Rob reviews Cotton Fantasy on Nintendo Switch...
It's common knowledge that I'm a big fan of the humble arcade shooter. I'd like to say that I've played the vast majority of the best and worse that the genre has to offer. The same can be said for Cotton. Over the last year, I've reviewed many titles from the Cotton franchise as it has finally made its way into the Western markets. While the series has its fair share of ups and downs, its simplistic gameplay and over the top characters make for a very memorable experience - both good and bad. Cotton Fantasy is an entirely new and original title in the franchise. Originally released as Cotton Rock 'n' Roll: Superlative Night, it also marks the first main game in the series to be released in over 20-years!
Developed by Studio Saizensen, Cotton Fantasy once again sees its titular character head off on another grand adventure. Now in glorious HD, the game also comes with a few under-the-hood upgrades to fit in with the modern era. With 6 characters to play as and 16 stages to master, Cotton Fantasy offers a lot of variety and charm for those wanting a journey back to those long-forgotten high-score chasing nights.
Anyone who's played a Cotton game in the past will know that its plot features our candy-loving Witch going to vast lengths to save her precious willow treats from disappearing. It comes as no surprise that it's also the basic plot of this outing too. With willow once again vanishing from the world Cotton - along with faithful companion Silk - head off on another candy saving adventure. While the plot is very clichéd, it's broken up with some gorgeous fully voiced cutscenes that feature plenty of incredible animations.
While Studio Saizensen has attempted to introduce some continuity with the plot, as a primary arcade title it doesn't need an intricate narrative to be good. And thankfully Cotton Fantasy does its talking via its gameplay. The gameplay of Cotton Fantasy takes elements of the previous titles and gives them a shot of adrenaline. Most stages take place within the typical horizontal side-scrolling format, with the occasional use of a panoramic view much like that seen within Panorama Cotton. Through these stages, you'll essentially be battling through waves of enemies to then take on the boss at the end. In an attempt to add variety you're also able to the next stage based upon a branching world map. While it doesn't stave off the inevitable repetitiveness - for the first few runs, it's nice to have the variety to pick and choose.
Controls take on a modern 3D feel which allows for some pretty fluid traversal and shooting. While the overall control scheme won't tax any arcade veteran, Studio Saizensen has included a nice on-screen tutorial for new gamers, which serves to introduce them to the fundamentals of the game. Attacks come in two forms which range from basic and charged shots, to screen destroying magic attacks. While using magic serves as a special attack, it can be replenished by collecting crystal that is dropped by fallen enemies. And as you can imagine it's very satisfying to unleash these special attacks when the screen is full of monsters.
Cotton Fantasy is a well-presented title. Its 3D worlds are bright and colourful with each fitting around a certain theme. Enemies all fit into this theming too, with woodland enemies taking on a more bugs and insect ascetic, while the temple enemies are inspired by ancient Egypt. Boss fights are what make a shmup and the ones on display here fit into your typical arcade shmup style. Once you've nailed their attack patterns, these fights become a cakewalk which is sure to please those of us wanting that high score.
Cotton Fantasy isn't a particularly long title with each run expected to take around an hour to complete. The appeal to keep playing will then fall into chasing those high scores. Thankfully Cotton Fantasy has an online leaderboard which keeps a tally of individual player scores. Away from this and there's also a vast array of characters available for the adventure. Each included character comes from either the Cotton franchise or Umihara Kawase - another title by Studio Saizensen - with each having its unique gameplay style.
For those looking for an easier time, Cotton Fantasy is pretty accessible. Aside from your standard difficulty settings, the game also includes a free mode which affords you unlimited continues - if you need to use them. While there's also a free play option to replay individual stages if there's one that takes your particular fancy.
All in all, Cotton Fantasy is the definitive Cotton experience. It's a culmination of the best elements from the previous games that's been pulled together to create a pretty decent arcade shooter. Its presentation is sure to bring back fond memories of those weekends lost to the arcade world of bright lights and the pounding of catchy tunes. Throw in Cotton Fantasy's loveable cast of cute (but deadly) characters, and these are worthy of a place in any arcade aficionados library.
Rating: 8/10
A code was kindly provided for this review.
Cotton Fantasy is available now and can be purchased via the Nintendo Switch eShop see by clicking here.
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