Galactic Crusader (Supervision review)

Developer: Sachen
Publisher: Watara
Released: 1992

Galactic Crusader is a shoot-em-up that was originally released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990.

It's 2082 A.D. and piloting a B-9 Fighter your mission across five stages is to stop Dehamum Villains of the Biochemical Empire from taking control of the galaxy. Two weapons (a Pea Shooter and a Laser) are available and each can be powered up to provide a wider spread of attack; side wings can also be obtained for extended fire power and your limited supply of bombs are launched by pressing the A button. The power-up mechanic is great and the ability to choose your preferred weapon and then upgrade it to deadly proportions is enjoyable... for a short while! Unfortunately, you can become so overpowered that your B-9 Fighter can literally sit in the middle of the playfield while your extensive spray of bullets destroy everything in sight. At times, you'll barely have to move for upwards of a minute, with only minor adjustments on the horizontal axis to avoid singular bullets. There's also an absurd amount of slowdown when too many sprites are on screen; while this might seem like an advantage in terms of dodging enemies / bullets, the game speed fluctuates which can suddenly result in a projectile firing your way quicker than you anticipated. Even with all of the above problems, the stages simply outstay their welcome as each is roughly 10-15 minutes long with no variety or visual stimulation. When you do finally reach a boss, repeatedly spamming the bomb attack is the order of the day given they refill each time you lose a life while the boss' health metre remains depleted. The game also doesn't shine in the graphical department (and the frequent shooting stars to convey movement is a bad idea due to their resemblance to projectiles), but at least the SFX are good with some satisfying explosion sounds.

Galactic Crusader has a praiseworthy weapon system that's likely inspired by Gun Nac (1991, NES), but it fails to impress in all other areas due to its technical deficiencies and uninspired gameplay. Its level design could have used some streamlining too, as the elongated stages quickly grow tiresome.

Random trivia: The NES version forms part of the unlicensed set of games.

Balloon Fight (Supervision review)

Developer: Thin Chen Enterprise (Sachen)

Publisher: Watara

Released: 1992

 

Balloon Fight is an action game and a clone of Nintendo's 1984 Arcade title of the same name.

 

Playing as the Oldie Camel, you must solve the traffic jams by clearing the sky of birds! Attached to a pair of balloons, your only method of attack is to pop opponent's balloons by hitting them from above; however, these birds have the same abilities and being hit twice results in you losing one of your four lives. A or B allows you to ascend, but unlike the Arcade original the button can just be held; this is a great idea that stops fatigue in longer play sessions! While the controls aren't terrible they're not great either; on many occasions I found myself slowly manoeuvring, yet my character would keep floating in the opposite direction to my inputs. The game does rely on momentum (so this is partially expected) but it even happens when you're basically at a standstill. Sometimes the controls feel too heavy forcing you to overcompensate; at other points they're too floaty, meaning you'll suddenly launch into the air as if you've come into contact with an air pocket. Birds are also affected by this, as you can be perfectly lined up only to see them zap around the screen in an instant. At the heart of this are the slightly wonky physics that see you careening off at extremely odd, and somewhat harsh angles, despite nothing even contacting you. The game is still playable and fair though, and it eases you into the action for the first few levels. While the level design is basic, I do like how each one has its own unique layout and obstacles, forcing you to strategise your attacks. There's also some nice music and jingles that perfectly compliment the gameplay. However, unlike the NES port (1986), there's no bonus stages or additional modes like Balloon Trip to increase playtime; therefore, the action get can repetitive quite quickly.

 

Balloon Fight is a mediocre clone, yet it's frustratingly close to being highly playable. It's main issue is its inconsistent physics, and although you can still progress due to the game's low difficulty it's impossible not to feel cheated that it didn't have a bit more polish prior to release.

 

 

 

Random trivia: Thin Chen Enterprise / Sachen developed a whopping 19 games for the Supervision in 1992.