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Rinkou no Rantse [3DS eShop]

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    Rinkou no Rantse [3DS eShop]

    So, this is a game featuring a girl able to transform into a pretty awesome fighter jet to blow stuff up. There's an underlying story, and probably the girl's name is somewhere in there (Ren, I think), but the plot evolves during briefings and through the voice of the operator telling you that there's more stuff to blow up, so I just shoot things.

    The two forms the main heroine can switch between control in a different way: the human form is able to strafe around enemies, perform short dashes to evade attacks, change targets, and comes equipped with a beam sword; the fighter is able to charge up a (incredibly hard to aim) special attack, and fly freely around the mission area: this might sound strange, but in human form you'll always lose altitude, and movement is limited to strafing and getting closer or farther away from the locked enemy.
    Switching between the two forms is needed to get you in a better position against incoming enemies (fighter form) and then to quickly dispatch them (human form), and this works well for the most part: the inability to change targets in fighter form is sorely missed when dealing with waves of normal enemies, and even when in human form targets are only switched between those in range; as an attack platform, fighter mode is very limited as there is no yaw control, greatly reducing the ability to aim the standard guns and the special attack, making both almost useless, even against big targets.

    Enemies attack with guns and missiles, the latter being the biggest threat, not just because they home on you, but also for their damage. Missiles can be dodged in human form or outpaced in fighter form, but the only indication from where they are coming from is on the touch screen (hosting a radar screen), and it's hard to shift focus between the two screens when the action gets intense. On later missions getting hit by missiles you didn't realise were there or you thought you dodged is commonplace, and yes, there is a missile warning cue, but it plays constantly and doesn't really help in knowing if you evaded everything.
    There are no healing items in RnR, and after each mission, you are graded and awarded credits based on your performance; I don't think the remaining health is the only factor, but surely plays a major role in your rating.
    Credits are used to buy extra parts to enhace various stats, but getting enough credits is very hard, as the game is relentless. The second and third missions are probably the biggest hurdle to pass in the game, as they set the pace for every mission thereafter: mission two is a seemingly endless wave of enemies, mission three features a multi-stage boss able to one-shot you if you're not at full health (after some enemy waves, of course). I was struck at the third mission for days, but I kept coming back to the game with a sort of "you can't beat me game, you can't" attitude: the game system is not inherently flawed, and despite the multiple deaths by invisible missiles, it wasn't infuriating enough for me to forfeit; it might not be the case for everyone, but after these first three missions, I was able to breeze through most of the later missions, often with excellent ratings.
    There also are branching paths based on your performance during certain missions, which is a nice addition, and enemies get better-looking as the game goes on, though they will always attack with guns and missiles, with little difference between a tank and a biped robot.

    Graphics aren't exactly the game's strong point, with the main heroine receiving most of the attention (and her fighter form looking awesome). Bigger enemies look OK, but I think there are two textures for all enemies in the game, and they are light and dark grey. The environment is very bland, with minimal features; sky and horizon look good in some stages, and the game runs at a constant pace except when against large bosses, the HUD in functional, and the radar switches between long-range and way-too-close.
    I think there are two or three music tracks, but everything is lost between gun sounds, explosions, the operator, the missile lock cue, and the level of attention the action requires.

    Aside story mode, there's a free mode that lets you play completed missions, but you won't be awarded any credit for beating them, requiring you to give the best performance possible in story missions to acquire extra parts.

    All in all, I'm happy that I persevered with Rinkou no Rentsa: it's not perfect and very demanding, but I'm having fun with it.

    And right now I realised that the game's biggest inspiration is not Macross but Busou Shinki.

    #2
    Quick note: the game is going to get a western release! US release is scheduled for March 19, Europe "soon".

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      #3
      I've still not gotten past the first few stages. It's pretty unforgiving to someone who lacks shooter talent.

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        #4
        Yeah, the third stage is a huge roadblock. Gets better after that, and I'm glad I've stuck with it.

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