|
Wednesday 20 February, 2008
GAMEPLAY
After I got the hang of Gradius III, I was able to get very close to the end of the game. The game never got frustrating for me (unlike many other people who played it), but I'm rather difficult to frustrate. I enjoyed the game's challenge, and was pleased to see bosses and levels that were balanced to be tricky but not near-impossible.
The only part that really bothered me was the extremely low value of extra lives and continues. Since the levels are built to be challenging with a full set of powerups, they're blisteringly hard without them. Some levels are tougher than others when played without being powered up, and, oddly enough, the very last stage and its 9000-form boss is doable with very few powerups once you get the hang of it. And with several lives and a couple continues, there were plenty of chances to play that part without starting at full power.
I was pleased that the difficulty did increase overall throughout the game, and there were new obstacles that showed up throughout the entire game. The final stage introduced fast-scrolling, warp-speed twisty passageways, and even its open-space section was difficult: it was a sea of bullets instead of a cakewalk.
DESIGN
Gradius III uses very clever 'safe spots' during more hectic encounters, and its level design is both repetitive and inventive. The aesthetic and overall layout of each level is predictable. Space. Passage. Boss. However, the obstacles used and strategies needed in each of those are not repetitive at all, and require quick learning or lots of experience and memorization to survive.
The extra-life system was almost pointless, as I mentioned earlier- in many cases, you might as well press the Reset lever when you die rather than trying to struggle through the current area without any upgrades. After all, if it killed you at your most powerful, how can you expect to live through it at your weakest?
Gradius III had no narrative or story to speak of, but it didn't really need it, just like Basketball doesn't have or need a narrative. Ships fly, stuff explodes. People leap, ball lands in net. It would have been unnecessary for more than a couple sentences of narrative if the developers weren't planning on filling the game with hours of it. This game focuses on having fun within the game mechanics, not the story being told.
As far as rewards go, just finishing a stage is enough of a reward- the sense of accomplishment is worth more than bonus points would be.
|
