Shadow Squadron (32X review)

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Released: 1995

 

Shadow Squadron is a first-person space shooter that was released as Stellar Assault in Europe and Japan.

 

You play as a Flight Officer and your job is to protect Outpost 51 from an invading alien fleet. There's six missions, along with two selectable ships that have unique abilities. Feather 1 has auto laser guns, guided laser torpedoes and recharges its energy after each mission; in contrast, Feather 2 has heavy lasers, an energy torpedo and a stronger shield, but never recharges its energy. The gameplay involves flying around, using your radar to locate enemies and then destroying them. While the first four missions are repetitive they're incredibly enjoyable, and I love how much strategy is involved in terms of discovering the weak point of each enemy ship. The controls are fantastic and allow for split-second avade manoeuvres, while the constrasting styles of the two playable ships offer lots of replayability. Mission 5 includes an awesome Trench Run scene, and the pologon-heavy graphics look great while showing off the power of the 32X's processing speed. Mission 6 introduces a timer where the objective is to destroy the eight slave units before blowing up a G.L. Cannon; the time limit is short (it's almost impossible to complete the mission on your first try) but it's a neat diversion and works well as a final boss battle. Despite how much fun the action is though, it's over quickly and feels slightly unfinished; it's almost as if the developers were told to stop creating assets and just use the existing ones so the game could be rushed to release! There is an additional on-rails shooter mode, but it gets unwieldy by Mission 4 due to the unrelenting projectiles and the fact that the cursor speeds are either too fast or too slow.

 

Shadow Squadron is a competent space shooter, with fun missions and gameplay that demolishes Star Wars Arcade (1994, Sega 32X) in just about every way. There's no escaping that it's light on content and mission variety, but its deceptively deep mechanics and variance in the playable ships are good hooks to keep you coming back.

 

 

 

Random trivia: In 1998, a sequel was released on the Sega Saturn called Stellar Assault SS.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire (32X review)

Developer: BlueSky Software

Publisher: Sega

Released: 1996

 

The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire is an exclusive, late-release action game for the 32X.

 

Your mission in the game's ten stages is to stop Hydra's electrical plasma grid from wiping out New York City. At your disposal are a few attack moves such as a web blast, running kick, and a combo of punches; collecting icons in each stage also allows you to call in your super hero ally Daredevil to wipe out everything on screen. Unfortunately the controls are extremely slippery and Spider-Man moves too quickly; this results in frequent and accidental contact with enemies and dangerous objects no matter how delicate you are with the d-pad. Spidey also has a habit of sticking to the scenery, usually when he's in the neighbourhood of an electrical fence or generator! The collision detection is slightly off too, and despite taking lots of unfair damage the game doesn't even have the courtesy to refill your health after each stage. The combat is unspectacular, and the lack of moves void any real attack strategies. Some enemies take forever to beat and like in Wild Streets (1990, Amstrad GX4000) your best bet of staying alive is to jump over them and keep running! The level design is repetitious (with the same assets and sections reused multiple times), and some stages are so poorly constructed that they allow you to skip large sections by clinging to the ceiling! There are a couple of standouts from an aesthetic point-of-view though, such as the battle on the George Washington Bridge, and on Hydra's Airship where you can see the scenery passing by the windows! However, the bosses leave a lot to be desired, and defeating them boils down to mashing buttons rather than pattern recognition.

 

The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire is a real missed opportunity, as the level design and combat wasn't refined in any way, shape or form. With a little more care and development time this could have been a great late release in the console's library, but irritatingly it's yet another 32X game that's undercooked.

 

 

 

Random trivia: A debug mode featuring a level select can be accessed by inputting a button combination on the opening screen.

Metal Head (32X review)

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Released: 1995

 

Metal Head is a first-person mech shooter that's exclusive to the Sega 32X.

 

There's six stages (with 2-3 missions each) and your objective is to destroy the headquarters of a terrorist organisation. Weapons include Missile Launchers, Float Mines and Lasers, and the game uses texture-mapped polygons to create a fully 3D world that looks impressive for the 32X. However, the frame-rate is low, resulting in severe over-steer on the horizontal axis which can affect your aim. The draw distance is okay, but there are times when you'll take damage despite no enemies being visible on screen. The game is still playable though and there's a simplistic charm to the action as you demolish everything in sight! The mission variety is great, especially when you photograph an enemy hideout and then clear the way so a helicopter can blast open its doors. Other highlights include Stage 3 which requires night vision goggles so you can attempt a sneak attack, and Stage 4 where you endure an enemy onslaught while waiting to blow up an incoming train. Most missions take place outdoors, but the occasional indoor sections are less playable as your movement is temporarily locked when you enter a room, leaving enemies free to fire away! They also feature maze-like layouts, but if your shield depletes to under 50% it's easy to get lost as your HUD starts to malfunction! Perhaps the game's best feature is the ability to purchase new weapons or upgrade existing ones at the end of each stage, as it really helps to increase replayability. The option to switch between six camera angles on the fly is also fantastic and allows players to find the best view to suit their gameplay style.

Metal Head has some technical issues that affect the gameplay, but ultimately its adrenaline-fuelled action, varied missions and interesting weapon upgrade system are great hooks to keep you motivated. It's a unique game in the 32X's library and despite the obvious flaws it's definitely worth a look for fans of early 3D shooters.

 

 

Random trivia: The ending hints at a sequel which unfortunately never materialised.

Knuckles' Chaotix (32X review)

Developer: Sonic Team

Publisher: Sega

Released: 1995

 

Knuckles' Chaotix is a platform game that's exclusive to the Sega 32X.

 

There's five worlds (with five acts each) and your mission is to stop Dr. Robotnik from ruining the opening of Carnival Island's amusement park. The gameplay involves two characters being permanently connected which forces them to work together; you can either pick up your partner and throw them, or hold them in one position while you stretch out for a slingshot effect that zooms you both up ramps. The controls take a while to get used to but it's thrilling when you manage to string together a series of complicated moves to reach higher platforms! The level design has many clever moments, such as in Botanic Base where both characters need to stand on separate platforms to open locked doors. Other standout moments include Amazing Arena (locate and press a switch to return colour to the world) and Speed Slider (fast-paced action with lots of loops). Replayability is high too, as the five playable characters all have unique abilities. The platforming is a little uninspired, but the puzzle-like element of solving navigational problems to progress through levels is strong. Perhaps to cater for the unfamiliar controls, the game is extremely easy and the few enemies and bosses can be ploughed through with little effort. Worlds and acts are also randomly selected (meaning you're always flicking between locations), which ends up deflating the euphoria of progressing through an adventure in a set order. The Bonus Stage (hit power-ups while avoiding Exit blocks in a free-falling arena) and Special Stage (collect blue spheres in a 3D auto runner) are winners though and show off the 32X's scaling power.

 

Knuckles' Chaotix is an innovative title and as long as you don't come into it expecting typical Sonic gameplay you'll find that there's a fun, yet unique platforming experience here. It's definitely not as accessible from a control standpoint, but those that give it a fair chance will discover a worthy spin-off with high amounts of replayability.

 

 

Random trivia: The game was originally prototyped on the Sega Genesis and an early build of what was then known as Sonic Crackers is available online in ROM format.

Kolibri (32X review)

Developer: Novotrade

Publisher: Sega

Released: 1995

 

Kolibri is a shoot-em-up that's exclusive to the Sega 32X.

 

As a hummingbird, your mission is to defeat the dark crystal's evil and restore the Earth crystal's harmonious energy. It supports 1-2 players (co-op) and features an array of weapons such as Cluster Bombs, Reflecting shots and Homing attacks. There's 20 levels and unlike most shooters they're split between varying gameplay styles. The opening 'tutorial' level is massively confusing, as unless you have the manual you somehow have to know to drink from the orange flower to progress. Subsequent levels task you with wiping out all enemies but there's no map to aid navigation, and your life-bar is only displayed after you've taken damage; it's a very unintuitive start and one that will likely deter a few players. While the weapons are great, your bird moves erratically and has a strange jitter that regularly puts you back in harms way after you've just dodged an attack. Enemies constantly respawn in most levels too and fire before they're even visible on screen, resulting in blindside deaths. There are a few auto-scrolling levels to break things up but they're far too short. The puzzle stages are interesting and usually require a particular weapon to open up a blocked path; however, the solutions are cryptic and without an FAQ you'll struggle. One standout stage is Terra Decay, as you secretly trail a large creature until it opens the pathway to its underground cave. Later levels involve lots of backtracking, but the skittish bird movements and abundance of cheap hits ruin the above-average stage design. The game's high point is its jaw-droppingly gorgeous visuals that look like a watercolour painting.

Kolibri deserves credit for trying something new and adding variety to an otherwise rigid genre, but in reality it ends up being different for the sake of being different. It's far too abstract for its own good, and the flaky controls, overly aggressive A.I. and lack of signposting make for a rather exasperating experience.

 

 

 

Random trivia: Novotrade also developed the Ecco the Dolphin series of games.