Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release: 10/21/87 Genre: Shooter
Space Harrier left its mark on the rail shooter genre. Its influence was so great that it inspired many clones on the Famicom, even after it hit the system itself miraculously. Some of these titles were less than stellar like Geimos while others like Cosmic Epsilon and Tetrastar are among the best shooters on the system. Konami’s Falsion is a little known FDS blaster that almost hits those heights. But a few flaws keep it from being the phenomenal game that it could have been.
There is a little back story to Falsion even though it is not important. Humanity has colonized the Milky Way Galaxy and seeks to expand further in to the universe. To do this they use an experimental technology called the Hyperzone Drive to travel long distances. However a race of alien conquerors who have already mastered the technology begin attacking mankind’s colonies on other planets. To fight back an armada of ships equipped with hyperzone technology is sent to attack but only one survives, the Falsion. Now it is up to you as the pilot of the Falsion to drive the aliens back.
Falsion is a rail shooter and similar in appearance to Sega’s arcade classic. From the third person view you destroy enemy waves on your way to the end level boss in each of six stages. Your ship is equipped with a Vulcan cannon and a limited supply of homing missiles. There are only two power-ups to assist you; blue orbs grant extra speed while red increase your missile supply. The game could have used a bigger selection since you will need every edge you can get.
From its viewpoint to its enemy waves Falsion will remind you of Gyruss. Unlike that game you have free reign of the entire screen rather than moving in a circle. The enemy waves are more varied in their form of attack. Not only do they attack from a distance but they appear from all sides, even sweeping in from the sides or even from behind! The first problem you will notice is that it is difficult to judge enemy distance. Because of the way the enemies scale it is hard to tell if they are near or far and you will lose lives regularly from simple mistakes. I wish I could say it becomes easier as you progress but it remains an issue up until the game’s conclusion.
The viewpoint and aiming issues make the game frustrating. It also makes it hard to appreciate the level design. When everything works the game is fantastic. The waves and the variety in their positioning make Falsion thrilling in a way that few other NES shooters can compete with. There is a great deal of enemy variety and their myriad attacks go a long toward relieving the repetition. But when the flaws hit you all at once, not so much. Pacing is an issue; the levels tend to stretch a little too long for my liking, with the final stage feeling longing than the previous three. The homing missiles help with aiming somewhat but they are limited and not that smart. You will still have to risk entering the line of fire. And even if you try to avoid combat the all-out chaos will still get you.
Falsion is a very difficult game for the reasons I have outlined. This game is manic. There are very few moments of respite before you are attacked again. Death removes any power-ups you have collected including all missiles. This is particularly rough during boss battles and likely to cause a death loop that will send you back to the intro screen. I wish the game were more balanced as it is amazing when it does not get in its own way. There is some amazing content in here; you will have a lot of trouble seeing it all.
The most impressive aspect of Falsion is its art direction and technical prowess. For a 1987 title it looks like late generation release. Unlike most NES rail shooters that use simple checkerboard tiles and nondescript space backdrops each of Falsion’s levels takes place on a different picturesque planet. The rolling hills and waves of the oceans sell the sense of speed and scale smoothly. The bosses are massive capital ships that occupy a good portion of the screen. Between its explosions, bullets, and waves the game throws around a lot of sprites and rarely if ever slows down. The only technical flaw is the choppy scaling of the enemies. But considering the greatness on display it does little to dim the game’s visual greatness.
In Closing
I like Falsion a lot and think it is borderline excellent. It does nearly everything right but is a little too hard for its own good. If the game were more balanced and less visually cluttered it would be absolutely amazing. Even with its few flaws I still think it is a pretty good game and one worth tracking down. I would have loved to have seen this one in the US but it’s a shooter and in English anyway so there is no language barrier.
