Developer: AlfaSystem Publisher: Telenet Released: 10/23/92 Genre: Shooter
Shooters cover all stripes, from the ever popular space shooter to the less common fantasy shooter. You’ve got cute em ups, bullet hell, and boss rush titles too. Yet the most obvious, the giant robot is not as commonplace as you would expect. Kiaidan 00 is a love letter to giant robot anime like Getter Robo and Gundam and is awesome. It does not do anything new for the genre but is pure awesome because it knows exactly what it is and makes no apologies for it. On a system overloaded with shooters sometimes that is all you need to stand out.
Kiaidan 00 stars Takeshi, the son of the giant robot Kiaidan. When an evil dictator amasses a massive robot army and invades Japan it is up to Takeshi, along with his girlfriend who provides support, to push them back. While it has the look of an 80’s action anime Kiaidan 00 is an original property that nails the aesthetic it is going for, right down to its hot blooded hero. This aesthetic is part of what helps the game stand out among a sea of similar shooters. But unlike the games that tried and failed to do anything interesting with its theme Kiaidan is an underrated gem for the PC Engine.
In terms of weapons Kiaidan arms you with everything from the start. You have five separate weapons you can switch between at every turn. The Vulcan cannon, wave beam, a rotating ball, a force field, and homing lightning comprise your arsenal. Each has situational uses that you need to take advantage of as there are no power-ups outside of shield replenishing. The Vulcan is basically your default while the wave beam has a wider spread but is weak. The homing lightning is not great on its own but does have a better use. The force field is the oddest; at first it seems useless as it is not strong and you will take damage if you use it wrong. But it is the best way to rack up points; you just have to use it properly.
When not active the power meter charges. When full your weapons change dramatically. The Vulcan throws your fist out which to be honest is terrible. The wave beam produces a laser that sweeps in a 360 degree arc and is awesome. The lightning produces a massive lightning storm that will utterly decimate bosses. That stupid rotating ball gains longer reach but is still terrible. The force field becomes a full body shield that is important if you want to truly get a high score. Points are important as they increase your shield. You start with three points but can expand that to seven. Every million points adds another point. It sounds like a lot but if you abuse the brief period before delivering the final blow on a boss you can max it out quickly.
Each of Kiaidan 00’s levels has two halves with a cool mid-boss and an even larger end level boss. Even the map in the UI looks short each level is long. Some might even say too long; the longer stages tend to be repetitive as they feature multiple identical enemy waves in a row to pad them out. The awesome boss battles make up for this in my opinion. Each general has their own mech, be it a robot or animal themed mech. The have a variety of attacks like a fighting game character and more importantly their patterns are fun to suss out. Even when you figure it out it still comes down to execution and the game puts up a decent fight.
Even though you have one life and limited credits I found the difficulty in Kiaidan 00 to still be reasonable. There is an optimal weapon for every situation and once you find it managing enemy waves becomes easier. Bosses are large and feature a variety of attacks but have simple patterns that the charge lightning makes trivial every time. Weapon switching would be so much smoother if the PC Engine controller had more buttons but you make do with what you have. The early stages when your shield is weak can be a little frustrating, especially as every level only drops one shield power-up. But by abusing the game’s scoring system you can max out your shield, making it simpler. You still have to survive the long drawn out levels but this is a perfectly accessible game for novices.
In Closing
Kiaidan 00 is underrated within the PC Engine library. It does not have the presentation of Sapphire or the pedigree of the Star Soldier series. But it is just as good through solid mechanics and gameplay. Kiaidan 00 is an excellent addition to the PC Engine shooter library and a great purchase for those looking to get their feet wet in the genre.
