Showing posts with label Visco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visco. Show all posts

Review: Andro Dunos II

Ok, let's get this clear from the off. Any developer that has the gumption to produce a shoot-em-up for the Dreamcast has their work cut out. The console was blessed with such a phenomenal array of shmups, from the seminal Ikaruga (2002) to the idiosyncratic Radirgy (2006), that creating something that will stand out is a gargantuan undertaking. 

Around a dozen indie contenders have attempted this feat over the preceding two decades, and, although each has its charms, in my eyes there have only been a couple that truly cut the mustard. Fortunately, with Andro Dunos II, it seems we may have another indie shmup that can go toe-to-toe with the big-hitting NAOMI-based official releases (or, at the very least, put up a commendable fight).

Developed by Picorinne Soft and published by JoshProd/PixelHeart, this side-scrolling shmup is a contemporary sequel to Visco's 1992 Neo-Geo arcade game - a title which also appeared on the Dreamcast last year (our review of which is available here). In terms of fundamental game design, there is nothing revolutionary present. The task assigned to players is the same as it has been for decades: direct your ship through a succession of stages, shoot enemies, dodge incoming fire and rack up as high a score as possible. And of course, each of the seven stages closes out with a mammoth boss fight. A simple formula then, but one which Andro Dunos II executes very well in a number of respects.

Screenshot of Andro Dunos II

Firstly, the fundamental gameplay mechanics are solid. When using the regular Dreamcast controller, the controls are intuitive, responsive, and your ship glides around the screen at an ideal pace: not so fast to make things uncontrollably twitchy, and not so slow that dodging incoming fire seems unreasonably hard. Just as important is the fact that enemy projectiles are easily distinguishable, and your hit box, while a little chunky, is perfectly serviceable. These may seem like pretty mundane basics but are prerequisites for a fun shmup experience. In essence, you need to be able to feel that defeat is down to user-error rather than poor game design, which is thankfully the case here.

Secondly, while the core activity of guiding a ship through levels filled with enemies is par for the course, Andro Dunos II does feature several elements that give it some depth and replayability. For starters, there are four weapon types with distinct characteristics at your disposal. Flitting between these quickly to suit your surroundings, combined with choosing how to allocate upgrades between levels, brings a problem-solving element into play and means that you can attempt different strategies over numerous runs. The varied designs of the levels, and in particular the presence of impermeable terrain that periodically encroaches onto your screen, as well as enemies that move and attack in a wide range of ways, only amplifies this. Dexterity and accuracy of movement within the immediate field of fire remain vital of course, but your choice of weapon, tactical deployment of the 'super shot' and overall ship placement are also important here. When you manage to master these aspects, Andro Dunos II is highly rewarding. The wide variability in difficulty settings should offer something suitable for most players too, and the unlockable boss rush mode offers a decent reward for those who make it through the seven regular stages.

Screenshot from Andro Dunos II

Thirdly (is that even a word!?!), the game's aesthetics and audio pull together nicely to forge a vibrant up-beat atmosphere. The graphics are certainly not pushing the limits of the Dreamcast's hardware, but the Neo-Geo-style sprites and layered backgrounds are superbly drawn and take you on a journey through a broad range of scenarios without the game losing its cohesiveness. The synth-heavy electro-rock soundtrack complements the gameplay well too without becoming repetitive.

Of course, all of these positives would count for naught if the game didn't run well. Slowdown and frame-rate drops, amongst many other types of bugs, aren't unknown drawbacks for shmups on the Dreamcast, but thankfully they are nowhere to be seen here. In my experience, Andro Dunos II was buttery smooth and looked gorgeous over a VGA output. Videophiles may well have some gripes, but I imagine average players (like myself) will be satisfied with the presentation. The extensive two minute loading time before the game's main menu seemed foreboding at first, but, if intentional, is actually a clever move as it means that loading is brief between levels. The trade off is well worth it, and in any case, gives you just enough time to brew a cuppa (or scroll the DCJY Discord channels).

Although the Dreamcast version has arrived a year later than its initial outings on more contemporary platforms like the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4, Andro Dunos II immediately piqued my interest more than some other recent Dreamcast releases as it is actually something new.

Sadly the same can't be said of the game's clichéd premise: saving the earth from an alien race. I wasn't exactly expecting Franz Kafka, but surely it wouldn't hurt to open our horizons up a little wider here? Just as there are heaps of gifted programmers in the Dreamcast scene, I'd bet there are also plenty of creative writers who could contribute something a little more stimulating. 

10,000 Twitter Follower Competition - Win Andro Dunos 2 and a DCJY T-Shirt!

Jumping on to Twitter in 2013, The Dreamcast Junkyard has enjoyed ten years of tweeting about all kinds of Dreamcast-related nonsense. Over the years, we've had many funny moments running the account, and have made many great mutuals too.

Earlier today we finally reached that huge 10,000 follower milestone. For an account that tweets about what I respect is a fairly niche retro console, that's an incredible achievement. With that being said, in one of Elon Musk's many big brained changes since taking ownership of Twitter, inactive accounts will now be removed if no activity is detected for 30 days. Check back with us 30 days from now and you may find our follower count has plummeted down to 10 or whatever. 

Anyway, while our follower count still sits at that almighty 10,000, we're running an exciting competition! We've got two copies of PixelHeart and Visco's brand new Dreamcast shooter Andro Dunos 2, along with two Dreamcast Junkyard controller t-shirts to give away. Thanks to PixelHeart for supplying the copies of the games for this competition!
That's a good lookin' shirt.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply retweet the tweet below (also linked here) and make sure you're following the Junkyard Twitter account, as well as @DreamcastPics and @PixelHeart_eu. Two winners will each receive a copy of Andro Dunos 2 and a t-shirt. Worldwide entries welcome. The competition will end on the 24th of May, a week from the competition's announcement and winners will be announced and tagged on our Twitter. Good luck!

Update: this competition has now ended.

BREAKING NEWS: Five new Dreamcast games incoming!

In addition to the announcement that the Kickstarter-funded FX Unit Yuki would be finally making its way to Dreamcast next month, JoshProd and RushOnGame.com have revealed their next batch of Dreamcast indie titles heading our way:
What a lovely mix of titles. Pre-orders opened today and the games are expected to ship between March 15 and April 30. All of the previous JoshProd titles are also up for grabs, so if you missed any, now is your chance. The promotion will be available on RushOnGame.com until midnight, May 15 2019 and the games are also available from the PixelHeart.eu store.

Review: Ganryu

Ganryu resurrects legendarily unbeaten Japanese warrior Miyamoto Musashi for one final fight. The problem is, in this ugly, lazy, soulless, Frankenstein of game...everyone loses

What hurts most in playing this near-perfectly ported Dreamcast edition of Neo-Geo game Ganryu is that the original creators seemingly just didn't care. They didn't care that they were besmirching and cynically exploiting the name and legendary story of, Genji aside, arguably Japan's greatest historical hero. The bloody life of Miyamoto Musashi and his epic duel-of-duels with Sasaki Kojirō on Ganryū-jima, an island located between Honshū and Kyūshū, is literally the stuff of Japanese legend and here, in this side-scrolling 2D hack-and-slash, it is used as inspiration for what, simply put, is a poor and crassly unimaginative title.
Giant floating doll's head? Coming right up, sir!

A legendary tale

This duel, which has been dramatised many times in film - including in the final movie of an epic three-part series staring famous Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune as Musashi - is often seen as the greatest of Musashi's victories as Kojirō was a lethal swordsman himself, with his deadly use of a nodachi, a Japanese great sword, earning him the title of The Demon of the Western Provinces.

While his deeds have reached mythological proportions, Musashi was very much a real person and one who, arguably, perfected the two-blade fighting style. Musashi's Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu technique (two heavens as one), as detailed in his epic The Book of Five Rings (anyone with an interest in kenjutsu should read a modern a translation), was revolutionary for the time and, no doubt, a large part of how the greatest Japanese swordsman of all remained undefeated in over 60 duels.
The cutscenes are nicely drawn.
Musashi wasn't just the ultimate swordsman either. In his later life he mastered numerous arts and crafts - with arguably the finest being his beautiful broken ink pieces such as Shrike Perched on a Withered Branch. Simply put, Miyamoto Musashi is one of Japan's most well-known and beloved historical figures.

Why then would original creators Visco Corporation - a Japanese software house no less - use him and his most famous adventure as a vehicle to publish what is essentially a shoddy, cheap, bolted together Shinobi clone devoid of all soul?

The answer, of course, is money...