Developer: ASTRO PORT
Publisher: Nyu Media
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Supercharged Robot VULKAISER – Review
Looking for a way to while away time in a campy 70s Japanese Mecha style? Then maybe ASTRO PORT and Nyu Media might have the answer for you with their latest game: Supercharged Robot VULKAISER. Join in, allow your mind to travel back in time and get your fingers ready to help a giant robot save our planet from certain doom.
Story
The year is 1977. An interstellar army, known as the Gogoh, are invading planet Earth with flying robots. What can the good – and mostly terrified- people of our beloved rock do, to defend themselves from these aggressive nasties? Why yes, send out a giant robot of our own, of course. In secret, the Super Electric Research Center had been working on their own super team, and high tech battle craft, to fight extraterrestrial menaces. Now this Super Sentai-like band of soldiers is ready to finally step up to the plate. In the game you take control of Takuya Akatsuki and the Supercharged Robot VULKAISER in an epic campaign against the powers of Gogoh. Helped by four fighter pilots, it is up to him to restore peace to planet Earth.
While story isn’t a huge factor in these types of games, Supercharged Robot VULKAISER does add couple of fun bits to make playthroughs just that little different. For example, every level is seen as a new episode in the VULKAISER story while a dialogue with one of your team members gets triggered according to to your playstyle.
Graphics
The graphical content of this game fits the retro-feel the developers were going for perfectly. The explosions and laser beams in particular are reminiscent of the golden era of the Sega Master System and the SNES. The only thing that could make it better in that respect, would be playing the game on an old CRT TV for instant nostalgia. The game can be played in both fullscreen and windowed.
The bright colour scheme used in-game doesn’t just stop with the action and nicely flows into the manga-like stills. These images, which serve as intro and cutscenes, tell the story in as little screens as possible. This however doesn’t mean they are boring and simply there to fill a gap, though. Even with these cutscenes in between levels being as short as they are, they do manage to add a lot of humour in an old-school Japanese way. Even better, text in both Japanese and English are provided to give that feel of a retro translated Sentai series episode.
Sound
The soundtrack for Supercharged Robot VULKAISER fits the game pretty well. The theme melody for the Vulkaiser can be heard in every single level arrangement. As every arrangement is different and adds a whole new atmosphere to the stage they are attached to, the previous mentioned fact helps to create and maintain a sense of oneness. While shots and explosions can be heard throughout the title, they luckily do not drown out the soundtrack.
Gameplay
Supercharged Robot VULKAISER is an Indie side-scrolling shooter that found its inspiration within giant robot anime from the 70s. The gameplay is pretty straight forward. You pilot the Vulkaiser, a massive metal man that is able to shoot projectiles and even fire its hands at the many enemies that are trying to take hold of our blue planet. Vulkaiser appears on the left most side of the screen and will always be flying to the right while enemies will come from the opposite direction. As they fire their many bullets, it is up to the player of course to guide the robot through the barrage while bringing down as many invaders as possible. Movement of the Vulkaiser is done by using the arrow-keys while holding down the left mouse button fires your guns while charging up your special attack.
Regular shots and charged shots aren’t the only attacks Vulkaiser can use in his battle against the highly unwelcome baddies. The player can also unleash a bomb attack which reduces quite a portion of the enemies on screen to dust. There is more however. While the robot’s pilot does his best to deal as much damage as possible while staying out of danger, his mates occasionally fly in with their own Fighter planes. Every fighters works as a modular upgrade to Vulkaiser and has its own speciality and charged shots type. For example, should the robot combine with the Thunder Fighter, your available attacks will turn into an array of lightning strikes. Only one module can be attached to the Vulkaiser at a time which means there is quite a bit of variation on how you work with them. The game offers several achievements that get unlocked depending on how you move from Fighter to Fighter. On top of that, it also affects the dialogues you will see at the end of a level.
Levels of course end with a boss, though there may be more than one semi-boss within a single stage. As you finish the final one of every episode, your score is calculated and your vehicles, both the Vulkaiser and all the Fighters, gain a little health through repairs. However, should a fighter get destroyed, it is seen as irreparable and thus lost for the rest of the game. The same can be said about the Vulkaiser itself, as losing all its health means game over.
Supercharged Robot VULKAISER brings 6 fast paced levels, 33 achievements to unlock and 4 different difficulty levels that each keep track of your highest score. Because of this and the fact the game can be pretty fast, it has everything to give you extra incentive to replay the title whenever you find some free time and to try finishing it with a different strategy. If you’re a fan of side-scrolling shooters, you will definitely find yourself playing again and again simply to beat your own high score and complete all Steam challenges. The one thing the game might miss, however, is a way to compare your scores with that of your friends automatically.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of retro side-scrolling shooters, you definitely need to pick up Supercharged Robot VULKAISER. The game packs enough variation to not only add to the fun, but also to its replayability. Furthermore, allusions to old 70s Mecha anime in its art and premise give the title a certain playfulness that will surely be enjoyed by young and old. However, is it incredibly short and doesn’t bring any real innovation to the fray. Unless you are a true achievement hunter, the game will be more of a snack between big releases.
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