha-like situation here where the girl has control over your demon lord character, and can take away his powers and turn him into a child. This does carry over to the actual stages, where you're smaller and have a much shorter life bar, and also lose many of the powerful moves you'd have otherwise.
Really, I think I'd love this game a lot more if the platforming weren't so sluggish. The slowdown bothers me less than how you almost always have to employ that flip-jump to navigate areas effectively. Otherwise, you're stuck with covering very little ground when you jump. I definitely adjusted as the game went on, but I also think some of the early areas don't put the game in the best light, and can highlight this weakness out of the gate. I also think that the start-up on moves after performing a flip-jump is pretty slow - there were a lot of times where I really wanted to get off an attack after evading a boss, but the game wouldn't let me because I was still in cooldown. It adds to the very weighty, slow feel of the game. With just a few little tweaks, this could be in hidden gem territory. But as it is... I have to give it a 6/10, much as toei did. It's not a bad time at all, it just could have been a lot better.
I did enjoy that there were a few command-style moves that you could pull. A double-tap forward gives a dashing attack, holding up creates a very useful whirlwind attack, and holding the button charges up for an energy shot. The jump kick covers some horizontal space, so it can also be useful both in the platforming and in a boss battle. And there's a forward/backdash on the L/R triggers. There was another move that I accidentally pulled that I'm not sure what the inputs were, though, but there's at least a little depth beyond "punch punch punch". I feel like the game could have used a bit more that leveraged the entire moveset, though, which leads into...
...the game's length. It's not very long, comprising five stages. I won't say that it's really any different from a lot of other action games of that time, though - even some of the 16-bit classics only last for an hour or two, tops. There's no password backup here (as far as I know), so you need to do it all in one run, but that's not an onerous task unless you don't have a lot of time. I think I probably spent around two hours on it over a few nights - save states are your friend, which is why I was playing on a PowKiddy RGB20S. (Neat system, but the d-pad is uncomfortably situated so I felt some cramping during the session. )
I have no familiarity outside of other games in this series with whatever anime/manga this is part of, but one of the big positives is the graphics. Big sprites, solid-looking environments, some nice special effects - this has all the hallmarks of a late SNES release. It also has the hallmarks of many SNES releases in the slowdown. Big sprites = big slowdown in many spots. I'm not sure if they used FastROM or not, but it's definitely not the most optimized game in the world. I don't remember much of the music, so at least it was inoffensive.
The fan translation was pretty good overall. I just caught one instance where there was a "you're" instead of "your" employed, which triggers me just a little bit, but I think much of the banter and interaction between the two characters was captured well - there's a sort of Inuyasha-like situation here where the girl has control over your demon lord character, and can take away his powers and turn him into a child. This does carry over to the actual stages, where you're smaller and have a much shorter life bar, and also lose many of the powerful moves you'd have otherwise.
Really, I think I'd love this game a lot more if the platforming weren't so sluggish. The slowdown bothers me less than how you almost always have to employ that flip-jump to navigate areas effectively. Otherwise, you're stuck with covering very little ground when you jump. I definitely adjusted as the game went on, but I also think some of the early areas don't put the game in the best light, and can highlight this weakness out of the gate. I also think that the start-up on moves after performing a flip-jump is pretty slow - there were a lot of times where I really wanted to get off an attack after evading a boss, but the game wouldn't let me because I was still in cooldown. It adds to the very weighty, slow feel of the game. With just a few little tweaks, this could be in hidden gem territory. But as it is... I have to give it a 6/10, much as toei did. It's not a bad time at all, it just could have been a lot better.