Developer: Masaya Publisher: NCS Release: 03/20/97 Genre: Action
Masaya’s Shubibinman series had the potential to be the PC Engine’s Mega Man, a kick ass run and gun series full of action and robots. To a degree they were exactly that but each game had a myriad number of flaws that brought them down, be it overbearing difficulty or lackluster mechanics that grew stale over time. It is ironic that the one title where they got everything right is the hardest to find. Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman Zero is everything Shubibinman has wanted to be and more and is one of my favorite action games for the SNES.
The B.B. Corps are attacking the city and only Shockman (and Shockgirl!) can stop them! But the attack is just a cover so that they can steal Professor Shen’s experimental Gotokuji Engine. What do they plan on doing with the failed engine? And who is the B.B. Corps mysterious benefactor? Although the game is light on story and you can easily ignore it the fan translation allows everyone to enjoy the at times comical dialogue. Like the Mega Man games it is loosely patterned after Shubibinman Zero has a lot of personality.
Shubibinman Zero has a troubled history behind its release. Originally it was developed as a cartridge game in 1994 but was cancelled after completion. However it would release as a downloadable title for Nintendo’s Satellaview service in Japan three years later. Shubibinman Zero was available for a one month period four times throughout 1997 and early 1998 where players competed for high scores to earn prizes. It means unless you played it while it was available you missed out. However in 2017 it finally saw a limited cartridge release, allowing more to experience this great title.
Rather than the straight action of the previous titles Shubibinman Zero is a brawler. Both Raita and Azuki have a variety of easy to execute hand to hand moves. Azuki has a sword which grants her slightly longer range and is generally easier to play as. By holding down the attack button you can charge up for an energy attack. Raita throws a Kamehameha that hits multiple times while Azuki unleashes a ball of energy. They each also have an ultimate attack that differs: Azuki’s energy kick is easier to perform and stronger than Raita’s uppercut. If you play coop there are even a few combo attacks as well. The mechanics are simple making the game easy to pick up and play. Most of all however it is free of the jank that plagued the previous games.
For a beat em up Shubibinman Zero has the pacing of a run and gun action game. I like the mix of fisticuffs and ranged action; the prior games made small steps in this direction but it is fully realized here. The game moves at a fast clip and enemies go down quickly. This goes hand in hand with its design Satellaview design; during the times the game was up the goal was to earn as many points within a time limit. Enemy placement is deliberate to make you choose if it is worth chasing enemies or moving on. Even divorced from the score aspect the level design is great. They introduce new enemies regularly and the platforming is a welcome addition. The boss battles are fantastic and at times seem like something out of a Treasure game. The earlier games had potential but it is fully realized here.
The casual nature of the game makes it simple to pick and play. But it also means it also very easy. After all the goal was to entice players to try to earn a high score, not frustrate them with difficult mechanics and bosses. Despite that Shubibinman Zero is still very fun. There is just enough precision platforming as well as interesting boss battles that you cannot simply breeze through the game. If you avoid killing enemies your life bar will not grow making some of the later boss battles tricky. You only have a single life and three credits but I still think most will have little trouble seeing this to its conclusion. Even though it is an appropriate length I still want more.
In Closing
Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman Zero is an excellent title and another in a long line of SNES hidden gems. The mechanics are solid, the action well-paced, and the production values are great. While the experience might be a little brief due to the easy difficulty this is a title you will revisit many times, especially as both characters and in coop. This is the kind of title that comes at the end of a system’s life that helps elevate it to legend status.
