Developer: Namco Publisher: NEC Release: 1990 Genre: Shooter
Namco are no stranger to the shooting genre. With Xevious, Dragon Spirit, and others under their belt you might even say they are pioneers. And a good portion of their output hit the Turbo Grafx-16/PC Engine. At first glance Ordyne looks like their take on Twinbee or Parodius as it shares the same carefree tone and cute graphics. But there is more to this one than meets the eye. Ordyne is certainly a bit unique in the system’s library but I don’t think it stacks up to its competition overall.
The cute em up sub-genre of shooters has by and large stayed in Japan. Not that I want to be judgmental but one look at the artwork for many of these games and you can see why. Ordyne is one of the first of this sub-genre to reach the West. The lighthearted tone and mechanics may lure you into a false sense of security but this one has teeth. There is a lot to like about Ordyne but personally I do not feel its mechanics jive with its design and it is not as good as it could have been.
As a side-scrolling shooter Ordyne has a lot in common with Gradius. It uses the same combo of forward facing cannon with missiles for ground based targets. The enemies are similar and even the waves and their patterns are a callback to that game. But there are differences. Destroying waves of enemies is critical as they drop crystals that double as cash. Points can also be found by shooting the environment as well as destroying the larger enemies, which drop a massive amount at once. You’ll have to be quick to pick them up as they will drift away in seconds.
Where Ordyne really differentiates itself is its weapon system. Taking a page from Fantasy Zone weapons can only be bought in the shop that appears at least twice in every stage. Each shop has a set three power-ups for sale with the price increasing in each subsequent level. These weapons are varied, from a three-way shot, fire bombs, speed ups, homing missiles, and a shield called the stock bomber. Unfortunately you can only buy one before being booted out which is lame. Later levels bundle multiple options together but by then items are so expensive you can only buy one per level. As a supplement every level also has a Dream Co. robot that lets you play a lottery. This lottery can either grant free weapons or a huge lump of cash.
Although the game gives you options I am still not a fan of this system. It is heavily imbalanced; having to choose between a basic speed-up and a crucial weapon is not a good choice. Weapons have either limited ammunition like the homing missiles or use the weapon meter, allowing their use until time runs out. Some like the fire bombs only have two uses! Due to the shop placement you will spend most of the game with the basic shot which is weak. This is a huge problem in the final two levels, one of which is a boss rush. The economy does not keep up and sometimes you have to go without which is even worse. Ordyne is not such a spectacular shooter that its basic action will keep you entertained which is a shame. A better weapon system would have made it more interesting.
In the arcade Ordyne ran at a higher resolution than the PC Engine can manage. As such the playing field scrolls vertically to manage the action. It is similar to Lightening Force in that regard. Picking a lane is half the fun as the various routes through each stage can vary in difficulty. While Namco has managed to capture most of the arcade’s action the level design had to be changed in a few ways. Some of the arcade’s more technically demanding elements like scaling and rotating sprites. It affects the last level the most which is a shame. It was a pretty great looking level in an otherwise unassuming title.
While I have outlined my issues with the game’s weapon system overall Ordyne is not a difficult game. The game is of medium length and the stages are long. Most enemies pose little threat with most of your deaths coming from chasing down crystals. Only the bosses present any challenge since you will more than likely enter each fight with the default shot. If you manage to hold on to the firebombs you can take some of them out in two seconds! The final level has a spike but by then you will have multiple lives as a buffer. I don’t see anyone having trouble seeing this through in one shot.
In Closing
Ordyne is an alright game in the end. But OK means it takes a backseat to the better games in the genre. I would only recommend it unless you really feel the need to play every shooter on the system.
