Another day, another prestigious arcade shmup finds a happy new home for itself on the Switch. This may sound like we’ve skipped straight to the end of this review a few paragraphs early but as it’s been a full decade since DoDonPachi Resurrection’s English Xbox 360 release, more than that since it debuted in Japanese arcades, and several years since its Steam port, there’s no point keeping anyone in suspense: this hypnotic mixture of bullets, lasers, and shiny collectibles is without a doubt one of the best of its type.
It’s also one of the most flexible of its type too, with eight very different ways to play and seven of those featuring extensive training options, allowing anyone to practise all levels, bosses, and even mid-bosses under any conditions imaginable. The options available go so far that, as with Espgaluda II, anyone who has a burning desire to display the main screen slightly off to the left at 107% magnification with the background image auto-changing every 38 seconds in one specific mode can do so if they wish.
Sadly this laboratory-like testing is often necessary as all of Resurrection’s play modes have an incredible depth to them that is completely hidden by unhelpful names like ‘1.51’, ‘Version L’, and ‘Arrange’, or described — in full — as ‘Play Black Label with aircraft from Ketsui’; that's a sentence requiring a high level of familiarity with one specific Resurrection play type as well as knowledge of a shmup only available on the Switch in Japan as a port of an old mobile phone game.
This lack of information is not a new problem nor one unique to Resurrection, but it is frustrating to see what is an otherwise excellent title refuse to proudly show off all it has to offer or explain why it’s so special — especially as many of the ‘secret’ tricks and techniques aren’t meant for high scoring super fans but basic features designed to help players of all levels simply survive the onslaught of pre-rendered ships headed their way. With a little guidance Resurrection can be an exciting bullet cancelling extravaganza where you are invited to build up and then maintain a hit combo that can run into the thousands, a game where you can (and should) engage in thrilling laser-on-laser battles against gigantic bosses, a game that in certain modes visibly adjusts the challenge in real-time as you play. Yet you won’t be aware of that unless you already know or care enough to look for that information anywhere except the one place it should be — in the game.
Resurrection is arguably one of the best of its genre even after all these years and a lot of competition (plenty of it coming from developer Cave themselves). It’s relentlessly challenging, breathlessly inventive and exhilarating to play; an essential purchase for confirmed shmup fans. But it’s also one that needs you to do a lot of homework to get anything meaningful out of it.
Comments 41
Had no idea this had dropped. Boom, purchased right away - despite being aggressively average (or just crap) at cave's shooters/shmups they are a feast for the senses.
Anyone know how these cave ports are performing on switch? Hope they are finding an audience but the near zero publicity in media outlets (besides nintendolife - big up NL for keeping us in the know!) has me concerned.
Performing in sense of sales? Not sure.. for the performance in sense of lag there are luckily a number YouTube channels like ' shmups on switch'
..
@Omario I have them all and they all perform great! There's apparently a minor scoring glitch in one of the later stages in this one, but I don't think it's of concern to anyone not chasing world records.
This is a pretty fair review overall, but personally I do have to say I almost enjoy the 'mystery' of games like this. Crawling through old forums and FAQs etc to find out what the hell's actually going on is half...well, maybe not half, but like a tenth of the fun. (Maybe just me.)
This is right up there with Crimson Clover as the best bullet hell shmup on the Switch. It's seriously good.
I’m getting one.
I usually love shoot-em-ups, but I have never been a fan of this style. It's like there is just too much on screen all the time, like every single screenshot here is so full of effects and things that I can't even make out what the background is, or what they are even shooting at half the time. It just looks like a mess to me.
@romanista @riccyjay Ah sorry i meant sales performance or at least if the porters/publishers have indicated they happy with the numbers so far (and keep the ports coming!).
Good to know in game performance is also up to scratch though for these cave ports!!
@Omario It's really hard to determine that. They seem fairly happy with how they are selling (enough to tease more ports), but it's all tough to figure out. Sales data for this stuff doesn't appear to be available publicly.
I remember seeing that Darius Cozmic Revelation sold alright, but it looked like Cotton Reboot didn't sell that well. But that's only physical sales in Japan first week.
I hate to mention another article but for those who would like some clarification on the game’s modes, it’s somewhat justified.
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dodonpachi-daifukkatsu/
And if you need some visual aid, STG Weekly did a replay overview a while back of most of the modes.
@masterLEON Thanks for that. I’ve been playing DDP on and off for years and this is the first I’ve heard of this stuff 😂
@MARl0 Crimzon Clover!
My rating is at least 9. Also I will point out that as you can rotate the screen fully so its TATE mode compatible which is great for us flip grip owners. I fully acknowledge it has its issues but I guess I am coming in know some of the outside info like the alt routes etc cause I looked that up when it was on iPhone, that stuff is more for the dedicated people that run all the permutations I guess.
@JayJ it's definitely chaotic, but definitely not a mess. All of Cave's games have great backgrounds and sprite work, and they don't lose anything by having tons of enemies and bullets. I can see why it would be a lot to handle, but shmups are about getting into 'the zone' where you're perceiving everything instantaneously and reacting to it.
That said another common criticism is that bullet hells are difficult. I've always found them to be way easier than games like Raiden or Gradius where your hit box is massive, bullets are tiny and it's incredibly easy to get boxed in with no way out. Bullet hells are a lot more forgiving imo.
Have this on Steam and double dipped Switch version. Love both of them.
@masterLEON HCG101 is one of the best resources on the net. I wish their old site was still accessible though, they had a lot of really deep game coverage.
Amazing game. 9 at least.
I have this on my wishlist currently. I think I will download this eventually. Thanks for the review.
This game has a ridiculous amount of content! Live Wire have hit their stride with these CAVE ports. No need to get salty about the ambiguous nature of the genre though, I can't think of many shmups with the meta explained in-game. The reviewer should try M2's sublime Esp.Ra.De, the only shmup with detailed meta in-game I can think of.....all in Japanese! I must have spent 3 hours translating that, as a comparison the Dodonpachi 101 took 25 minutes to read & well worth it.
This game made the Top 25 Shmups of All-time on last year's Shmup Forum Poll.
While i personally would still rate it 9/10, i definitely agree that considering the complexity of the gameplay and the wealth of mode and features, the game definitely does not do enough to explain anything.
Honestly, i think that pandering exclusively to people who have a lot of experience with shmups and going out of their way giving modes and versions strange names is a general problem with Cave games.
@JayJ From your post, it sounds like you like something a little more slow-paced akin to R-Type. Can you share your favorites so that I can add to my collection? I like to go back and forth between bullet-hell screens and something slower like Razion EX.
@riccyjay I agree with liking the mystery... but we are fans anyway.. it won't help to get new fans probably...
(i have the special edition on 360 though, i'll check if the modes are explained properly in the manual there
I think the worst thing is its eShop banner, with that art and the name only in japanese it won’t attract anyone who isn’t already looking for it.
The game is incredible, just remember that to learn and survive you should start with choosing Strong type for your ship. Build combo/hyper mode, engage hyper mode to bullet cancel and try to keep your combo/hyper up, use it, build it again rinse and repeat. When you learn how to do that efficiently, as far surviving goes it’s one of the easier DDP and Cave games out there.
I'm absolutely downloading this as soon as I can, but would someone knowledgable fill me on on how it compares with Espgaluda II and Musihimesama? I really love Mushihimesama, it's a blast, and am always on board for anything that plays similarly.
@NedBundy I checked out a video of it and it's definitely not as bad as the screenshots made it seem.
@farrgazer Yeah I am usually more of a fan of the classic shoot-em-ups like Rtype and the 1940's series, but I just enjoy trying to get into all sorts of games in the genre. Like I really enjoyed Deathsmiles but I never liked Ikaruga, so I guess the more hardcore games just aren't my thing. It seems like Cave has usually done a good job at making their games accessible and appealing. I mean as someone who grew up going to 90's arcades this type of stuff has always been right up my alley. Compared to what people were charging for this game on the 360, getting it for $20 on the Switch seems like a steal.
@JayJ I like to consider myself decent at shmups but Ikaruga is brutal at times.
@NedBundy Yeah I just generally don't like games that add some color changing mechanic like that, I didn't like it in Fast Racing games either, and both of those games are brutally hard IMO. It's just sort of one of those micro-management mechanics that is there simply to make the game more difficult to play, and that is it.
To be honest it seems like the Treasure shoot-em-ups in general were always really difficult, Cave has always done a much better job at making their games approachable IMO.
@Octorok385
Mushihimesama is my favourite CAVE game so far! Dodonpachi doesn't quite hit the highs of Mushi or Espgaluda II for me personally but it is pretty fantastic & very similar. More complex than Mushi but less than Espgaluda II. 8 different versions! I think you would like ESP.Ra.De, high price but beautiful work by M2.
@BloodNinja The DDP lore is bonkers, the game modes here in DaiFukkatsu are bonkers (there's a mode where you bomb enemy lasers for points?!), but I'm here for it, and people need to know about it! 😄
@NedBundy They're totally a repository of knowledge for all the niche titles that don't get mainstream attention. If they were to go one day, that would be cataclysmic! Here's hoping HCG101 doesn't go the way of Shryuken(dot)com. The new version has more ads which should really help them out.
@DashKappei My understanding is using hyper increases your rank making the game more difficult. So while 'build then use hyper, rinse and repeat' is the perfect tactic for scoring, for survival it's actually best to avoid using your hyper unless you're in a tight spot and need it to avoid losing a life.
That's my understanding, at least.
@JayJ I can totally understand someone not liking the colour change mechanic in Ikaruga, but I don't think it's remotely fair to say it's just there to make the game more difficult.
The whole game is built around that mechanic and, whether you personally like it or not, it's incredibly well implemented, adds huge amounts of depth and replayablity for those who do like it, and makes for a deep and fascinating scoring system.
That is why it was added.
I'd even dispute the idea it makes the game more difficult at all, actually. Imagine the patterns in Ikaruga without the ability to change colour. Large sections of the game would be literally impossible.
@riccyjay Well that's simply because they designed the game around that mechanic, it's easy to make shoot-em-ups without it, and it's existence, whether you like it or not, exists to add challenge and therefore difficulty. Regardless there isn't any point in arguing about that in this discussion as this isn't about that game, we should be discussing DoDonPachi.
@JayJ What a strange comment.
You could say that about every mechanic any game ever has employed that makes things anything more than walking towards a goal with no obstacles in between.
The colour change mechanic in Ikaruga is not there "simply to make the game more difficult to play". That is a categorically false statement. You can see several other reasons why it's been added in my previous comment, and I'd say it's somewhat disrespectful to the developers to dismiss something that's been so painstakingly thought through as if it's just been chucked in to make things difficult.
Like I said, I 100% understand why someone wouldn't like the mechanic and I have zero problem with someone saying "I don't like it" or even "it ruins the game for me". But it is not there purely for the sake of making the game more difficult and, frankly, I think that's an absurd thing to say.
@riccyjay How is it absurd when every single shoot-em-up with the exception of that one doesn't have that color changing mechanic to keep on top of. It's clearly an unnecessary feature added to give you something to keep on top of, you seem to enjoy it as fans do, so if you disagree that is fine and I'm sure some other fans of the game would agree with your take, but at the same time I think my take is valid as someone who is not exactly a fan of the game for why I am not fond of it.
I simply used that as an example of a game that is highly regarded yet not enjoyable for me because they made it too complicated, which is why I used Fast Racing games also as a part of that example. My critiques weren't exactly directed at a single game so much as taking something simple like a shoot-em-up or a racing game and adding something that feels unnecessary to make the games more difficult and intricate to play.
@JayJ Your take in terms of not liking it is 100% valid (as I've made a point of stating twice already).
Your take that the colour change mechanic was added "simply to make the game more difficult to play", however, is not valid. At all.
@JayJ you not liking it is a valid take but saying it's clearly an unnecessary feature isn't. Intricate scoring systems have been part of the genre for more than 2 decades now, and are pretty much a staple of all of Cave's games, so Ikaruga having one isn't gimmicky or unnecessary. I'm not trying to be hostile or rude, but there's a world of difference between you simply not liking something and it being bad or arbitrary.
Scoring systems are what distinguish shmups from others, besides art style. These are hallmarks of the genre, games like Battle Garegga or Espgaluda 2 make the scoring system in Ikaruga seem like pre-school since you're only concerned with matching colors.
@riccyjay You’re definitely mistaken, every DDPR guide worth its salt, or any player familiar with the game really, will tell you that Hyper Mode’s bullet canceling is survival’s main mechanic and fundamental if you want to beat the game without credit feeding a lot.
On the 1st loop (I doubt that someone playing for survival is so good at the game to even rach 2nd loop easily, and when you do you’ll have improved and refined your skills so it’s a non-issue) the hyper rank resets at every stage and it also goes back to 1 eveytime you die. It’s also unlikely that on stage 4/5 a survive player will raise their hyper rank so fast while also getting close to full chaining the stages that the hyperrank will make buller super fast and suggest a different tactic to survive than HM bullets canceling… and if it were to happen, then you’re scoring great and also getting lives, so by dying you just get back to rank1 of HM.
The game is completely built around chaining and hm bullet challenging and unless you want to get to end by clicking in continue a bunch of times you need to learn that. It’s probably the easiest CAVE stg ever as far as playing for survival goes.
Here’s a great guide to the game:
https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=44187
@MasterLeon also mentioned some great resources like HCG101 and STG weekly in their post above
@NedBundy Well if I don't like a game mechanic and find it to get in the way of my enjoyment, why would I be singing praises for it and calling it a fun/entertaining feature? How does somebody else enjoying it in any way effect my enjoyment of it? I mean if some people enjoy it that's great for them, but I am not some people so I am going to stick to my personal thoughts on the matter.
@JayJ you missed my point entirely. No one's asking you to sing praises for anything, there's just a massive difference between something not being for you and something being arbitrary or poorly planned out. One is a genuine opinion, the other is you pretending the game isn't meticulously designed around its scoring mechanic. That's pretty different. It's like saying a game has bad controls versus just being bad at controlling it.
I dunno, I just see the merit in lots of things that don't click for me, seems reasonable. Maybe shmups just aren't for you outside of a few instances, but it'd be like me saying a football game has too much running around. Maybe I just don't like football.
We need more early Cave and less waifu-pillow.
Hey Live Wire if you're reading this pls secure the rest of Cave's catalogue so City Connection can't ruin them.
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