Club Retro 2018: Natsume November
Nov 6, 2018 16:37:46 GMT -5
Post by toei on Nov 6, 2018 16:37:46 GMT -5
Finished Gear Senshi Dendoh.
A fair percentage of Natsume's catalog consists of licensed games. In this case, the basis (Gear Fight Dendoh in English) is a mecha anime involving plucky shonen manga children, of which I know nothing about, and for which I have no interest. The good news is that Natsume treated its licensed titles with as much serious and care as its original properties, and they are not, as a rule, lesser games.
In this case, it's primarily a 2D, single-plane beat-'em-up, somewhat like a cross between The Ninjawarriors and Mad Stalker, with the addition of two other gameplay modes that pop up on occasion. During the regular levels, you have access to a pretty large set of moves; you've got your regular beat-'em-up-style combo, low attacks, two jump attacks including one that can hit multiple times if you keep pressing the button, a ramming attack and two powerful moves executed with Street Fighter motions that you can combo into your regular attacks. You have multiple throws, including a Mike Haggar-style Piledriver, and you can grab enemies in mid-air to throw them at each other or at the ground. There's even a move meant to make air grabs easier (Up+Attack). You can double jump and block (by holding the attack button). Finally, you have special area attacks called "File Loads" that deal a ton of damage and cost you a full battery; you carry two of those, and most enemies drop small recharges. As with Summons and Magic Spells in PSX RPGs, those File Loads come with overlong attack animations that interrupt the game's flow. They are rarely necessary, fortunately, as the game is very easy for the most part.
When you reach the end of a level, you first face a boss in regular gameplay, before the game switches to a full-3D fighter mode for a one-on-one with another mecha named Ogre. The basic controls are the same, though the moves that result from the hadouken and shoryuken motions are different, and you can also pull a sort of 3D slide that lets you get around your opponent to try and sweep them. After every one of these battles, you earn a new, animal-themed weapon which can be equipped for future 3D fights, changing most or all of your moves. The robot animals are also used for the File Load moves mentioned earlier, of which shorter variations exist for the 3D fights.
Late in the game, there are also two flying levels, where the screen scrolls automatically, though rather than play like a full-on shmup, your main attack becomes a rapid ram that destroys most enemies with one impact. Finally, you get to the last two levels, where Ogre now accompanies you, attacking whenever you do. These are probably the most fun of the game, with a succession of bosses that let you go all-out with your fighting moves.
The game is pretty long for a beat-'em-up, but pretty short in general - maybe two hours or so - so it's nice that you can save after every level. As for downsides, many levels run a bit too long, and the game is too easy, with no difficulty modes. I'd replay it on Hard in a flash. Still, it's often fun, it's varied, and as a fan of both beat-'em-ups and 3D fighters, I can't help but like it.
I give it ***1/2.
Video already posted here.
A fair percentage of Natsume's catalog consists of licensed games. In this case, the basis (Gear Fight Dendoh in English) is a mecha anime involving plucky shonen manga children, of which I know nothing about, and for which I have no interest. The good news is that Natsume treated its licensed titles with as much serious and care as its original properties, and they are not, as a rule, lesser games.
In this case, it's primarily a 2D, single-plane beat-'em-up, somewhat like a cross between The Ninjawarriors and Mad Stalker, with the addition of two other gameplay modes that pop up on occasion. During the regular levels, you have access to a pretty large set of moves; you've got your regular beat-'em-up-style combo, low attacks, two jump attacks including one that can hit multiple times if you keep pressing the button, a ramming attack and two powerful moves executed with Street Fighter motions that you can combo into your regular attacks. You have multiple throws, including a Mike Haggar-style Piledriver, and you can grab enemies in mid-air to throw them at each other or at the ground. There's even a move meant to make air grabs easier (Up+Attack). You can double jump and block (by holding the attack button). Finally, you have special area attacks called "File Loads" that deal a ton of damage and cost you a full battery; you carry two of those, and most enemies drop small recharges. As with Summons and Magic Spells in PSX RPGs, those File Loads come with overlong attack animations that interrupt the game's flow. They are rarely necessary, fortunately, as the game is very easy for the most part.
When you reach the end of a level, you first face a boss in regular gameplay, before the game switches to a full-3D fighter mode for a one-on-one with another mecha named Ogre. The basic controls are the same, though the moves that result from the hadouken and shoryuken motions are different, and you can also pull a sort of 3D slide that lets you get around your opponent to try and sweep them. After every one of these battles, you earn a new, animal-themed weapon which can be equipped for future 3D fights, changing most or all of your moves. The robot animals are also used for the File Load moves mentioned earlier, of which shorter variations exist for the 3D fights.
Late in the game, there are also two flying levels, where the screen scrolls automatically, though rather than play like a full-on shmup, your main attack becomes a rapid ram that destroys most enemies with one impact. Finally, you get to the last two levels, where Ogre now accompanies you, attacking whenever you do. These are probably the most fun of the game, with a succession of bosses that let you go all-out with your fighting moves.
The game is pretty long for a beat-'em-up, but pretty short in general - maybe two hours or so - so it's nice that you can save after every level. As for downsides, many levels run a bit too long, and the game is too easy, with no difficulty modes. I'd replay it on Hard in a flash. Still, it's often fun, it's varied, and as a fan of both beat-'em-ups and 3D fighters, I can't help but like it.
I give it ***1/2.
Video already posted here.