GOTHIC FANTASY SCROLLING SHOOTER ACTION (HORIZONTAL)
At
Deathsmiles' outset, you'll select one of four loli-goth heroines. Windia is quick. Folette is strong but slow. Rosa has big breasts. And Casper brandishes enormous shears. With that important decision under your belt, the game begins. That's when the surprises start. In a change of pace not seen since
Progear, Cave's latest bullet-hell shooter is... horizontal.
Similar to the popular
DonPachi series, there are two primary attacks: tap the shot button (or use autofire) for swift peltings. Hold the shot button down for a powerful but narrow laser stream. Every character's familiar — fairy, dragon, owl, or bat — matches its master's selected attack. In the spirit of
Section Z, each underage cutie can aim her magical assault to the left or right. And of course, since Cave designed this game, there's a scoring system extending beyond "kill everything for points". This time around, the system is surprisingly intuitive. Small enemies give more points when killed with weaker shots. Large enemies give more points when killed with the stronger laser beam. Oh, and dodge all those bullets. Otherwise, they'll knock your lifebar down a bit.
Sounds simple, right?
When things get too crazy, each girl's got a super-special magical spell. Most people call these things "bombs", because they accomplish the same purpose as a bomb: they clear the screen of all those ridiculous bullets, hurt onscreen enemies a bit, and buy a few more seconds before the next deadly barrage. But they're not bombs. They're
magical spells.
In case you're wondering how poor Rosa's busty body could possibly avoid all those purple pulsating pellets, keep in mind that bullets only hurt if they pierce her feminine heart. It's easy to locate Rosa's heart because it flashes orange and it's shaped like... a heart. Unlike some games where players are expected to guess where the "hit-box" is,
Deathsmiles kindly provides this information for us. That makes potentially brutal sequences a bit more manageable.
Something else that makes
Deathsmiles more accessible to the not-ridiculously-hardcore gamer is the ranking system. When you select a stage (a la
Thunder Force), you can also select a difficulty level from one (easy) to three (die die die). The game isn't generous enough to let you skate through entirely on the easiest setting, but this does allow more time to learn the basics. Most Cave games mercilessly drop players straight into the snake-pit. In
Deathsmiles, you've a chance to look before you leap.
All of the above is critical information, but none of that explains why
Deathsmiles is so special, why people searched high and low for the limited edition, or why it has already become the best-selling shooter of this generation. Arcade-goers have been enjoying this gem since 2007, but Cave's gorgeous revamp for the 360 has actually made this game
trendy. Imagine that — a trendy shooter! In 2009!
It'd be easy to pin much of the game's appeal on the "gothic lolita" designs of the main characters. The style is certainly popular right now, at least in Japan. (And it's spreading! You heard it here first!) I prefer to attribute
Deathsmiles' appeal to Cave's exquisite blend of bullet-hell mentality, nostalgic 2D artwork, and ridiculously catchy soundtrack.
Evoking fond memories of
Cotton, the demonic Deathscythe attacks via Jack 'o Lantern. He is the boss of Hallowe'en Town, after all. If you've glanced at our screenshot gallery, you've also seen that Deathscythe attacks using... scythes. What you wouldn't realize from the photos is that the reaper's slicing attack is exclusive to the harder difficulty setting. Sure, easy mode makes the game more accessible... but stick to that and you're depriving yourself of bullets, opponents, and harrowing new encounters.
Then again, discovering the differences — some subtle, others not — between each rank is part of the experience. Play on the hardest difficulty often enough, and you'll actually unlock an extra level. Unfortunately, you'll also unlock the dreaded "suicide bullets"; dying enemies explode into clouds of shrapnel.
In the ballroom, enormous beasts lurk on the balconies. This cyclopean fiend reminds me of
Ghouls 'n Ghosts' art style. Surprisingly, this particular juggernaut doesn't really do much aside from scowl and wave his stunted club. The dancers, on the other hand, launch pulsating bullets with every twirl and spin.
Why are you in a ballroom? Because you crashed the demon lord's castle during a party, that's why! And now ALL DANCERS MUST DIE.
Deathsmiles is filled with many such weird and amusing moments. At another point in the game, winged demon beasts descend upon a train and start abducting hapless passengers. Fortunately, Casper happens to be in the vicinity and eliminates the demons with a quick fly-by. As she zooms off towards her objective, the grateful passengers below wave in appreciation.
The next train that Casper encounters is loaded full of gun turrets.
With so many entertaining scenes, it's clear that Cave put a lot of care and attention towards creating an appealing new world. They attempted something similar a while back with
Mushihimesama, but this time the gameplay lives up to their previous best efforts. During a harrowing boss encounter, a witch flew above me, dropping fireballs. Meanwhile, eyeball creatures swarmed from both sides of the screen. It was a horizontal/vertical double-team! It was also a hell of a lot more clever than just filling the screen with projectiles.
Deathsmiles also makes excellent use of the left/right aiming mechanic. Ghosts and vultures flock from both sides of the screen, with a few demon dogs and trolls mixed in. Although I could survive by attacking indiscriminately, I had more fun flipping left and right, alternating rapid-fire shots with laser beams, taking advantage of the "weak foe/weak shot, strong foe/strong shot" scoring system to rack up points. There's even a hyper assault, which causes every fallen monster to spill loads of score-inflating loot. Newcomers can play for a few hours and feel good about their progress; hardcore point-hounds are rewarded for mastering the game's many, many nuances.
Cave's efforts to create something different proved stunningly successful. The tree boss, his scowling face embedded within his mighty trunk, wouldn't be nearly as menacing if viewed from above. The level of detail on the beastly mutts, the cyclopean fiends, and ethereal wraiths wouldn't be possible if Cave had simply handled this as "
DonPachi with undead enemies". The high-resolution, in-your-face artwork screams
LOOK AT ME! in a way that distant, bird's-eye views rarely can.
Deathsmiles capitalizes on that attention with intuitive and rewarding gameplay.
Japanese Xbox Live accountholders who don't mind spending extra money after already dropping $70 will be pleased to know that the highly-anticipated
Mega Black Label mode is expected to be downloadable next week, with even more content to follow. I have no objection to new content, but I also think Cave's already given me more than I anticipated.
Deathsmiles was much better than I expected, and I expected a lot. I can't wait to play what they come up with next.
//Zig Rating
10
Beautiful artwork, intricate gameplay, accessible for newcomers, rewarding for hardcore gamers. This is the total package.
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