Developer: CAProduction Publisher: Hudson Soft Release: 11/24/95 Genre: Shooter
The PC Engine has one of the greatest shooter libraries of all time. If you like the genre chances are you will find numerous titles to satisfy your appetite. But by the end of its life the system was suffering from a glut in the genre. That means for a game to come along and make a splash it needed to be special. Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire used the arcade card to create a graphical tour de force and one of the brightest lights at the end of the system’s life. To this day it is still one of the most expensive games out there and while it does not warrant the ridiculous price it commands it is a quality title nonetheless.
In the distant future time travel is a reality. With time travel available to the average citizen it is only a matter of time before criminals begin using it for nefarious ends. A special police force known as the “Burning Rabbits” is established to hunt these criminals through time. As the player it is your duty to choose a character and hunt terrorists in five eras to prevent damage to the space/time continuum.
Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is possibly the greatest technical showcase for the PC Engine. Hudson Soft and CAProduction spared no expense with the production values, hiring a manga artist to design its characters and promotional art even though they are shown very little in game. The game showcases special effects left and right with the biggest being its pre-rendered sprites that resemble polygonal enemies. The effect is convincing and gives the game a look unlike almost any other shooter at the time. As the bosses shift, rotate, morph and scale it becomes hard to believe this is a PC Engine game. Now granted it does all this with the assistance of the Arcade Card and its extra RAM but it is still impressive nonetheless.
Outside of its special effects Sapphire still impresses. Because each level takes place in a different time period every stage has a large degree of variety with a new set of enemies and bosses. As you travel through Egypt, Japan, the Middle Ages, and even the future the game moves from one beautiful set piece to the next. You could almost make an entire game in each era because they are so well designed. The bosses are massive and go through many phases before defeat. The contrast between hand drawn sprites and rendered enemies can be jarring but on the whole the game is stunning. Combined with the fantastic rock soundtrack and you have a game that would make any SNES and Genesis owner jealous.
Sapphire gives you a choice of four pilots, each with their own ship and weapon load out. I say load out however everyone uses the same three options, they simply differ in terms of look and power. Each ship also varies in their speed which makes a huge difference in gameplay. The weapon system is slight with a wide beam, laser, and rear cannon. These can level up a few times and also grant two satellites that can absorb enemy bullets. When not active the pods charge at which they can be sent out to aggressively seek out enemies or stick to a target for huge damage. It’s a gamble though as it leaves you vulnerable for a few seconds.
The time traveling concept is Sapphire’s greatest strength. Each time period is distinct and presents new challenges. The medieval period features castles, dragons, knights, and shape shifting gargoyles. Egypt takes you on a high speed ride through a pyramid before the final showdown with a sphinx. The game’s final level is the only one that feels like a traditional shooter as you blast off into space. But while the highs are high the ride is all too brief. The game is criminally short at five levels and will leave you begging for more. With two or three more levels this could have been really special.
Surprisingly Sapphire is easier than most shooters. It is extremely generous with its power-ups allowing you to reach full power in less than a minute. Even though your ship presents a big target your satellites do a good job covering your flank. Extra lives and continues come quickly and it is easy to exploit the scoring system to do so. The game is light on the bullet spreads and death respawns you immediately. The only areas that may present a problem are the boss battles as almost everyone goes through multiple phases and have cheap attacks. But as a whole it is light on challenge.
A common criticism of Sapphire is that it does nothing new within the shooter genre. That is true but it does not need to. Sapphire nails its mechanics and is an enjoyable trip through time with diverse enemies and cool weapons. The game has excellent pacing and accessible in terms of its difficulty meaning you will not tear your hair out after spending hundreds of dollars for a legit copy. You could even say the spectacle makes the journey seem larger than it actually is. While there are many shooters I would recommend first that is not a slight; it simply has stiff competition.
In Closing
Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is an incredible game and one of the system’s best shooters. It is only let down by its brevity. While a short experience it is a memorable one. If you are lucky enough to find it cheap or buy the PSP re-release you’re in for a good time.
