Mamorukun Curse! [まもるクンは呪われてしまった!] Game Sample - Playstation 3

Описание: Whoa...! How did this Dreamcast game get greenlit for a PS3 release!? Jokes aside, "Mamorukun Curse!" (aka Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta!) is a fairly awesome Arcade shoot-em-up that was originally released back in 2008 by the good folks at Gulti and G.rev (Revolution) and then ported to Microsoft's Xbox 360 a year later only in Japan. It then got ported almost two years after that in 2011 for the PS3... in Japan... and FINALLY got a download-only release only in the U.S. TWO MORE YEARS later in 2013 courtesy of UFO Interactive... thanks UFO! So, the game's target audience was significantly nerfed due to a niche game being released with little to no advertising (UFO only has two credits in the whole game, and some flavor text was never even translated!) five years after its initial release, and with an original MSRP of 20$ to boot, it was almost dead on arrival except to the most hardcore shmup fanatics... which is a pity, because it's a really good game with a surprising amount of depth and a generally competent localization. It's also the definitive version of the game with upgraded graphics, wide-screen support, includes the previous DLC characters by default (they are unplayable in Story Mode) and also has the new "Meikai Katsugeki" mode or "Netherworld Adventures".

The little quip about the Dreamcast is not to be understated however; the game was developed using Sega's "NAOMI" arcade hardware and apparently not the higher-end NAOMI 2 or Hikaru, so it would be interesting to see the game get the "unofficial port" treatment that some other games have gotten as of late (though if it did, it would likely be the original version and not the upgraded PS3 version). Anyway, I digress -- enough with the specifics, have at you! "Mamorukun Curse!" tells the tale of the titular "Mamoru" (Mamoru Chiba) and company who have all experienced a near-death experience that was "meant to be", getting sent to the Netherworld region between life and death where they meet a shrine maiden between the borders named Fululu who demands their assistance. She is the guardian between worlds and defender of the "sacred tree", and needs their help to quell the rebellion of the demons of the underworld or they will break through the seal and invade other planes of existence. Each character in this world is capable of becoming stronger than in the real world due to their innatte "Soul Attributes", and get basic training from Fululu on how to tap into their powers as well as the powers of the Netherworld. Their secret weapon? The chargeable "Curse Bullet" which can drain an enemy of their fighting strength or empower your own as well as wipe the screen of bullets! They must go forth and save the world of the living and the Netherworld!

First, let's go over some quick highlights. MC! is a bit uncommon in the Arcade shooting space as it is not your typical vertical / horizontal rail shooter, but a top-down scrolling shooter much closer to "Mercs", "Elemental Master", "Twinkle Tale", "Pocky & Rocky / Kiki Kaikai", etc. At face value, it would be easy to mistake it as a spiritual successor to Pocky & Rocky in a similar vein as "Heavenly Guardian" (although HG WAS a P&R game earlier in development), but there are plenty of things under the hood that shows it's doing its own thing. It also has a LOT of content for the home console release (perhaps more than your average port). I will quote UFO's website here for reference (though their's has quite a bit of hyperbole):

Explore and purge evil from 12 unique dungeons.
Beautiful hand drawn artwork done in a traditional style.
Learn and cast over 150 spells and skills.
200 monsters, beasts, and dragons to slay.
Over 575 items to obtain and aid travelers throughout their dangerous journey.

There is definitely a lot to the game, but not THAT much. That said, it's a layered experience with loads of unlockables. The game's three modes (Netherworld / Story / Arcade) have the same core gameplay but different structures. Story and Netherworld require the players to utilize a set rotation of characters, where dying with one swaps in the other and there are a variety of objectives that trigger many different outcomes. Story Mode is easier, but each mode comes with unique unlockables. The Arcade mode is the most interesting and where you get the most items to unlock the game's various galleries. You can use all the characters but also take on optional missions and tackle the levels in different orders which adjusts the difficulty. Time is tantamount as you must move quickly or the game will end prematurely (similarly to Taito's "RayCrisis"). The game has simple graphics with "intentional" slowdown and an awesome soundtrack with several tunes that sound like they belong on Sega's Mega Drive / Genesis.

This is a simple video of the game in action testing our new high-quality capture method (mClassic bypassing 720p restrictions and boosting anti-aliasing). Enjoy.