Developer: I.S.I. Publisher: Toshiba EMI Release: 12/15/87 Genre: Rail Shooter
I like rail shooters. Ever since Space Harrier on the Master System made me jealous of my friends who owned the system I have chased that high. But on the NES/Famicom the pickings are slim and most are not that great. The recent release of Empire City: 1931 as an arcade archives re-release made me aware of its Famicom port under the name Magnum Kiki Ippatsu: Empire City: 1931. As a 2d precursor to titles like Silent Scope Empire City was unique at release. The Famicom version is a valiant attempt at bringing that experience home but it does not hold up overall.
In the year 1931 the mafia has all the power. When a FBI agent’s family is killed in a gang shoot out he takes up a sniper rifle in a quest for revenge. I love the prohibition era setting of 1930’s New York and that is one of the game’s strong points. In the arcade Empire City 1931 was a technical marvel for its time. The Famicom port cannot match it but at least captures most of the gameplay. But it has other issues that hamper the experience.
I have called Empire City a rail shooter but in truth it feels more like a shooting gallery. You have full camera control to pan around the environment and scroll from left to right. Enemies hide in every part of the background; rooftops, open windows, doorways, and even under manhole covers. Some are even brave enough to appear in plain sight. Arrows will point you to the next target and you have a limited window to get them before they fire. When a gangster is about to shoot a countdown begins and you have a small window to dodge. Nailing the timing becomes second nature but sometimes they will immediately try again with a shorter window. To prevent spamming dodging uses up precious time and if you run out you lose a life.
Empire City is a mechanically simple game brought down by its repetition. Technically there are five stages. However each has seven sub-levels before you can face the end stage crime boss. That is not so bad on its face. But the sub-levels are all identical and the only thing that changes is the pace. The later levels are excruciatingly long and an absolute slog to put up with. And if you die right before the end you must do the whole stage over. There were more than a few times I legit wanted to give up after dying right before the end of a given level. Knowing that I would have to do the whole grueling process over again was torture.
That is what is the most disappointing aspect of Empire City. The game has decent mechanics it just needed more variety. Imagine different locations around the city like a factory with equipment you have to navigate around or a county fair with pedestrians getting in the way. Something so little could have gone a long way toward relieving some of the boredom. The fact that I still like the game in spite of its faults says a lot. But in no way shape or form can I recommend it as is.
The difficulty is a bit high due to some odd quirks. Your time is also your bullet count. Firing shots reduces takes one second but let off too many shots and you cannot fire for a brief period. There is no indication of this and it is frustrating. No matter how much time I had left and even finding extra ammo it still occurred at least twice per level. This means it is entirely possible to be defenseless with plenty of time left. The hit detection is spotty which in a game like this is nearly a death sentence. The difficulty ramps up quickly and the levels begin to drag on far too long. I struggled to stay interested long enough to reach the end and honestly cannot see anyone doing the same.
In Closing
Magnum Kiki Ippatsu: Empire City: 1931 was a decent game in the arcade but on the Famicom not so much. It captures the spirit of the arcade game but misses many of the minor details that made it great. Ironically the sequel Dead Angle fixes many of my problems with the game but that is arcade and Master System only. You can’t have everything I guess.
