Developer: Masaya Publisher: Konami Release: 04/04/93 Genre: Action
Target Earth was an early Genesis title that left an impression on any who played it. It was mostly negative as the brutal difficulty was immediately off putting. But behind the ridiculous challenge was a pretty creative game. We were still a decade away from Gundam hitting the West and so giant robot games were few in number so we took what we could get. Developer Masaya would fulfill that title’s initial promise through better design and high production values. Cybernator is an underrated gem in the SNES library and a fantastic action game that is still great today.
In the distant future Earth’s fossil fuels have run dry, inspiring a race to the stars. The two factions leading the charge, the Axis and the Federation, are at war for the few remaining resources left. Jake is a Federation soldier in the Assault Suit division. This platoon has the unenviable task of destroying the Axis’ super weapon Bildvorg.
Cybernator is a spinoff of the Assault Suits Valken series in Japan. There are a number of differences between the Western and Japanese versions. Story plays heavily in Cybernator but unfortunately a large portion of it has been removed in the US version. Character portraits that accompanied the frequent dialogue exchanges were removed for no apparent reason. Some supporting characters were also cut as well as all of their dialogue. While the constant interruptions are annoying they do add to the flavor of the game like Star Fox. Removing some of that definitely hurts the game and it wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t so noticeable. An end game scene where an enemy commander commits suicide when confronted by your mech was also put on the chopping block. Personally this one is funny; what would you do if a 50 foot mech burst in your window?
From a gameplay standpoint Cybernator is a massive improvement over Target Earth. Your assault suit is pretty agile despite its obvious bulk. You have a dash that travels a decent distance and is spammable. Booster rockets allow you to hover until they overheat. You have a shield that can block most projectiles and can punch enemies that are too close. Many of these additions were probably to correct Target Earth’s heaviest flaws and they work. Despite your increased mobility your suit still moves and reacts realistically to its weight. All of your actions have heft behind them; it’s a neat little touch that shows a nice attention to detail.
One area that is not better is weaponry. Aside from punching you only have three further options compared to Target Earth’s sixteen. The difference here is once collected you can switch at any time. The standard Vulcan cannon can reflect off walls while the laser is the most powerful. Missiles are similarly strong but have low supply. All weapons level up to three times including your fists. The problem is you won’t earn all of them until late game. It is also easy to screw up powering up each weapon, raising the already high difficulty. While each weapon is effective the game could still have used a few more options.
While this is a level based action game each mission is pretty large and offers a lot of freedom. Most stages have no set time limit which is good as you’ll need to take measured steps through each one. Probably the best aspect of Cybernator is its varied missions. Some are forward scrolling shooter segments in zero gravity. Sometimes you’ll simply need to survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Your objectives also change during the same level. This is most evident in the Assault on the Arc Reactor. Here you disable its outer defenses before entering. Inside you face increasing opposition as you make your way to its core. Once you reach the core the Axis send the entire ship on a collision with the Planet’s surface, leading to a tense timed rush to knock it of course while a large boss attacks at the same time. Not every level is this intense but many are. You can actually fail and the story will continue, leading to one of two endings. That Cybernator’s campaign remains so compelling until its conclusion even with the botched localization is its biggest triumph.
The mere mention of Target Earth is enough to cause most to punch their monitors in anger. Cybernator is not as difficult but will still kick your teeth in. Maximizing your shield usage is key as there are only one or two health power-ups per level. Your assault suit can withstand a lot of punishment but cheap hits are still plentiful. You can easily miss the new weapons and power-ups, at which point you might as well start over. With just three continues it will take a few days if not weeks to see this one to its conclusion. But it’s a challenge worth facing.
Cybernator is a beautiful game and fares well against later titles even with its muted color palette. There is an insane attention to detail, from the dust kicked up when hovering or subtle heating up as you enter the atmosphere. The environments are lush with detail and cover a wide spectrum. The animation is also especially well done; the assault suits are composed of multiple smaller sprites acting in unison. They convey the weight of your movements effectively. Even though the resolution is lower I still think it looks better than the later PS2 port.
In Closing
Cybernator is a fantastic game and an excellent addition to the SNES library. Its unfortunate that so much was cut but it matters very little. Whether it is the Japanese original or this version don’t pass up this gem.
