Developer: Cave Publisher: Atlus Release: 04/26/96 Genre: Shooter
The shmup genre is notable for being hard. That is one of the ways it derives its replay value. To complete some of the best shooters out there will require a lot of practice and mastery of their mechanics. Or cheating. But there are some games that truly test your skills and show you your limits. DonPachi is one of them. In my early days of import shooter gaming DonPachi was a name that came up frequently. Curiously most were content to chase high scores and not to complete the game. I now see why. DonPachi is a ruthless bastard but also insanely fun at the same time.
DonPachi’s lineage is why the game is so great. When Toaplan, one of the greatest developers of shooters in the 80s and 90s went under many of their staff went on to form offshoot companies to continue their work. Cave is one of them and one of the few that survive to this day. DonPachi was their first title and you can see some of their growing pains. But underneath it all is a rough gem that they would polish over the next two decades. The Saturn version has a few problems of its own but is the most accessible in terms of its difficulty if you can overlook some of its flaws.
Mechanically DonPachi seems simple but has a lot of subtle technique. The game uses two buttons but puts them to good use. Tapping A fires normal shots while holding it causes the ship to fire a laser. The laser is a powerful stream of focused fire that also gives a small shield that can damage enemies. The drawback is that you move slower depending on your ship. B drops a bomb. But there are two bombs, the spread bomb and laser bomb. A spread bomb damages enemies in its radius, clears bullets, and grants invincibility frames. If you are firing a laser when you drop a bomb it becomes a laser bomb. The laser bomb is the most powerful stream of fire in the game and one of the fastest ways to destroy bosses. But if you play for score you might want to avoid using it.
There are three ships in DonPachi: Type A, B, and C. Each has strengths, weaknesses, and quirks to consider when using the game’s mechanics and offer a different experience. On my first run I went with the Type C. This blue ship is the strongest and has a default wide beam that increases in size as it powers up. But it is the slowest and that difference is immediately noticeable. Type A is the red ship with the fastest speed but lowest power. It also suffers the least when using the laser. The Type B has a lot of nuance with its weaponry. Normally its weapons fire forward. However as you move around its options slowly rotate. It can cover angles the other two cannot but it can be a pain in a pinch. Its bombs cover the widest spread but it moves the slowest when using its laser.
Regardless of the ship you choose DonPachi is hard. This is bullet hell through and through. Enemy waves are constant and they are aggressive. Despite the constant carpet bombing of the screen you often guide bullets to create openings. This is a vital tactic during boss battles. In addition enemies cannot fire unless they are visible on screen. While you can abuse this somewhat it is not a viable tactic every time. Part of the game’s difficulty comes from its rank system. Rank increases due to a number of factors like how many bombs you have used, the number in stock, how long you have stayed alive powering up and creating combos. When rank rises bullets become faster. Death lowers rank like Battle Garegga but I will say the system is not as aggressive as that game. While it is a factor it does not make the game seem impossible.
As hard as the first run is it is only a warm up. The game’s story plays a role in the second loop. The first time you clear the game is a simulation as you are a rookie member of the DonPachi Squadron. Once you finish the fifth stage the “final mission” begins seven years later. Now as a full member the second loop begins. The game is harder as enemies drop suicide bullets when killed. You can negate this by killing them in melee range. Considering the frantic pace that is a style of play reserved only for the absolute best players. If you can manage to make it to the end of you will face the true final boss. That is a feat beyond me; the fourth level was grueling in its length the first time. The second time is a nightmare that did not hold my interest.
Despite the high challenge the Saturn has a few features that make it more accessible. There are six difficulty settings instead of the arcade’s four. By default the game begins on little easy which is comparable to the arcade’s normal. The easy setting makes the game tolerable for the average player. By that I mean it will take a few minutes to die rather than about thirty seconds. I am exaggerating of course. If you are wondering about the other four settings they range from normal to ultra hard which I cannot fathom trying myself. Most importantly Score Attack mode lets you pick a stage to score as many points as possible. In actuality you can use this as a practice mode to learn enemy placement and patterns. I wish this version let you adjust your starting lives like the PS One version but I guess you cannot have everything.
On a technical level the Saturn edition of DonPachi is not as good as it should be. Right away you will notice the lengthy load times. The loading can and will often pass the 20-30 second mark. The initial startup is egregiously bad with this. There is noticeable slowdown and allegedly it is worse than in the arcade. This I can understand; the game does become hectic frequently. Oddly enough the PlayStation version is better in this regard. The audio is compressed and low quality which sucks as I like the music. Overall the game is still respectable. But you cannot help but think it could be better.
In Closing
DonPachi is a vicious bastard of a shooter and not for the weak. Even with the various difficulty settings it will make you work for every inch of progress. But I can say however that it is worth it and you will feel like a god damn super hero once you learn its nuances and can survive longer than a few minutes. As much as I like it admittedly this is not for everyone. But for those that give it a chance a great shooter awaits.
