The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1992

The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! is an action-platformer based on the animated TV show The Jetsons.

+ Level design is decent and there's some interesting ideas such as reversed gravity and switching between dimensions.

+ Opening level features some in-game tutorials to get you used to the controls and gameplay mechanics.

+ Slowly introduces new power-up mechanics to progress the gameplay, and there's some excellent boss battles.

+ Music is delightfully catchy and there's some gorgeous background sprite detail that adds depth to the surroundings.

- Core gameplay is derivative of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1990, NES) and there's little here to differentiate it.

- Controls are stiff and attempting to reverse course in mid-air or make pixel-perfect adjustments is dicey.

- Has some abrupt difficulty spikes that can quickly drain your lives, and the checkpoint spacing can be annoying.

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Milton Bradley
Released: 1990

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War is a shoot-em-up that was only released on the NES in North America.

+ Stage design is excellent and the narrow corridors evoke feelings of claustrophobia that lead to intense battles.

+ Mixes in both horizontally and vertically scrolling levels, with the latter being a rare case of moving down the screen.

+ Nice array of weaponry available and the game does a good job of making you feel powerful when at max armoury.

+ Music is excellent with some energetic / memorable tunes, and the SFX feature some satisfying explosions.

- Like Gradius (1985, Arcade), losing a life means having your power-ups stripped away, which usually means Game Over.

- There's an enormous amount of slowdown, with boss battles being particularly affected due to too many bullet sprites.

- Art style is rather unimaginative, as it borrows heavily from both Contra (1988, NES) and Life Force (1987, NES).

Power Blade (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1991

Power Blade is an action-platformer that was released in Japan as Power Blazer (1990).

+ Levels are intricately designed, and their non-linear layouts encourage you to explore in the hunt for the required key cards.

+ Can choose the order in which you tackle the first six stages and there's even a password system to continue your progress.

+ Being able to throw your boomerang in eight directions while jumping is handy for dispatching enemies in tough spots.

+ Managing to locate the Power Suit in each stage is rewarding, as it gives you the tactical benefit of shooting through objects.

+ Includes a wide range of enemies that force you to rethink tactics due to their interesting attack patterns.

- Enemies respawn at an infuriating rate and there is an element of backtracking in order to locate items.

- Character walking animation is rather goofy and the boss battles offer little in the way of resistance.

S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Natsume
Released: 1991

S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team is a shoot-em-up that was released in Europe as Action in New York.

+ Action moves along at breakneck speed (particularly in Stage 3's Astrotube) and there's no noticeable slowdown.

+ Level design makes up for the game's short length by merging horizontally and vertically scrolling areas.

+ Secondary weapons offer tactical flexibility, as they can be positioned to circle your character, or fire at specific angles.

+ Phenomenal music and stunningly detailed pixel-art are comparable to other Natsume games like Shatterhand (1991, NES).

- Tough-as-nails, with too much emphasis on unforeseeable cheap hits from enemies that suddenly enter the playfield.

- Artificially increases the challenge by refusing to recharge your health metre after completing a stage.

- Suffers from an inordinate amount of sprite flicker, and your character will often blend in with enemies and their bullets.

Wild Guns (SNES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Natsume
Released: 1995

Wild Guns is a third-person gallery style shooter that was re-released on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console in 2010.

+ Gameplay has a great flow to it and once you become accustomed to the dash mechanic you'll quickly even the playing field.

+ Ability to throw dynamite back towards enemies is immensely satisfying and the close quarters melee battles add variety.

+ Allows you to choose from four stages once you've beaten the opening level which is excellent for honing your skills.

+ Two-player co-op mode is a blast and keeps track of your scores separately to encourage friendly competitiveness.

+ Graphics are gorgeous with highly detailed backdrops and stunning pixel art that immerses you into the game world.

+ Bonus Rounds are reminiscent of Street Fighter II Turbo (1993, SNES) and give you a great opportunity to rack up points.

- You can see everything it has to offer in 30 minutes, and when things start heating up you'll suddenly be watching the credits.

Palamedes (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: HOT-B
Released: 1990

Palamedes is a puzzle game that was originally released in the Arcades in 1990.

The object is to eliminate the lines of descending dice before they reach the bottom of the playfield. To do this, you need to create combinations of up to six dice (e.g. three pairs, six of a kind, etc) and then press Down on the d-pad to wipe out entire lines. The A button shoots the dice upwards, while B changes the coloured face number (between 1-6). The gameplay is an intriguing mix of Puzzle Bobble (1994, Arcades) and the card game Blackjack, and a great aspect is how much freedom you have in tackling stages; for example, while you can pretty much succeed in every stage by lining up three pairs (which clears three lines), the game will occasionally give you no option but to take a single colour. This forces you to switch strategies and grab different 'hands' on the fly which is highly engaging. On the flip-side, expert players can also reward themselves by attempting more challenging moves such as obtaining a 1-6 hand, and in this sense it almost becomes a 'game within a game'. A subtle, but clever mechanic is the ability to switch the colour of your dice when lines are currently being removed from the playfield; this might sound like a minor point, but in a game where every second counts it's great to be able to think ahead and start putting your next plan into action while waiting for lines to be cleared. The controls are spot-on, but I do wish there was a way to cycle through the dice in reverse order as it's easy to accidentally skip over the one you need, leading to wasted time. I also would liked to have seen more content in the 1-Player mode, as 20 stages is rather stingy.

Palamedes offers a fresh and exciting approach to the puzzle genre and it successfully manages to blend several styles into a fun, coherent game. It is perhaps a little too light on content in 1-Player mode, but what's here is top-notch and the game's interesting mechanics will likely keep you occupied for longer than expected.

Random trivia: A portable Nintendo Game Boy version was released in 1991.

Shatterhand (NES review)

Developer: Natsume

Publisher: Jaleco

Released: 1991

 

Shatterhand is a side-scrolling action game that's exclusive to the NES.

 

Your mission is to travel across seven stages and defeat General Grover, leader of the rebellious Metal Command. You attack with cybernetic fists but help is also available from hovering satellite robots that appear once you've collected combinations of letters from item boxes; these robots fire when you throw a punch and grant you access to cool weapons such as lasers and grenades. Initially, the level structure appears linear, but once you've beaten the opening stage a map appears which allows you to choose any of the next five levels. While the level design isn't spectacular, everything is cleverly structured to challenge you in terms of different enemy types, environmental hazards, or combat in narrow areas. This keeps you on your toes and forces you to strategise by thinking about what's ahead and how you're going to tackle it. The standout moment occurs in Area E, as gravity flips and you find yourself battling upside down! The stages aren't particularly lengthy but if you die the checkpoints are spaced out (at least there's unlimited continues). The game is tough but fair, and the quality of the gameplay and combat is what keeps you progressing. The ability to mix and match robot weapons is one of the best features as it encourages you to experiment and adapt power-ups for each situation. Each boss fight is memorable including the battle against jumping creatures that morph into a centipede, and a boss that takes place on a vertically moving platform while deadly spikes surround you. The animation is stunning and the catchy, melodic music really captures the intensity of the action.

 

Shatterhand is a solid title with some great ideas and gameplay that combines elements from Ninja Gaiden (1989, NES) and Mega Man (1987, NES). While the level design is a bit uninspired, the interesting combat, power-ups and enemy types make up for it and ensure that the action always remains highly engaging.

 

 

 

Random trivia: This is one of the few NES games to feature parallax scrolling.