Approach again within the mists of time, there was an awesome little console known as the Tremendous Nintendo Leisure System, or SNES for brief. After all, being an adolescent at Uni, we named it the Sneeze and I spent all of my pupil mortgage within the Virgin Megastore shopping for video games for it. Lots of my favourites appeared to return from Konami – Pop n’ Twinbee, Parodious, Contra III – all Konami.
Effectively, they’re again now, publishing a recreation from a 3 man studio in Scotland known as KeelWorks. That recreation? That may be CYGNI: All Weapons Blazing; a shoot ‘em up. So, can KeelWorks and Konami come collectively and seize a number of the magic from again within the day?
The very first thing I’ve to deal with with CYGNI are the visuals, as they’re completely attractive. There’s a actual sense of depth to the levels that we fly over, and that is mirrored within the fight – extra about that afterward. Bosses and enemies rear up from the bottom to face you within the sky, and all of it appears to be like nice. There’s a improbable sensation of pace and hazard, as this recreation undoubtedly places the “hell” in “bullet hell”. The truth is, the sheer quantity of enemies and bullets on the display screen directly is breathtaking, and whenever you pipe within the music rating, which is excellent certainly, and the standard boombastic explosions and capturing noises, it truly is lots to soak up. However in a great way! There’s nothing to complain about with the visuals or sound of this recreation, and it’ll go away you reeling whenever you get to the later levels, imagine me.
So, story then. Is there one, or is it the standard case of baddies plus bullets equals recreation? Effectively, no, as there was an try made at telling a narrative, so right here we go.
CYGNI is a planet, and the primary folks to go to it discovered the stays of an alien race. Or relatively, the machines they left behind. And naturally, people being people, they have been quickly stripping these machines in an try to grasp how they work after which to utilize the bits they found out. Whereas this was occurring, it seems that the machines that have been being stripped weren’t as useless as was first thought, and once they awoke, they proceeded to destroy the vast majority of the people on the planet. We’re “one of many final pilots, on one of many final carriers” and so I assume it’s as much as us to place these biomechanical unhealthy guys again to sleep, isn’t it?
Having performed a variety of vertically scrolling shooters in my time, it’s uncommon for me to seek out one thing new in a shooter, however with out too many spoilers, I discovered it right here with CYGNI: All Weapons Blazing. I’ll pause at this level and suggest that you simply play the tutorial, relatively than diving straight in like I did, because the programs at play are fairly complicated.
The primary new bit that I loved was the flexibility to shoot enemies on the bottom – by pulling LT as a substitute of RT, you possibly can fireplace a laser on the floor primarily based enemies you can see scurrying about under you. And whilst you’re doing this, they’re firing at you, so it’s completely honest! You may’t fireplace on the floor and at aerial targets on the identical time, so selecting when to make use of which firing methodology turns into important – in any other case you’ll be shot to items by the one you aren’t presently killing. Clear to this point?
One other component of CYGNI that excels is the protect/firepower balancing act that it’s important to carry out. As you kill waves of enemies, as per typical, there are gadgets you can accumulate. This stuff can be utilized to energy up your protect, making certain you’ll be able to take extra hits, or they can be utilized to energy up your arsenal of weapons – however not each. Having the ability to take extra hits is ineffective if the enemy is just tickled by your weapons, in spite of everything, and once more the entire threat and reward mechanic right here is excellent certainly.
Every degree is distinct, with completely different enemies and backdrops to soak up. Additional, the tip of degree bosses are nothing in need of spectacular, arising from the earth with a purpose to attempt to break your entire day.
Every part is superior, apart from one factor – CYGNI is flipping exhausting! Somebody must take KeelWorks a dictionary and present them the that means of “Simple”, as even on this degree, the sport isn’t. After round 4 ranges, I had run out of expertise, however fortunately there’s additionally a strategy to improve your ship utilizing a few of these gadgets you collected within the ranges – and this comes as an actual aid.
All in all, CYGNI: All Weapons Blazing is a cracking recreation, full with excellent graphics and a correct problem. This is among the greatest shoot ‘em ups you’ll have performed in recent times.
