The game gives you 3 ships to choose from - the first is the least powerful but covers the largest area, the 2nd is the most powerful but offers a fairly concentrated beam that fires straight ahead only (in similar fashion to the Donpachi laser) and the third offers 2 modes of fire, a) a concentrated wave-type weapon (powerful) b) a fanned out weapon (lower power but greater coverage).

The game is set slightly apart from other shooters of this ilk by it's leanings towards an RPG-like power up system. You have a meter that builds up over time (through destroying enemies) until it hits the top at which point your weapon levels up and the meter resets and builds up again. You can make more significant jumps in your 'experience meter' by collecting the occasional power up token left by certain enemies. If you've played Border Down, you'll know what to expect.

This system is capable of producing weapons of legendary proportions, far in excess of anything the Donpachi series can offer. Assuming you can stay alive long enough to see them that is ;)

Gameplay.....

First impressions of the game aren't all that good to be honest. The graphics aren't anything to shout about (seemingly, the game was already 3 years old when it was converted/released in 1996) and the default music is pretty pap. Add to that the terrible characterisation of the 3 ships' pilots and the fact that your firepower in starting the game is only slightly above 'Pea-Shooter' proportions and even the starting difficulty level is a tad harsh and it's not off to a good start.

However, don't be tempted to switch off your saturn and reach for Silvergun just yet. Persevere with this game and you will be justly rewarded with a tidy little package of shooting pleasure.

The gameplay itself is very reminiscent of the original Donpachi (in fact i'm lead to believe that this game pre-dates Mr. Pachi and was developed by some members of the cave team), basically nothing too complicated - fly around and kill as much as you can staying alive as long as possible amassing an increasingly silly amount of firepower. The ridiculous size of your weapons is both the games biggest attraction and letdown. As I said earlier, the weapons in this game really are enormous. They start off pretty crappy but by the time you get to the end of level 2 you are well on your way to making even the end of level bosses green with envy/fear.

So why does this also let the game down then Barm? I hear you cry.

Well, you may have cottoned on to the fact that this game is a tad tricky (especially for someone of my limited shooting talents), mainly because of the amount and speed of bullets that are thrown around in each level (by the time you get to level 3 things are getting very tricky). Once you get to weapon level 3 your lasers/bullets are basically covering half of the screen making it very difficult to spot bullets flying towards you. Basically, the further you get into the game, the bigger your weapons get, the faster the bullets fly the harder it is to stay alive. If, like me, you have an aversion to using credits, you are not going to pass level 3 any time soon. Similarly, if you don't like using smart bombs (the game starts you off with 3 of these) be prepared to execute some zen-like dodging manouvres.

All this said, however, Batsugun is an enjoyable game, perseverance will reward you with satisfyingly large weapons and continued, if protracted, progress through the levels. It presents a nice challenge for all but the most seasoned Mars Matrix/Donpachi series players. It really is like playing a shooting RPG but minus the beard growing or cardigan wearing.

The Visuals.....

The visuals in this game aren't going to set the shooting world on fire. the character drawings are reminiscent of some of the more sub-standard PC Engine artwork and the level and ship designs are fairly uninspired.

There are the occasional nice bits, however, such as the opening level's dolphins swimming around beneath you.

Functional at best..........

Music.........

..........as is the music. You can choose between original and arrange modes (I would suggest the latter, it's a vast improvement over the original mode) but they both offer the same jangly shooter-pop that's disappointingly light on sophistication or adrenaline inducement. Still, it does stick in your head after a while. Sound effects are ok but a little quiet for my liking and you never really get the impression that things are getting smashed to pieces as in other games such as Ikaruga or Thunderforce V. I suggest putting your saturn audio through something with a lot of bass, then the explosions start to sound a little beefier.

One plus side is this game does have the best continue music i've heard in ages.

In Conclusion.....

If you're into crazy-weapon shooters (like Donpachi) that offer up a significant challenge then you will most certainly appreciate this. Those not so enamoured with the mentalist approach to shooting should not get too excited about this game.

It's by no means bad and would be a worthy addition to any self-respecting shmup-o-phile's saturn collection. Just don't rush out and buy it if you're not so keen on the crazy-weapon style.

download the video 

(Level 1, 32.5Mb .wmv format)

download the other video 

(Credit sequence, 5.6Mb .wmv format)

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