Developer: Square Publisher: SCEA Release: 05/5/98 Genre: Shooter
During the 16-bit era Square and RPGs were synonymous. Occasionally they dabbled in other genres like action with Front Mission: Gun Hazard but they largely stuck to their bread butter. With the PlayStation they full on expanded their reach and would go on to create some of its most innovative titles in many different genres. A shooter was the last thing I ever expected from; while the genre was still thriving in Japan it was on life support in the west. But even with their pedigree I don’t think anyone expected that they would create one of the system’s best shooters. Einhänder is a fantastic game and an absolute must buy in the PlayStation library.
Although Einhänder is a shooter Square did not skimp on its story. In the future mankind has established a colony named Selene on the Moon. Over time Selene becomes independent from Earth as they expand, sparking the First Moon War with Earth. This battle decimates the Earth’s surface with the remnants left uniting under a dictatorship. The Second Moon War becomes a battle over resources, with the player sent from Selene to cause as much damage as possible.
The Einhänder in the title refers to the metallic arm attached to your ship. With this you can steal specific weapons (gunpods) from enemies like Gaiares. Unlike that game the Einhänder is more versatile and can be re-positioned on your ship. To balance it out the weapons you collect have finite ammo and can be destroyed if they take too much damage. This make the game a balancing act of conserving ammo and switching weapons as the situation demands. This is one of the game’s best elements as it is very generous with weapon drops at all times. There are about a dozen or so weapons, from simple grenades to variations on the Vulcan cannon. The more powerful weapons like the Blade and Flash are rare. Gunpods are your only shield in some cases as there are no additional power-ups, making their presence even more critical.
There are three ships that affect your weapon selection and gunpods. The cool thing is each ship radically affects how you approach the game. The Endymion Mk II is the default and allows you to carry three gunpods at once. Its weapons receive less ammo from drops. The Mk. III can only carry one gunpod but has a more powerful default shot. It doesn’t sound like much but it makes a large difference once your weapons run out. The Mk I is the most difficult to manage and one that I struggled to wrap my brain around. With it you can use two gunpods simultaneously, one on the top and bottom. Which weapon you use in each position is crucial as some fire at odd angles. Trying to manage this in the heat of battle is a juggling act, one that is hard as the game is brutal.
In a lot of ways Einhänder is similar to R-Type. This is a slower, more methodical shooter that relies on memorization more than twitch instinct. Enemy waves are predictable as well as their attacks for the most part but there is still a trial and error phase involved in each stage. Playing around with the various gunpods to find the best for a given situation never gets old. This is why the various ships and their nuances work so well within the game’s framework. Like R-Type Delta the game is 2.5D and shifts perspective constantly. This is both for spectacle and gameplay reasons and possibly works the best in this game rather than in similar titles. The stages are long and go through many shifts as your mission status is updated constantly. As cool as that may sound it is merely fluff in the background.
Boss battles are one of the most exciting aspects of Einhänder. Because of the vast weapon selection bosses have attacks for nearly every situation. Strategies that would otherwise work in other games such as equipping grenades and bombing from above are rendered moot when they unleash a spread of missiles specifically for that occurrence. The patterns are there but the execution still requires skill. These bastards can take a lot of punishment and usually have multiple phases, making them feel like a war of attrition. They can be frustrating, I will admit, but usually you can see exactly how you screwed up. What makes suffering through the learning process is that the game is so fun regardless.
To see everything Einhänder has to offer will require you to put in work. Like a significant number of shooters this one is absolutely brutal in its difficulty. With no shield outside of potentially sacrificing a gunpod death will come swiftly. The game can be chaotic to the point of confusion sadly which leads to cheap deaths. You have ten continues on the normal setting and they go fast. When coupled with the checkpoint system novices are in for a rough time. The learning process will also enable you to see more of the game’s content such as the hidden ships, alternate stage routes, and an image gallery. You can earn more if you take advantage of the judicious scoring system but it is a tall order. Despite the high challenge the game offers I think it is worth it.
In Closing
Einhänder has everything: high production values, fun mechanics, and replay value to spare. It is brutally hard but more than worth occasional frustration to see everything it has to offer. This is one of the best shooters of that era. That says a lot as the competition is fierce. But I stand by it.
