| paleface [sys=PCE; cat=Shooter_Vert; reg=JPN] |
| | | "Truxton" is the name of the English arcade release of this vertical shooter by Toaplan; the name on the Japanese HuCard/board is actually "Tatsujin."
Really really hard. Really. At least for me, I have a hard time just avoiding the pair of dudes who come along in the first ten seconds. The enemies like to move up slow right in front of you, then release a semi-aimed cluster of pretty fast bullets right in your general direction. They also like to bring a buddy along to do this at the same time. It is difficult for me to avoid!
You have some pretty hefty defensive bombs with which to counter these assaults: when they detonate, the bombs release a big death's head cloud that persists for several seconds, blocking enemy bullets and damaging any enemies who touch it. Pretty neat.
The weapons themselves can get pretty beefy once powered up, although it uses the old multiple-weapon-types-but-can-have-only-one-at-a-time formula. Powering them up has a twist: it takes five "P" powerups to go up a power level, but if you die you restart (at the last checkpoint, alas) still having your Ps. Yay!
The graphics ain't fancy but they have a strong, distinctive look, and move smoothly. The music is pretty good, but some of the sound effects are downright annoying.
Difficult and painful as it is, I gotta respect this game. It's hard but not cheap, will test your reflexes and rewards you with good powerups. And although they may look weird, the mid-bosses and bosses are rather memorable, with tricky patterns. |
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