Developer: Laser Soft Publisher: Telenet Release: 12/07/90 Genre: Shooter
Telenet were one of the most prolific developers of CD games in the late 80s/early 90s. While they aggressively supported the Sega Genesis and to an extent the Super Famicom the lion’s share of their games were for the disc based systems in Japan. Their lineup is a varied bunch and some of it even reached the US like Cosmic Fantasy 2 and the Exile Series. But while the quality was generally high there are a few mediocre games in the bunch. Avenger is an okay game as it hits the usual shooter beats with few niggling flaws. But it is ultimately forgettable in the face of far better games on the platform.
I kind of question why Avenger is a CD game and not a traditional Hucard release. Outside of the lengthy intro with its voice over there is nothing here that they could not accomplish on a Hucard. It does not even have a great redbook audio soundtrack that at the bare minimum most CD games can fall back on. I dare say there are chip games that are more impressive than this overall, from the graphics to the music. That being said I would certainly rather play Avenger than sub average games like Legion or Rayxanber II that are a wastes of a compact disc.
Avenger has a weapon system similar to Axelay. You have a primary, secondary, and a special weapon. At first you only have one option in each. But after each level you earn a new option in each category. These range from lasers and rockets to missiles or drone like options. The special weapon category is the most diverse. You can choose a barrier, a mega bomb, or a bullet eraser with each coming with varying charges. You can power-up your weapons by collecting pods dropped by a specific enemy but the rub is that each requires a different number of items to upgrade. Unlike Axelay your weapons are not essentially your life bar; that is separate. However you only have a single life with infinite continues which depending on your skills might be just as bad.
Avenger has an odd trajectory in its campaign. At first the game is very run of the mill as you go through the motions. The action is slow paced, the graphics are decidedly average and it resembles a significant number of shooters already on the platform. If the game continued along that path for its entirety it would be a waste of time in my opinion. However around the midpoint it picks up steam considerably. The action gets better with a variety of cool set pieces. You get to choose the order of stages at that point although I am not sure of the reason why as it is all in Japanese. You will have nearly every weapon at that point and the game becomes legitimately fun as you face challenging bosses and unique waves. I only wish that wave of inspiration hit sooner as the experience is uneven overall.
Compared to most shooters the difficulty is relatively low in Avenger. The life bar helps and the game is pretty generous with power-up drops that also restore health. The action rarely becomes frantic enough to make you sweat outside of one or two stages. If you choose a less than optimal weapon setup you might have a rough time. None of the weapon options are overpowering; you are often trading power for convenience. The valcan is my weapon of choice but lacks next to the laser. But the laser sucks at low levels. Similarly the drones increase your focused fire but when compared to the homing missiles you work harder. Boss battles can sometimes take a little time as a result. But if you pick wisely you will breeze through most levels.
In Closing
There are legions of better shooters you can spend your money on, be it on the regular Turbo Grafx or the CD add-on. There is a certain level of expectation that comes from a game being on a CD that Avenger fails to meet. I did not dislike the game or anything. But I know once I publish this review I will likely never think of this game again either. Take that as you will.
