Reviewer: Kevin Cheung DEVELOPER Square PUBLISHER Square AVAILABLE Now MEDIUM CD Rom PLAYERS One here are precious few moments more gratifying to the male mind than lining up a target in front of a 120 mm cannon and sending them to their maker with a single round. That is what Squaresoft's Einhander is about: precision control, blended with mindless blasting action. Playstation owners who have long lamented over the fact that the only answer their system has had to the Sega Saturn's massive collection of quality shooters are but a handful of titles like Philosoma and Raystorm will be heartened to know that Square has created a game that could rival even the godly Thunderforce games. It should be said, however, that this is Square's first attempt at a shooting game; and as is the case with many of its recent exploits into new areas, Square has attempted to add something new to the genre. Many will like it and many won't, but unlike Bushido Blade Square has retained more of the traditional elements of the game to keep a wider appeal. The game is set many years beyond the third world war, in which the united colonies of the Moon are waging a bitter war with Earth. The moon, apparently, is fighting for possession of a sacred place called "Sodom". The player is a young maverick pilot from the Moon whose mission is to fly solo deep into enemy territory, and single-handedly defeat the armed forces of Earth. Our intrepid pilot flies a unique craft, dubbed the "Einhander" by those who have lived to tell the tale. It is unique, and so named, for the fact that it has one hand that can manipulate any weapon to devastating effect. It could be said that this genre of videogaming has been practically milked for all its worth. The aim is always to blast indiscriminately until the very end - the more popular games being the ones with better gameplay elements and prettier visual effects and sounds. On all three counts, Einhander succeeds with brilliant conviction. The Einhander has a standard blaster with unlimited ammo that does the usual bog-level damage. The real innovation comes in the use of the Manipulator Arm, which can be used to pick up the main weapon from the debris of a destroyed opponent. These weapons have quite a large variety, ranging from gattling guns and rocket launchers to scatterguns and lightning diffusers. In addition, the Einhander is capable of moving its manipulator arm so that it is either positioned on its back or underneath it. This means that the secondary weapons can be used in various combinations with the standard blaster. For instance, the gattling gun can be used to bolster the power of the standard blaster when positioned on the back, but when positioned beneath the Einhander, it can be used to strafe ground units. Other weapons, such as the grenade launchers and scatterguns, can be fired backwards. The secondary weapons are not in any way unlimited - in fact, as soon as the ammo runs out, the manipulator arm will discreetly toss the weapon aside. The only way to retain a weapon is to keep collecting that same weapon to gather more ammo. The end result is an excellent blend of strategy with shooting. Players will be busily attempting to dodge enemy fire whilst managing a rapidly diminishing ammo count on their favourite weapon, or perhaps saving one particular weapon for a boss that's coming up. This process may sound frustrating, but Square have wisely kept the balance of action in favor of the blasting, and not so much the ammo management. Each gattling gun, for instance, comes with 400 rounds, which takes a pretty long time to squeeze off in a continuous motion. The secondary weapons should be used only when needed, but if enough ammo is saved up, the sensation of going completely ape with them is quite spectacular. It is conceivable that with some exceptional flying skills, one can complete large portions, or even finish the game entirely with the standard blaster, but a single death will result in the loss of both your weapons and their ammo; hence the balance between the standard and secondary weapons is dynamic in that it tests the skill of each player. The better the player you are, the more you'll get to use your special weapons, and the more you'll get out of the game. Players will be busily attempting to dodge enemy fire whilst managing a rapidly diminishing ammo count on their favourite weapon, or perhaps saving one particular weapon for a boss that's coming up. The strategy of Einhander has three dimensions with a selection of three types of craft to choose from. The default craft has a single shot standard blaster with the capability of holding and switching between three separate weapons at a time. The second craft available has a stronger twin shot standard blaster with the capability of holding only one secondary weapon. The final craft is equipped with a standard blaster that becomes muted once a second special weapon has been picked up. For instance, a player could fire a rocket launcher and a gattling gun at the same time, and switch their relative positions on the ship. In terms of strategy, this is where Einhander is the toughest to play, but is also the most thoughtful in terms of gameplay. Obtaining special weapons is also not quite so simple a matter as one would think. It is one thing to destroy an enemy ship. It is another thing to destroy them without destroying their weapon. Players will be forced into learning to shoot their enemies with greater care so that new weapons and ammo can be picked up. Before such time, many will be cursing at how they didn't get that vital ammo pick-up to kill off the end of level boss. The precision involved in destroying your enemies does not stop at looking for their weapons. Quite often, particularly with the boss characters, you can kill them the easy way or the hard way. For instance, you could slowly pick away at their armor plates, destroy their defensive weaponry, expose the power core, and eventually blow them up. The alternative is to go directly for the power core and blowing them up in 30 seconds rather than 3 minutes. The difference will give you huge bonus points, and depending on your performance, it will unlock various secrets in the game, such as an art gallery filled with quality CG images. Graphically, Einhander is the most solid and luscious polygon-based 2D shooter ever to grace the Playstation. There is virtually no slowdown or clipping, even with over 20 moving on-screen ships and mechs. The enemy ships continually fly seamlessly from the foreground and background, making the experience so much more dynamic than the effort in Raystorm. The backgrounds are also primarily in 3D with a basic 2D backdrop. The backgrounds move incredibly quickly and smoothly, often with movement such as spotlights and so on, making the game all that much more exciting. The attention to detail in this game is quite impressive. Every weapon causes a slight recoil action, and every destroyed enemy will die differently, depending on how you killed them. They might explode into flames and slowly combust as they hit the dirt; or they might sit idly in the air because their engines have been disabled, and you blast their ship into lots of tiny little fragments. The Einhander itself can also be destroyed piecemeal. If you fly too closely to the ground, you just might scrape off your secondary weapon - and if your secondary weapon is not positioned underneath the ship, you may very well kill yourself. When the Einhander bites it, you can watch as it explodes in flames and identifiable parts are thrown about. Einhander also owes a lot of its visual magic to the use of superb light and smoke effects. There's plenty of lightning, fire, explosions, and reflection effects on the surface of the ships that delight the eye. The opening level is especially impressive as police cars hover in to intercept the Einhander, complete with revolving flashing lights as the action zooms through a futuristic city. Combined with original and stunning mecha, weapon, and background designs, Einhander creates a great sci-fi atmosphere comparable to The Fifth Element, and dare I say it, Bladerunner. Anime fans will also be pleased to know that many of the mecha and weapon designs are reminiscent of Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion. The laser sword that can be swung about by the Einhander was a nice touch. An aural feast that excels far beyond the average shoot-em up complements Einhander's graphics. The music always maintains a fast-paced techno beat combined with some classical elements that add a gothic touch to the action. The sound effects are also of a high standard, with many different sounds for explosions and weapon discharges. There is really nothing that has been left out in this department. Einhander creates a great sci-fi atmosphere comparable to The Fifth Element, and dare I say it, Bladerunner. Overall, this is a masterful game. It is a game with non-stop action and can be pretty tough at times. All of this is combined with just enough of a brainwork requirement to make this game more interactive, hence more enjoyable. Square hasn't exactly entered virgin territory here, but as it has done in all of its previous games, it has done very, very well. This game is strongly recommended on any level. As a final note, it is doubtful whether Einhander will be translated into English. Should that be eventual outcome, this makes a stronger case for people who are considering entering the import market to do so now. Fighting freaks all know the pain of Tobal 2. Shooting fans should learn from that episode and act prudently. Einhander is almost entirely in English; hence there is little risk of being unable to play the game. Get it now! -- Kevin Cheung Gaming Age Online is Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.