Detana TwinBee

~ DETANA!! TWINBEE ~

Konami

HuCard

1992

I think of TwinBee as one of those games that make people like them a little more than they really deserve to be liked. Gameplay-wise, it reminds me of Cyber Core, but CC moves along at a faster pace and keeps the player much busier. TB's "pelt-a-bell" power-up system (blast an uncovered instrument to effect a change in the weaponry that can be acquired from it) is inconvenient and yields weapons that are nothing special. The music is completely inoffensive but forgettable, and it's often drowned out by the sound effects anyway, which are decent but not noteworthy aside from some neat explosions. Personality is essential for a cute 'em up, and this game has it, but not nearly as much of it as Parodius has. It's short and quite easy. And the bosses are cool enough, but don't expect any memorable confrontations.

All of that being said, the game looks very nice, though not necessarily in a technically impressive way. The color choices are impeccable, and some of the background concepts are quite interesting. I particularly like the wavy green clouds in Stage 6 and the pretty pink mountains overrun by streams and waterfalls in Stage 5.

Considering TwinBee's focus and merits, I'd say it's more suitable for a casual player than for a hard-core shooter fan who's looking for the best the PCE has to offer in the genre. Still, it's good enough to be worth the low cost for anyone. It's true that for most of the time I'm playing TB, my thoughts are elsewhere, with my attention only occasionally recaptured for moments when I think, "This is a nice-looking part." But it's also true that having a game like that to play every now and then isn't such a bad thing.