By Adam Riley 19.07.2013
Remember Ikaruga? Many Nintendo fans will recall it mainly from its GameCube port where there was a mode that made it possible to flip the TV set onto its side (back in the days of bulky televisions that could indeed rest on their sides, unlike today) and change the in-game settings to play in the original arcade aspect for the most authentic experience. Well, the director of that classic game from Treasure is back, this time at developer G.Rev and acting as director again, this time working on a Nintendo 3DS eShop shooter-with-a-twist by the name of Kokuga. Is this a new classic in the making?
Visually, Kokuga is quite sparse indeed, with basic blocky environments within a space setting, along with rudimentary enemy craft design. However, what becomes apparent almost immediately is that this harks back to the days when shooters required strategic thinking rather than the twitch reactions necessary with bullet hell titles, and those were the sort of games that did not require overly lavish graphics to allure people. This new eShop release is more about methodically moving around the various locations, eliminating the threat of enemies as carefully as possible, making smart use of the power-up items on the touch screen to survive until reaching the final goal.
The little craft at the player's disposal - viewed in a top-down perspective (a little like Xevious) - only fires one slow-moving shot at a time, which leads to a tactical rethink from those used to fast and frenetic shooters, and on top of that, in order to shoot in varying directions, the shoulder buttons (as default - they can be changed to suit user preferences) must be pressed to sluggishly move the gun turret around to the appropriate position to blast adversaries away.
Despite what some reviews have made comment on, this is really not aimed at a casual market. Sure, it is not quite as tough as Ikaruga could be at times, but even on the Normal setting there will be several repeat deaths, the most frustrating coming when just within touching distance of the final goal. Thankfully, though, the action is so enjoyable that deaths of that variety fuel players on to challenge themselves to another bout of 'suffering' rather than merely turning the 3DS off out of despair.
Smart use of the sixteen random power-up chip cards that can be installed to the futuristic Kokuga tank that is busily protecting country A against country I in the on-going war between the two (yes, that is pretty much the extent of the story) is required throughout the fifteen levels that make up Kokuga. Lasers, multiple shots, stealth cloaks, special defence shields, homing missiles and more come in extremely useful when facing the ever increasing number of enemy craft when working through the various difficulty levels (Normal, Hard, Ultimate on twelve of the stages in total).
Therefore, whilst Kokuga does not quite have the visual finesse of other shooters, in the all-important gameplay stakes it hits the right notes and is accompanied by a decent industrial-feeling soundtrack, as well as some voice acting. Slow-and-steady is the way, carefully manoeuvring around and often having to backtrack to stay out of reach of enemy fire, since the space tank is too slow to easily dodge many laser bullets at once. This is why smart use of the ability cards is necessary, as there will be times when there are simply too many enemies around to merely trundle backwards, so quick use of the restore shield, stealth mode and rapid fire options (for example) are invaluable. Throw in a four-player Local or Download Play multiplayer mode, as well as some immense boss battles (where ability cards are a must most times!), and Kokuga becomes even better value for money.
At first, Kokuga comes across as a little too retro for its own good, with bland visuals and settings, mixed with an awkward control system. However, once past the initial hurdle, what is uncovered is something truly intriguing and extremely engaging. Rather than the standard Bullet Hell style of more recent shooters, Kokuga superbly executes a more strategic approach to the genre, keeping gamers on the edge of their seats as they navigate each location to clear the path to the monstrous bosses.
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