The shoot ’em up genre has been around since coin operated arcades. In fact some of my earliest memories at those arcades are from playing Space Invaders, which is a really old and slow shoot ’em up. I’ve always enjoyed the genre, even though I’m not particularly good at them because I generally won’t take the time to excel at a game like that. Ikaruga, and Xyanide I’m staring at you!
The shoot ’em up that we will be looking at today is Natsuki Chronicles. This shoot ’em up is a horizontal one and takes place in the world of Ginga Force. This game’s story plays a little bit like the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. It take place during Ginga Force and on it’s own. That’s really something you don’t see as much anymore, storytellers are a little skittish when it comes to that story mechanic. Makes me want to get a download of Ginga Force here pretty soon just to see everything in this world.
The Story
You play as Natsuki, and you discover what she went through as a rookie pilot all the way through her present day. As I said prior, this story runs parallel to the one in Ginga Force which may make it more impactful to those who have played that title. I have not played that title yet, so the story really wasn’t very interesting to me. I just wanted to get from level to level so that I could destroy as many ships as possible.
When you beat levels you get the option to watch story cut-scenes which is nice. I had a hard time really following the story while playing the levels. The game is in Japanese only and I cannot understand the language. When you’re flying and trying to not die there are conversations happening, but I couldn’t read the text because I was too busy dodging bullets. Thankfully this is a shoot ’em up, so I really didn’t care about the story, if I had I would have been let down.
The Controls
This is a horizontal shoot ’em up, so for the most part you’re always going right. You do have to dodge and out maneuver bullets and ships, you can do this with the left thumb stick. Cross is fire main weapon, Square is fire secondary weapon and R2 is special weapon. I stuck with the most basic ones you are given at the start. Thankfully after you complete each level you unlock weapon upgrades for all levels and certain upgrades for the level you just completed.
Once you unlock the weapon upgrade or new weapon you have to purchase it with points you gather by beating levels. This makes it so you want to replay levels you beat easily, you can become over powered and trash through levels that you had difficultly with. If I got stuck I replayed the level a few times and then powered up my guns enough or figured out what weapon to use on the final boss.
Natsuki Chronicles is a good game to start off with if you are bad at shoot ’em ups. There are four levels of difficulty, Easy and Normal are already unlocked and you can unlock the harder ones by beating that level on Normal then the next. This title has A LOT of replayability in it which makes it super fun. I enjoyed beating my score on the levels over and over, and it was a great feeling taking out a boss with your super powered, leveled up weapon!
I played the game on Easy because I am not too great at shoot ’em ups. I’ve always enjoyed the concept and have some older ones on my SNES that my parents bought for me way back when. Having an Easy option allowed for me to actually enjoy the title and get reasonably far in it. It also allowed me to try Normal and higher when I felt like I had a good grasp of the game.
The Look
The game has a very cell shaded, anime feel to it and I totally loved it for that. This will be one of those games that doesn’t age at all, like Wind Waker or Borderlands. I love that, I think that once Wind Waker dropped and I saw how amazing that type of design looks and continues to look, it has become one of, if not my favorite design choice in a game.
Movement is fast and there is absolutely no pixelating. The combat is smooth even though there are hundreds of missiles and laser orbs all trying to end you. It nice to look at and even more fun to experience. In addition to the visuals the music is top notch and arcadey like shoot ’em ups should have. When you’re flying around you’re tapping your foot with a big smile on your face.
The Verdict
Natsuki Chronicles is a great way for people who generally aren’t good at shoot ’em ups to jump in. Think of it like slowly inching your way into a cold pool. You don’t have to jump in right away and feel the horrible consequences, you can ease in and actually enjoy yourself. Start on “easy” then slowly hone your skills and move your way up to “normal” and “hard.”
I would not have enjoyed myself as much if I had to play it on “normal” right off the bat. Sometimes the “easy” levels were a challenge, but you have to figure out what weapon works well with certain levels. The “arcade” section of the game helps you with that. I was having trouble in a level in the “campaign” mode and when I was playing it in the “arcade” mode I gained a power-up that TORE through the enemies. I mentally took note of that then destroyed that level in the campaign a day later.
Old school shoot ’em up fans will also enjoy the variety, the leveling up and the difficulty. This title gives you a lot to play and really makes it worth the purchase. Natsuki Chronicles isn’t a one pump chump, you get to go round after round with this shoot ’em up.
This review is based on a key provided by the publisher
The Review
Natsuki Chronicles
A new, more accessible shoot 'em up is hitting the this console generation. If you've wanted to get into the genre then Natsuki Chronicles is a great jumping on point.
PROS
- Has an "easy" mode for people who are bad at Shoot Em Ups.
- The visuals look amazing.
- Replayability is very high with this title
CONS
- The game is in Japanese and it is hard to read the subtitles while flying around trying to not die. Some of the story was lost on me sadly.
