Silpheed

Developer: Game Arts    Publisher: Sega    Release: 1993    Genre: Shooter

Star Fox was a watershed moment for console gaming, as hard as it may be to believe. 3d games had appeared on consoles before but in a limited capacity. But Star Fox, with its Super FX chip and 15 fps at best was a cut above most of those titles and offered a glimpse of what was to come. Sega, not being ones to be left behind, bought the publishing rights to Silpheed, a sequel to an obscure Japanese PC game. The early press surrounding it was obscene and it seemed like a massive leap over Nintendo’s little shooter. Ultimately it did not live up to the massive hype but is still a solid title overall. But it would serve as an abject lesson in setting unrealistic expectations.

Words cannot express the hype surrounding Silpheed’s impending release. Practically every publication at the time did multi-page spreads detailing all of its features. But more important were the juicy screenshots. Silpheed looked beyond anything else at release and they gave the impression the Sega CD was generating this entire visual splendor in real time. Now most of us were teenagers back then and the game’s press was less technically inclined. The insane buildup did lead to some disappointment but that is not the game’s fault. This is still one of the better shooters for the Sega CD in my opinion.

The first thing you need to know about Silpheed’s visuals is that they are not real time. At least not all of it as that would be impossible and beyond most arcade games of the time. All of the game’s backdrops are prerendered FMV. The only polygons generated by the system are the various smaller enemies and asteroids.  The way the two combine is actually pretty genius. Certain objects have collision to give the illusion of interactivity and for the most part it works. It makes Silpheed more immersive than the FMV trash polluting the system’s library and is pretty engaging.

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While it is disappointing it allows the game a level of spectacle we could only dream of at that point. The massive fleets of ships, giant planets and tons of debris floating around call to mind many a classic sci-fi TV show. The action is framed in such a way to give the maximum visual impact at all times. Not every level is a slam dunk in this regard as there is plenty of empty space. Since every object consists of flat polygons it also smartly gets around the system’s color palette. The main enemies are the only disappointment but that is understandable. The system on its own cannot shift huge amounts of polygons and so their simple design makes sense.

Since this is a CD game you would expect the soundtrack to match the visuals. However the music is largely forgettable. It is epic and rousing at times but it largely stays in the background. Cutscenes are actually few in number which is a little disappointing. Where Silpheed does make use of its additional space is voice acting. Every level has reams of radio chatter that adds to the atmosphere. I love it; as cute as the Star Fox warbles are its no substitute for real voice acting.

I am a bit torn on the weapons system. Between levels you outfit your ship with weapons for each side as well as an option. Your choices are few; there is the standard forward beam, wide shot, two-way phalanx beam, and auto aiming. Most of the weapons are heavily lean toward covering a wide range but are weak.  Even worse, unless you are familiar with a stage you do not know what to expect. It is easy to make a bad choice and end up royally screwed. The different options can make up for it somewhat but their energy is limited.

Fans of Axelay and RayStorm will recognize the game’s viewpoint. The oblique camera is at an angle with enemies streaming in from all sides. Unlike those two titles it doesn’t work quite as well here. Due to the viewpoint dodging enemy fire and lining up shots is tough. Enemy waves are frequent, giving you little time to line up your shots. While the streaming backgrounds look nice there isn’t always a clear delineation between debris and harmless objects. The cheap hits come fast and often unfortunately. Usually in most games these items are clearly highlighted, Silpheed would have benefit from that tremendously.

There is a steep difficulty curve that only gets worse as the game progresses. Most of the time you will take hits without even realizing It because of the camera.  Initially shield restoring items appear at regular intervals. But by the midpoint you’ll be lucky if they show up even once. The game restores your shields between levels based on your score which can be rough. With only a few lives and limited continues this will take a few days if not more than a week. This is especially true as it is pretty long at twelve levels. But the high production values play a large role in enticing you to come back.

In Closing

Silpheed has a few rough edges but is still a good game overall. I can understand the comparisons to Star Fox but aside from their surface similarities they are too stylistically different. It is dirt cheap and is one of the better Sega CD games overall in my opinion.

Silpheed

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