Dun's PC-98 Reviews
Aug 12, 2018 3:20:13 GMT -5
Post by dunpeal2064 on Aug 12, 2018 3:20:13 GMT -5
Night Slave
Night Slave is a side-scrolling mecha run 'n gun released by Melody in 1996. It features controls and a character feel similar to the Assault Suit series, with a Gradius-like power up system, and a variety of weapons, sub weapons, and options that you'll earn as you progress. Oh, and of course, it features hentai scenes between missions.
This might be the coolest mech I've ever seen, and the pilots are pretty cute to boot!
Those that have played mecha action games before will feel at home here. Your mech is appropriately weighty, aims slowly, is able to momentarily hover in air, and has a dash (Which, here, can be continued indefinitely!). You can also choose whether or not your shot locks in place when pressing fire in the options menu. You pick up power ups to move along a meter, and use them when the meter highlights the power up you want, making power ups further down the meter more expensive. You'll use this to heal, power up your weapon and sub, gain a shield which blocks a certain amount of hits (And appears on your character!), and a screen clearing bomb. At the end of each level, you have the chance to receive new weapons and subs (Ranging from laser cannons to flame throwers), and eventually you can earn options (A homing pod, jet boosters that give you infinite hover, and an armor that ups your defense and shoots a laser). Your weapons retain their level as you progress, making it beneficial to commit to a weapon once you start leveling it.
I seriously can't stress enough how rad the mechs are in this game.
There are a total of 10 stages here, most having multiple parts, giving this game a decent length for an action game, but not overstaying its welcome. Stages are varied, too, going from a typical run 'n gun, to more maze-like areas, to single-area defensives. Stages even have different amounts of sections, some going straight to boss fights, so the game never feels like its going through a pattern, and instead feels natural and organic in its progression. There are a ton of enemy and boss types here, many featuring new and interesting attacks and movement patterns. The bosses are especially noteworthy, often being large, gorgeous mecha/machine monsters.
Bosses from both Gradius and R-Type making an appearance!
The presentation here is absolutely stellar. Stages look great and varied, sprites are sharp and detailed, with tons of cool-looking mechas to be had, and music is top notch. Again, the bosses take the cake here, offering some giant, multi-part, highly-detailed mecha goodness. There is quite a bit of story here, too (Not just hentai, actual story), the amount of text in this game is insane. There is an option to turn off the cutscenes (It gets rid of both story and hentai, can't choose), but even in-game there is a healthy amount of dialogue. Luckily, the game is playable without being able to read Japanese, and even more luckily, a lot of the story is conveyed very well through its sprites and actions being taken. I'm sure I missed a ton of the actual plot, but when something crazy would happen, I was following along well enough to know, and even to have it impact me a bit.
While my experience here was almost entirely positive, there were a few hiccups. The game does seem to drop inputs now and then, though not gratuitously so. I do wish it were a bit easier to level up gear, as I felt forced into one early on (It took a good part of the game to hit level 3 wep/sub on one piece) The design of attacks does often seem to be based more around taking damage than not. This may just be a trait of mecha games, since you aren't agile and would probably often be hit, but it still rubs the wrong way a bit. Several of the bosses seem to have safespots, too, that are almost obvious to find, and are too tempting to abuse when their attacks are barely dodgeable. One of the last bosses phases is especially bad in this regard, and the last boss overall is a bit bothersome (Its last few phases are great, its mostly the first two that feel a little sloppy). Also, don't kill phase 4 off-screen or it can/will soft-lock the game! While this stuff can occasionally occur, though, it doesn't come close to hampering the enjoyment to be had here. This is more just to mention what could have been improved in an already awesome game.
Gameplay 8.5/10: Really fantastic overall. The mech feels great to pilot, the enemies are a ton of fun to fight, and the different weapons are sweet. The Gradius style power ups work great here. Most of the bosses are a blast to fight. There is a bit that could be improved here, but nothing that will prevent enjoyment whatsoever.
Art/Sound 9/10: Night Slave kills it in every category here. Its cutscenes and pixel-art are jaw-dropping, its mecha sprites are wonderful, its backgrounds are lovely, and the music is above par throughout, often reaching into excellence.
Lew Factor 7/10: There are lewds, and they are fairly lewd (The bar is pretty high already on this system), and of similar quality to the non-lewd scenes. If you like lewds, they will be a nice treat between stages, but honestly, this game does not need these. It carries its weight on its own, and would be an absolute recommend even without them. The only real bummer here for people that want to avoid lewds is that turning them off kills the non-lewd scenes as well, which despite being illegible to me, were still worth watching.
If I had to make a top 3 PC-98 games from what I've played so far, Night Slave would be in there. Absolutely gets my approval and recommendation full stop.
Night Slave is a side-scrolling mecha run 'n gun released by Melody in 1996. It features controls and a character feel similar to the Assault Suit series, with a Gradius-like power up system, and a variety of weapons, sub weapons, and options that you'll earn as you progress. Oh, and of course, it features hentai scenes between missions.
This might be the coolest mech I've ever seen, and the pilots are pretty cute to boot!
Those that have played mecha action games before will feel at home here. Your mech is appropriately weighty, aims slowly, is able to momentarily hover in air, and has a dash (Which, here, can be continued indefinitely!). You can also choose whether or not your shot locks in place when pressing fire in the options menu. You pick up power ups to move along a meter, and use them when the meter highlights the power up you want, making power ups further down the meter more expensive. You'll use this to heal, power up your weapon and sub, gain a shield which blocks a certain amount of hits (And appears on your character!), and a screen clearing bomb. At the end of each level, you have the chance to receive new weapons and subs (Ranging from laser cannons to flame throwers), and eventually you can earn options (A homing pod, jet boosters that give you infinite hover, and an armor that ups your defense and shoots a laser). Your weapons retain their level as you progress, making it beneficial to commit to a weapon once you start leveling it.
I seriously can't stress enough how rad the mechs are in this game.
There are a total of 10 stages here, most having multiple parts, giving this game a decent length for an action game, but not overstaying its welcome. Stages are varied, too, going from a typical run 'n gun, to more maze-like areas, to single-area defensives. Stages even have different amounts of sections, some going straight to boss fights, so the game never feels like its going through a pattern, and instead feels natural and organic in its progression. There are a ton of enemy and boss types here, many featuring new and interesting attacks and movement patterns. The bosses are especially noteworthy, often being large, gorgeous mecha/machine monsters.
Bosses from both Gradius and R-Type making an appearance!
The presentation here is absolutely stellar. Stages look great and varied, sprites are sharp and detailed, with tons of cool-looking mechas to be had, and music is top notch. Again, the bosses take the cake here, offering some giant, multi-part, highly-detailed mecha goodness. There is quite a bit of story here, too (Not just hentai, actual story), the amount of text in this game is insane. There is an option to turn off the cutscenes (It gets rid of both story and hentai, can't choose), but even in-game there is a healthy amount of dialogue. Luckily, the game is playable without being able to read Japanese, and even more luckily, a lot of the story is conveyed very well through its sprites and actions being taken. I'm sure I missed a ton of the actual plot, but when something crazy would happen, I was following along well enough to know, and even to have it impact me a bit.
While my experience here was almost entirely positive, there were a few hiccups. The game does seem to drop inputs now and then, though not gratuitously so. I do wish it were a bit easier to level up gear, as I felt forced into one early on (It took a good part of the game to hit level 3 wep/sub on one piece) The design of attacks does often seem to be based more around taking damage than not. This may just be a trait of mecha games, since you aren't agile and would probably often be hit, but it still rubs the wrong way a bit. Several of the bosses seem to have safespots, too, that are almost obvious to find, and are too tempting to abuse when their attacks are barely dodgeable. One of the last bosses phases is especially bad in this regard, and the last boss overall is a bit bothersome (Its last few phases are great, its mostly the first two that feel a little sloppy). Also, don't kill phase 4 off-screen or it can/will soft-lock the game! While this stuff can occasionally occur, though, it doesn't come close to hampering the enjoyment to be had here. This is more just to mention what could have been improved in an already awesome game.
Gameplay 8.5/10: Really fantastic overall. The mech feels great to pilot, the enemies are a ton of fun to fight, and the different weapons are sweet. The Gradius style power ups work great here. Most of the bosses are a blast to fight. There is a bit that could be improved here, but nothing that will prevent enjoyment whatsoever.
Art/Sound 9/10: Night Slave kills it in every category here. Its cutscenes and pixel-art are jaw-dropping, its mecha sprites are wonderful, its backgrounds are lovely, and the music is above par throughout, often reaching into excellence.
Lew Factor 7/10: There are lewds, and they are fairly lewd (The bar is pretty high already on this system), and of similar quality to the non-lewd scenes. If you like lewds, they will be a nice treat between stages, but honestly, this game does not need these. It carries its weight on its own, and would be an absolute recommend even without them. The only real bummer here for people that want to avoid lewds is that turning them off kills the non-lewd scenes as well, which despite being illegible to me, were still worth watching.
If I had to make a top 3 PC-98 games from what I've played so far, Night Slave would be in there. Absolutely gets my approval and recommendation full stop.
