Benkei Gaiden

~ BENKEI GAIDEN ~

Sunsoft

HuCard

1989

I'm always up for a good HuCard RPG, but the main reason I was looking forward to playing Benkei Gaiden was that it would afford me the opportunity to listen to another Sunsoft PCE soundtrack. City Hunter, Out Live, and (especially) Batman have high-quality audio, and I was thrilled to discover that Benkei, too, features that distinct sound that Sunsoft was able to pull off with the system's sound chip. Sweet, breezy town tunes and a frantic (but remarkably catchy) last-battle track highlight the effort. The number used for the game's combat scenes is supported by a bassline that sounds an awful lot like a frog croaking really fast, which I find strangely amusing.

Toad-like rumbling aside, Benkei's battles have some issues. They often feel dragged out, as the text messages that detail the action hang there for a moment as if to make certain the player reads each insignificant tidbit (such as "TWO DAMAGE") in its glorious entirety. You'll probably get used to the delays after a while, but players shouldn't have to get used to such things. Also, if more than one specimen of a certain enemy type is present for a fight (say you've got three giant skulls to deal with), you can choose to attack the group of 'em, but you can't specify which individual beast you'd like to target (so your party members might split their assaults among the aforementioned skulls instead of intelligently killing one at a time, leaving all three alive to perform their own attacks).

The unappealing enemy designs utilized early in the game do nothing to make the prospect of combat more alluring. Too many of the frontline foes are poorly drawn or simply goofy in nature. For a while, wolves and mysterious women in white are the only neat adversaries to be encountered; but additional impressive creatures, including ocean titans and horses with manes and tails of fire, appear later on.

The bosses, while not particularly stout, do look pretty cool (and, in some cases, a bit crazy).

The images that appear in the heroes' profiles were also drawn well.

Outside of the battle-scene and profile sketches, Benkei presents visuals that are likely along the lines of what you'd expect from an old chip RPG.

As you might also expect from such a title, there aren't many captivating plot points to experience. But the story does take a somewhat shocking turn towards the very end (and the essence of the final conflict can be understood by players unable to read Japanese), and during a memorable sequence earlier in the adventure, the heroes investigate a sparkling spot of sea only to be accosted by an enormous water dragon.

Benkei isn't a very difficult game to get through, but here are links to some helpful guides:

http://gamersparadise.fc2web.com/koryaku/benkei/benkei.html
http://kogemaru.sugoihp.com/benkei/index.htm
http://www.h3.dion.ne.jp/~realrobo/game/benkei/ben.htm

Even if you make use of those guides, you'll need to do some poking around to uncover all of the game's secrets. You never know when you might stumble upon something important.

Star Parodier

~ STAR PARODIER ~

Hudson Soft

Super CD-ROM

1992

I know I pull the "too easy" card a lot when I review shooters. And when I do it, I bet I sound like a no-life-having, Sinistron-loving snot (which, of course, is exactly what I am). But I feel entirely justified in labeling the Star Parodier default-settings experience too easy. The very first time I played the game, I accumulated a stock of twenty-four lives before some bum finally managed to kill me. The second time I played the game, I finished with a surplus total of thirty-three. That's just ridiculous.

The lack of difficulty isn't due to a lack of things to shoot at. In fact, there's PLENTY of stuff to shoot at. But extra lives are available in such abundance and your armaments are so overpowering that you end up with nothing to be scared of. I didn't view that as a good thing; without at least some fear of ship-losing involved for the player, shooters don't seem to have much steam to run on. I realize that much of the focus here is placed on humor and personality, but heck, Parodius manages to be charismatic and challenging at the same time. Star Parodier was enjoyable for me but (you knew it was coming) far too easy (and I mean FAR too easy).

But then I cranked up the difficulty, and SP redeemed itself. The bosses really pick up their games on hard mode, and even the standard foes become more aggressive and display more mettle. Now, a good player will still accumulate twenty-plus lives and wreak plenty of havoc, but the essence of the challenge is that if you die during the hectic later stretches (and lose your power-ups in the process), you might be staring at a string of a dozen or so deaths in a row. This will drive some players batty, I'm sure, but it gives the game an exciting element I was looking for in it: the threat of having to pay bitter consequences for dying. And after discovering the harsh joys of hard mode, I was more forgiving of default, as even I don't mind a stretch of relaxing shooting here and there as long as I can crank the toughness back up when I so desire. As an added bonus, you get a different ending for conquering the sterner setting.

And that's about enough on the difficulty, as there are plenty of other good things to talk about. The game is a success as a charismatic parody. Soldier series fans will be thrilled to find lots of clever nods to the serious space odysseys SP caricatures. Neither said fans nor anyone else is likely to find the title's underwater stretches, snow lands, and Tetris-block terrains exciting conceptually, but the strips are so colorful and gorgeous that it really doesn't matter that many other shooters feature similar sections. It's incredibly neat that you can choose to soar through those areas with Bomberman or a flying PC Engine rather than the usual Soldier craft, and the weapons you'll have at your disposal are quite cool and fun to use (even if they do come down too hard on the default enemies). The bosses you'll wield those weapons against, from the snowman who tosses his own head at you to the giant evil bomberman, are extremely likable. Adding to the fun are comedic intermediary stills that relate to the level-concluding battles. And the soundtrack is really nice; the upbeat ice-land tune makes me nod along, while the mellow opening notes of the giant-fish and snow-guy boss track are appealing in an entirely different way (I kind of wish the number remained low key instead of going crazy after a few seconds).

SP is an absolute must-get for shooter novices and, on hard mode, an enjoyable option for the pros. Of course, two of its serious-minded Soldier fellows (Blade and Final) are also PCE essentials. Super Star Soldier can go to hell.

Psychic Storm

~ PSYCHIC STORM ~

Laser Soft / Telenet

Super CD-ROM

1992

I wouldn't objectively rate this vertical shooter as being anything better than "decent," but I still play it fairly frequently, mainly for its quality soundtrack. There's plenty of variety in the music here: the ocean planet theme waltzes along in ominous fashion while the "Stage X" track is extremely upbeat and inspirational and has one hell of a hook. Beyond the tunes, the game is a mixed bag.

It's cool that most of the levels are split into two sections--one where you're high above a planet and another where you're near said planet's surface. Unfortunately, it's almost always the case that one of the two is terribly bland. The first-stage city is a good example: it looks like a nice, bright metropolis from afar, but by the time you descend, the invading monsters have wrecked it. This is cool in concept, but it ultimately means you'll be looking at boring blue rectangles for the second half of the level. Only the ravine stage delivers a complete package: initially, you see dragons flying about and bones littering the landscape below you; when you descend to fight the dragons, the bones serve as wonderfully enormous backdrop embellishments.

The game moves along at a slow pace and never really gives you all that much to dodge or shoot at. The experience is exhilarating only when the music really hits its stride. Your craft can metamorphose into a big bug (and strengthen itself in the process), a gameplay element that seems neat enough at first. But transforming is hardly ever necessary during stage play, so it ends up merely being a way for you to save some energy if need be against the bosses, who look very cool but are usually outmatched.

There are four different ships you may use, and you can switch to a new one in between stages, which allows the game to pretend that there's some strategy involved in the proceedings. Don't let it fool you. I usually stick with one pilot the whole way and have little trouble regardless of which one I choose. The Max Sterling wannabe starts off with a very lame "gun," however.

In the end, Psychic Storm makes for a decent $15-20 purchase. Expect good music and mixed-bag visuals accompanying gameplay that never comes close to the levels of action found in many mightier PCE verts.

Victory Run

~ VICTORY RUN ~

Hudson Soft / NEC

HuCard

1989

I bought this driving game way back in 1989, but it wasn't until many years later that I finally managed to beat it. I didn't play it much when I was a kid because it was pretty difficult for me back then, and I didn't play it at all for a number of years because it just didn't seem like a very good game. When I finally gave it another go as a skilled and determined (and extremely geeky) adult, I not only beat it but also enjoyed it.

Practice is necessary to take a firm grip on the clunky Victory Run vehicle. Of no help at all are the other drivers, who are collision-happy bastards, and the patches of crap that are littered about most of the tracks. Making matters even more difficult is the fact that your car slows down (and loses valuable extra seconds) during the final straightaway in each stage in order to "check in" at the finish line, an element of the proceedings that immediately seemed silly and objectionable to me. There are very few tunes to accompany the initially unenjoyable racing, and the first few levels are visually dull and redundant.

But when I reached the point where I was controlling my car well enough to steer clear of all the crap-patches and bastard-manned autos, I was able to advance past those lackluster early boards, and then things got fun. The final few levels are such a step up visually from the first bunch that it's hard to believe the same designers were involved with both batches. The vast green fields in Stage 6, the cloud-crossed sky in Stage 7, the sun-brightened beach in Stage 8... it's all beautiful stuff.

Appealing latter-half artwork isn't the only thing the game has going for it. Budgeting spare parts, considering terrain type (and the effect it has on gear switching), and overcoming limited visibility during nighttime stretches are enjoyable elements that add a bit of complexity to the basic "beat the clock" formula. And I always get a kick out of the rounds of applause that are given when you complete a stage without using any of your earned/allotted extra time (and it's worth noting that the time limits during the last few levels are really quite lenient). To top it all off, the brief ending sequence is pretty amusing.

Frankly, I'm probably being a little too positive here. The appealing strategy-related aspects of the affair and the late-stage visual heroics don't offset the fact that the actual driving calls for some grueling practice sessions. Still, if you dismiss (or have already dismissed) the game due to early-level boredom (as I once did), I recommend giving it another shot at some point because of the fun that can ultimately be had with it.

Son Son II

~ SON SON II ~

NEC Avenue / Capcom

HuCard

1989

Son Son II's soundtrack caught my attention immediately; it definitely ranks among the catchiest in the PCE library. I was truly surprised by just how awesome the melodies are, as cartoony platformers of SS2's ilk usually feature merry little jingles that just aren't my thing. The first stage's theme is pleasant enough, but then comes Stage 2 with a fantastic hook, Stage 4 with a wonderful bass-heavy number, and the final board with a fast-paced classic that had me pumped for the entire last stretch.

The bright, colorful graphics also pull their weight. They reminded me a bit of Tiger Road's at first, but with emphasis on vibrancy rather than grittiness. In fact, early on I was concerned that the whole affair would come off as just too darn "happy," but the areas are so visually appealing that it's practically impossible not to enjoy them, from Stage 4's snow land and Stage 5's orange skies to Stage 6's cloud castles and Stage 7's grand fortress.

So the superficials are great, but what really makes SS2 not only an extraordinary platformer but also an elite PCE game is its exploration element. Some of the levels are absolutely enormous and offer many different roads for you to travel down. And lethargic sightseeing is unacceptable here, as you'll constantly be leaping, falling, dashing, climbing, and peeking around for secrets (of which there are loads). Those might sound like the genre's traditional actions, but the impeccable stage design propels this experience to an entirely different level. You'll continually need to contemplate your next step or leap. Determine which corridors or niches to approach first to make the going a little easier and more cost efficient, and make wise use of shops and the various spells and items they offer. The way in which you manage your inventory can lead to success or failure here. You must be especially careful when deciding whether or not to swing away with your limited-use block-smashing glove: sometimes it's beneficial to unearth a hidden bonus; other times it's best to save that swipe for a different spot, where it can reveal an even more-precious reward. You'll also have to familiarize yourself with the locations where you can replenish the all-important glove's uses. You can totally see what the designers were thinking with item, shop, and enemy placement; this is one remarkably well-constructed adventure game.

It's a good thing that thorough level investigation is so enjoyable here, as it's absolutely essential. "Exploration" in many mascot-type run-and-jumpers means strolling around as you find your eighty-second extra life or forty-seventh bonus round, but Son Son II rewards you with necessities, such as keys to new areas, significant upgrades for your weapon, and trinkets that can be traded for valuable pieces of equipment. Many of these important objects are cleverly hidden, so you'll have to be extremely attentive as you poke around. The game keeps you constantly active and constantly thinking. Memorization isn't a chore at all here; it comes naturally as you have a blast with the action and secret uncovering. You're awarded extra cash at the end of a board if you complete it quickly, so there's additional incentive to really know the ins and outs of every expansive stage. Conversely, if you spend too much time blundering about a single level, a rather mean enemy will show up to annihilate you.

Actually, the enemy cast on the whole is a rather tough lot. You'll face all sorts of bad guys, including bouncy blobs, reptilian ogres, odd Octorok-like things, sneaky flytraps, Castlevania-type bone throwers, and drifting ghosts who can shove you off platforms or knock you around endlessly. You must learn when each breed is coming and figure out which countermeasures work best in each situation. Perhaps you'll know that three blobs are about to bound towards you at once, so you'll need to position yourself for an optimal initial strike and then have the wherewithal to change your position and finish them off. Thankfully, you have cool spear-like weapons and a bit of magical power with which to combat your strong, skilled adversaries. You'll probably need to resort to sorcery to defeat a brutal fan-wielder who loves to slam you into walls. Elsewhere, you might find yourself hopping atop a cloud, gaining the ability to soar about the playfield in the process, as you deal with a giant axeman.

And at the end of it all, you'll feel awfully good, as this is a very tough game. It's also one of the greatest HuCards ever made.