Developer: HAL Publisher: HAL Release: 09/07/90 Genre: Shooter
Considering the NES hardware and its weaknesses I would say it has a pretty strong lineup of shooters. From Gun-Nac to Life Force there are many all-time classics in its library and a good number of them. Surprisingly a large number of truly exceptional titles were left in Japan. While you can find plenty of reviews of gems like Recca and Crisis Force Uchuu Keibitai SDF is literally unknown. That is surprising as it comes from HAL Labs, one of Nintendo’s biggest supporters. Take a chance on this obscure title and you will find the definition of a hidden gem.
Uchuu Keibitai SDF is a bit unconventional in its setup. There is no HUD or even scoring. The focus is clearly on its gameplay of which it has a few mechanics. By default you have rapid fire and collecting any weapon will graft two satellites to your ship. These fire your weapons and act as shields to absorb bullets. They can also attach to the back of your ship to sacrifice safety for homing fire. Weapon selection is a bit slight for my liking but decent. The laser is the strongest but has a narrow radius. The wide beam covers three sides which is handy. But it also moves in your opposite direction if you move which is unwieldy. The spread gun is my favorite as it covers a large portion of the screen. Thanks to the level design each has use cases for their strengths and weaknesses.
The playing field is wider than in most NES shooters and allows you to pick a lane. The game is designed around this so you will not have to worry about off screen attacks. When it does want you to go down a specific route the screen will forcefully pull you in that direction. The game uses this screen real estate with massive waves at every turn (by NES standards of course). The designers have done a good job of making the action and scenarios seem larger than the hardware will allow. The levels alternate between wide spaces and tight corridors that are almost maze like. This gives each weapon their moments to shine which is why the meager load out is not so bad. It also helps in that if you pick the right path you will find little resistance and might get boring.
Uchuu Keibitai SDF has no specific delineation when you move from one stage to the next. However there are clear breaks where it is obvious you are on a new level. With that in mind there are seven or eight distinct stages and they are extensive making this long by shooter standards. The game never truly ends either; there is an enemy that is clearly the end game boss but after its destruction the game simply continues. For completionists like myself who like the gratification of seeing an ending it is unsatisfying. Since there are no points there is also no drive to play through it all again either. Luckily the game is enjoyable enough to be worth the trip at least once.
As a whole Uchuu Keibitai SDF is balanced in its difficulty. I mentioned the wax and wane between narrow passages and open fields. Weapon drops are plentiful enough to make switching a viable tactic. No one weapon outshines the other. Since your weapons are your only shield you must avoid danger regardless of the fact they can soak up damage. Once they are gone chances are the aggressive enemies will get you in short order. Weapon drops are near checkpoints so death is not much of an impediment. Only the final stage tends to be unfair with its questionable enemy placement and lack of any power-ups for its final stretch. But when taken as a whole I like the curve in this game a lot.
At first glance Uchuu Keibitai SDF is a rather unassuming game. The initial “level” is a starry backdrop with sparse enemies and only a few larger ships to hold your attention. But in rapid succession it opens up and shows its technical brilliance. The game pushes a lot of sprites and only suffers from minimal slowdown. Despite the setting being space you occasionally fly through enemy bases and land. Here the game exhibits a high level of detail in its environments and even parallax scrolling. The entire game has the look and sound of a Konami title, as blasphemous as that sounds. But for a 1990 release it has the look and performance of a late generation title. But it should not be so surprising; HAL continually pushed the system harder than almost anyone else.
In Closing
Its surprising that such a well put together and technically competent showcase was left in Japan. Uchuu Keibitai SDF is a great game that I am sure would have found an audience overseas. This is a great game that scratches the action gaming itch that I easily recommend.
