Preface: With the release of the PlayStation, Alfa System had partnered with Sony Computer Entertainment to develop Horned Owl (1995), a light gun shooter that featured slick character designs by Masamune Shirow of Ghost in the Shell fame. Furthermore, Horned Owl told its story through animated cutscenes which undoubtedly took advantage of the increased storage capacity of CD-ROMs. In this regard, Alfa System was in their element as they had already been responsible for the CD-ROM² port of Ys I & II (1989) which bore a similar approach. While Horned Owl failed to make a big impression in either Japan or North America, two years later, Alfa System revisited the light gun genre with Elemental Gearbolt. This time around, character designs were handled by the famed science-fantasy artist Hitoshi Yoneda and cutscenes would be produced by Madhouse and directed by the legendary Rintaro. As for the scenario, it was written by the relatively unknown Yuri Shibamura whose exact role at Alfa System seems to have been shrouded in secrecy. For Elemental Gearbolt, Shibamura penned a sprawling tale of a kingdom gone to ruin and of the people who were swept by the tides of war. In contrast to the typical shooting game, Elemental Gearbolt was science-fantasy. It’s a world of magic, fairies, and beasts as much as it is of tanks, air fortresses, and cyborgs. The distinct art direction became the main draw, further bolstered by the tighter focused gameplay. Importantly, Elemental Gearbolt was also the beginning of Alfa System’s Seven World Saga, but that remains a story for another day. For now, here we can see how the game critically performed in Japan and note that the reviews aren’t too radically different from their North American counterparts.
The original review can be read on the Internet Archive, here.
Gannoji
Within shooting games, fantasy worlds are rare, but for those who are already fans of this type of setting, they’ll be drawn in. In other words, Elemental Gearbolt’s atmosphere beautifully reflects the incorporation of fantastical elements throughout its direction and level design.
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