Developer: Xing/SMS Publisher: Kokopeli Released: 1996 Genre: Shooter
The late 80s and early 90s saw shooters of all kinds. From your standard space shooter to the occasional medieval fantasy romp like Elemental Master, the genre covered nearly all bases. Yet even with the abundance of titles at home and in the arcade the submarine shooter was nearly unexplored. Irem’s In the Hunt is a graphical tour de force with a level of 2d artistry that is still rare to this day. It’s also a great game too and uses its distinctive premise to offer something new to the genre. This is one of the most unique games in the genre and one that shooter fans need to buy right now.
The closest comparison to In the Hunt is Irem’s own Sqoon for NES. But even that is only tangential. The best way to describe In the Hunt is Metal Slug under the sea. It makes sense; many of the same staff would eventually go on to create that venerable series. You will notice the same insane attention to detail and manic action yet the game has a pace that is all its own. Honestly I can only think of one or two flaws that may annoy some but with that in mind this is still one of my favorite shooters of all time.
The weapons system is both extensive and a bit light. Technically you have three weapons: torpedoes for frontal enemies, depth charges for enemies below, and missiles that work both underwater and on the surface. You have a choice between three kinds of torpedoes; red torpedoes fire in a straight line, crackers explode on impact, releasing smaller bombs, while supersonic torpedoes create a large helix wave in their wake that does damage over time while it persists. Like the spread gun in Contra crackers are the overwhelming favorite. The splash damage is too overpowered in a game where you will need every edge.
Missiles behave differently depending on situation. You get two kinds, homing and balloon mines. While underwater homing missiles travel to the surface. Above the water they track targets. Balloon mines slowly float to the surface when submerged and explode on impact. On the surface it becomes a rapid fire machine gun. One feature unique to the home versions allows you to fire all three at once which is a literal god send.
As much as I like the general gameplay of In the Hunt the level design is what truly puts it over the top. Although the game takes place in a sub it isn’t always completely underwater. The levels play around with different elevations and all that entails. Stage 2 features a very low sea level which forces you to deal with mostly airborne threats. The usual tactic of diving deeper to avoid bombs does not work there. Even when they feature similar themes they vary. The following level is a vertical ascent among sea ruins as a giant monster chases you upstream. Stage four sees you traveling through the ruins of a destroyed city, blasting paths through ruined buildings as carefully placed turrets lie in wait. I love the variety Irem has gifted the game and wish more shooters were as inventive.
There are only six levels total but you will spend a lot of time in each. In the Hunt is difficult like most shooters but this takes it a little further. This is a case where the exquisite attention to detail gets in the way of gameplay. While the explosions and destruction are a sight to behold they constantly obscure bullets. It is very common to die and not realize how. Unless you play on the console modes there is no shield either and the game desperately needs it. Boss fights are long battles of attrition and if you die they take even longer. You won’t see the end of this one in a single afternoon, that’s for sure.
Even though you will die repeatedly at least you have eye candy as a motivator to keep going. In the Hunt is one of the most beautiful 2d games ever made. The level of minute detail in every facet of its art borders on insane. Destroy a building and every individual window shatters in a hail of glass. Every enemy explodes in a shower of debris and most backdrops are destructible. I imagine everyone will try to destroy everything possible just to see how the destruction is rendered. The aquatic theme never gets old as the game is inventive with its scenarios as well. Surprisingly the bosses are not the most impressive aspect of the game either although they are no slouch. I should probably stop now as I’m rambling but you get the point. Few 2d games even today reach this level of artistry.
In the Hunt was released for both the PlayStation and Saturn and the differences between the two versions are minor. Surprisingly the PS One version comes out on top in terms of performance. There is less slowdown, which depending on the player, is both a help and hindrance. The Saturn version has more slowdown but only in the most extreme cases such as stage four. It also has a terrible CG intro but a better remixed soundtrack. Obviously if you have a choice the Sony game is the one to get but you can’t go wrong either way.
In Closing
In the Hunt is one of the most unique shooters on the market and a fantastic game to boot. The difficulty is off putting but the artwork and gameplay will keep you coming back for more. I cannot recommend it enough. We need more of these.
