Shockman (Video Game Review)

Video Game Review
Shockman
Turbografx-16
1991
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Hudson Soft

If there’s one game that doesn’t need a clone, it’s Mega Man. The reason why is because Mega Man has so many sequels and spin-offs that it doesn’t do any knock off game any benefit to try and capitalize on Mega Man style game play. Enter Hudson Soft’s Shockman which is a Mega Man clone in almost every aspect. It follows the Mega Man formula quite a bit although it is missing some of the elements that make Mega Man such an interesting game.

The game begins as you find out that the scientist Doc has been captured by a mysterious evil intent on destroying the world. Choosing between either Arnold or Sonya, you traverse over levels encountering enemies until you reach the end of the stage where you engage in a boss battle. Some levels are standard platforming levels while others are side-scrolling shooter levels. Either character has three types of attack: a primary shooter weapon, a stronger shooter weapon that is activated by charging up the weapon, and a super weapon that causes much destruction on-screen. The super weapon is the only weapon that differs between the two characters although it only differs in its execution and display; not the type of damage it causes.

Graphically, it’s pretty good for a TurboGrafx-16 game. It’s better than what you would have seen on the NES but inferior to the SNES. It doesn’t have any special effects that wouldn’t have made anyone go wow when it was released back in 1991. However, everything is colourful enough and the animation is fluid. There is the odd bit of slowdown and flicker but nothing that would cause a hindrance to the gameplay. The visuals do perfectly acceptable job.

The sound on the other hand is something to take issue with. The music of the game ranges from boring to annoying. The music doesn’t add anything to the game and sometimes takes away from the experience. In a game where you need to be firing shots left, right, and centre, the game’s soundtrack does nothing to enhance the intensity. Instead, your ears are delivered a MIDI symphony that encourages you to want to turn down the volume. The sound effects are fine enough though. They were the standard blasts and beeps of the time period although nothing groundbreaking like we had seen in Mega Man or Contra.

The controls do an adequate job although they’re not as responsive as other games in the genre. There will be some controller smashing when things get a little hectic and some of the level design does not lend themselves well to the iffy controls. If you press the jump button, you know you’re going to jump but it just feels off; as if the timing is off by a split second. In this game, there are times where you need that split second reaction time to be spot on and it’s one of the failures of this game. It also doesn’t help that the levels feel bland and the story is lame but there are times where you feel like you are forcing yourself to continue rather than enjoying the journey.

It’s hard not to escape the idea that you’re playing a Mega Man clone while playing this game. Fundamentally, it feels like the same game although there are some things missing. You don’t acquire special abilities after defeating bosses which you can use throughout the game. The only weapon you have is your main blaster and the only modification you can do is charge it up to shoot a stronger blast. The atmosphere and the robotic characters make it feel like a Mega Man game but it doesn’t feel as polished.

The bottom line is that if you’re looking to play a Mega Man type game, there are plenty of actual Mega Man games to choose from on a variety of consoles. Don’t go out to search for Shockman but if it falls into your lap, it’s good for a couple of hours of fun. It’s a perfectly acceptable game provided there isn’t anything else to choose from.

☆☆