Rob reviews Gleylancer on Nintendo Switch...
If there's one thing that the Switch isn't short of its console ports of arcade hits. Normally these either come as a complete remaster, with flashy visuals and all the mod cons. Or they're just a barebones port of the original that's asking for a premium price. I like to think that I'm a bit of a shmup aficionado and through my 35-years on planet Earth I've played more than my fair share of both types. However, when it comes to Gleylancer I'm a complete novice.
Originally released in 1992 on the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) this 16-bit shooter never made its way to Western shores, and only saw a limited release in Japan and South Korea. Even when the title made its way onto the Wii (as part of the Virtual Console) it still only saw an Eastern audience. Now jump to 2021 and Ratalaika Games have brought the original Gleylancer to modern consoles. So 27-years after its debut this much-celebrated shmup finally gets an English port and a Western release.
What's impressive about Gleylancer is it features a fully fleshed out story, rather than relying on a single title scrawl to set the tone.
During the journey you take on the role of Lucia, a 16-year-old fighter pilot in the Earth Federation. The Federation currently finds itself at war with a mysterious alien race. To make matters worse Lucia father - Ken - a high ranking Federation Admiral - has been captured by the enemy. Fearing for her Father's safety, Lucia sets off in the prototype CSH-01-XA "Gley Lancer", to hopefully rescue him, and put a stop to the conflict.
To help build this narrative the game features various anime-style scenes that's very reminiscent of a graphic novel. While this was present within the original release, it serves as an excellent connection to the player and Lucia. These scenes help to build the atmosphere and you'll certainly get behind Lucia and her quite reckless mission.
The gameplay of Gley Lancer falls into the shmup traditions of old. You'll fly across the screen from left to right, whilst dodging enemy fire, collecting various power-ups, and fighting gargantuan bosses. What makes the game unique is the Gley Lancer's weapon pods, and how you choose to set them up. These pods continuously float on either side of your pixel starfighter. But rather than acting as traditional power-ups that fire in your facing direction, you can set them up to fire independently from your primary weapon. There's various pre-sets that can have the weapons firing in various arcs, as well as rotating a full 360⁰. It's a great mechanic that offers plenty of tactical options at all times. It's also particularly useful when enemies get behind you as the Gley Lancer cannot turn around...
Much like the arcade ports from HAMSTER and SNK, Ratalaika Games have included a wealth of quality of life improvements. These come in the way of being able to swap between ammo type for your weapon pods at will, and more crucially the ability to rewind gameplay. At any point during the game your ability to press ZL and rewind through the current session. It's a great way to escape those pesky "what!" moments and makes boss fights a breeze. It's certainly a double-edged sword as utilising this function does take any challenge away from the game. You're also able to utilise various save states too if saving the galaxy is a little too much!
If you're a stickler for the old-school way, then Gleylancer also has you covered as it also features a raw port of the original title. Stripped of all the modern gimmicks, this 'Classic Mode' is Gleylancer as it was back in 1994. To take the retro feel further you can also add various CRT filters to the screen that effect both the screens curvature and scan lines.
All in all, Gleylancer is a superb port of an already well established title. The new gameplay features add for plenty of depth to proceedings. For those of you who want a harder, more punishing time then the classic port offers just that. Fans both new and old will find plenty here to like and for £5.99 you can't go wrong!
Rating 9/10
Gleylancer is out now and can be purchased via the Nintendo Switch eShop by clicking here.
A code was kindly provided for this review.
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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