Developer: Sting Publisher: Data East Release: 01/08/91 Genre: Shooter
Data East and shooters are not three words that go together. While they developed a plethora of awesome top down shooters the traditional shmup from their stable was rare. After playing Override that is kind of a shame as they were pretty good at it. Override is one of many shooters that never made the trip West. For as much as I lament the over saturation of the genre back then there is always room for a solid shmup. Lord knows I’d have taken this over lame arcade ports like Ordyne and Mr. Heli.
Override is very similar to many Compile shooters, most specifically Blazing Lazers. From its weapons to some of its bosses some might even say it veers a little too close. Whether that is true or not it does mean that it has a solid foundation. Weapon pods fly in every few seconds and come in two varieties. The most common release P pods that upgrade your standard shot substantially. The second release color cycling orbs that correspond to five different weapons. These cover the genre staples such as lasers, homing shots, and wave beams with two originals. The purple side shot seems dumb at first but is consistently useful for long stretches. The reverse shot is one of my most hated weapons in the genre as it fires opposite the direction you are moving. Any time I’ve killed anything was a happy accident.
Each weapon can be upgraded four times which is easy as the game is generous with power-ups. Just like Hudson’s title if you refrain from firing a powerful charged shot is also available. This massive screen clearing weapon of mass destruction is especially useful against bosses. Their patterns and rate of attack almost seem designed around it which sounds odd but is fortuitous. It can also destroy bullets which is extremely useful in a pinch.
I’ll say this about Override, it is fast. From the onset it throws around a relentless onslaught of enemies and rarely lets up. The numerous waves aren’t designed to mask terrible level design either. In fact I would say that is its strong suit. Enemy placement and incoming waves are designed in such a way that every weapon has a chance to shine. That doesn’t mean you can’t pick a favorite and stick with it. But it is more advantageous to pick and choose depending on the situation. The frequent weapon drops I would say almost encourage this play style. Once again it is incredibly similar to Compile’s works in that regard. Whether that was intentional is debatable but it does mean Override is better than most similar titles as a result.
Honestly that might be one of the few negatives I have with Override. It does not possess an original bone in its body. The game is so derivative that it cannot help but remind you of the better titles in the genre on the same system, namely the Star Soldier series. The production values are also average although the complete absence of slowdown is a miracle. There is an odd difficulty spike in stage four but outside of that Override is very lower on the difficulty scale.
Where most shooters are brutally difficult Override is challenging yet accessible. Power-ups are generously handed out; there is rarely a moment where at least two are present on screen. That makes it extremely easy to get back up to speed after death. With your life bar it is easy to survive the constant chaos. But more so than just the life bar the liberal scoring system helps tremendously. Extra lives are awarded every 70,000 points which is nothing in this game. Every few minutes you’ll earn an extra life. It may seem excessive, but you will blow threw them, especially in the game’s second half. In spite of that however it is never frustrating cheap. I wish more titles would follow Override’s example as it makes it very replayable despite lacking extra frills.
Override is lacking in originality, but it does not matter. This is a thoroughly solid game that is more entertaining than many of its contemporaries. It is not the first import I would recommend but is not far down the list.
