Developer: Masaya Publisher: Masaya Release: 02/28/92 Genre: Action
Shockman was a valiant attempt at providing the Turbo Grafx-16 with some Mega Man inspired action. But while it kind of had the look ultimately the game was disappointing for a variety of reasons. As the second in the Shubibinman series it was certainly better than the mediocre first game and I can see why TTI chose to publish it here. But they would have been better off bringing over the last in the trilogy. Kaizō Chōjin Shubibinman 3 is what the series was building toward and nails it in almost every category, from graphics to gameplay. It is a bit easy but fun while it lasts.
Tasuke and Kyapiko are enjoying a nice day at the beach when a massive spaceship interrupts their fun. Unfortunately it means another alien invasion has begun and they must once again suit up to stop it. But these invaders do not seem completely evil, and the whole thing is a simple misunderstanding. The leader of the invaders, Princess Cleha wants help saving her world from an attack from the underworld but her pride gets in the way. As a CD title Shubibinman 3 has many cutscenes. Unfortunately there is no fan translation but you can at least marvel at the pretty pictures.
Shubibinman 3 takes a back to the basics approach to its gameplay. Rather than the shooting action of the second game it returns to the melee sword swinging of the original. Now however it is not as stiff and robotic and feels natural here. It has not completely abandoned the action of its predecessor though. You can charge your sword and unleash a small fireball for long range attacks. The charge is quick and you can slightly control the trajectory of the fire after. Unfortunately you cannot move while doing so, giving it a risk/reward benefit. You can also wall jump but outside of one or two scenarios it is underutilized. Shame too as it is a pretty cool mechanic.
In contrast to Shockman Shubibinman 3 is a faster paced game. Combat plays a heavier focus as you are constantly accosted by enemies at every moment. It is not uncommon to face five or six generic henchmen as well as flying enemies. Yet despite this chaos it always moves at a brisk pace. The structure is a bit different as well. There is no set level breaks; the game moves from one action set piece to the next with no preamble outside of the occasional cutscene. You will move from the city streets to piloting a giant mech and assaulting a giant flying fortress. As you escape they are in hot pursuit and send you crashing to the snow covered mountains below which leads to the alien’s base. And this is the first fifteen minutes.
The spectacle comes at a cost however. Shubibinman 3 trades complexity for simplicity to up the action quotient. The level design is straightforward to a tee and can be boring outside of its set piece moments. The one time you must use the wall jump hints at what could have been and adds to the disappointment. The boss battles are also mechanically simple to the point some end after a few attacks! I had my issues with Shockman but it at least nailed that aspect. The relative ease with which you will blow through the game also hurts a little. Despite the action healing items drop with regularity and you will easily rack up continues, not that you will need them. I was rarely ever in danger of dying and the lacking challenge shows how short the game is. Although brief you will enjoy it while it lasts.
Shubibinman 3 is one of the better looking titles for the PC Engine CD both technically and artistically. Like Rondo of Blood it makes use of its CD storage in a number of ways. The sheer variety of art assets in each of its “stages” is beyond what was possible on cartridge at the time. The game throws around a massive number of sprites for an action platformer and only rarely slows down. There is a generous amount of parallax scrolling in nearly every level, sometimes three layers deep which was uncommon for the platform. Its enemies and bosses would not look out of place in a Treasure title as well. The designers went all out and the series ends with a bang, at least on this console.
In Closing
Kaizō Chōjin Shubibinman 3 is solid fun that is over way too soon. The easygoing difficulty makes it accessible but also means the ride is over sooner than you would like. With a few more levels this would have been amazing even with its few faults. Although I like it a lot I will say temper your expectations a bit because of that.
