Silhouette Mirage

"Weird doesn't always mean good..."

Silhouette Mirage is a side scrolling shooter developed by Treasure. I didn’t think much about it when the game came out, but a few weeks ago I saw it at the mall for eight dollars, so I picked it up. After playing through the game once, I decided that it was worth the eight dollars…but not much more.

Story: 3/10

If you have ever played a Treasure game, you already know what to expect: a bizarre storyline, weird, mutated, fairy-tail creatures and general wackiness all around. For most of their games, this works, but not in this case. Too many characters jump in and out of the plot. Enemies become friends and other enemies show you mercy when they could eliminate you, just to move the story along. In most games of this type, you can just ignore the story and play the game for what it is, but Silhouette Mirage makes that nearly impossible. Every level begins and ends with lengthy dialogue that cannot be skipped. I tried to get into it, but the semi-serious plot just doesn’t fit in with the cartoon feel of the game.

Graphics: 7/10

The graphics aren’t bad, considering this is a port of a game that is a few years old now. They are very colorful, but the characters look kind of grainy and washed out. It doesn’t hinder gameplay at all, but it all just looks kind of bland.

Sound: 6/10

The sound really isn’t very memorable. The explosions sound average and the music doesn’t really make much of an impact, either. Your character’s tinny little voice is annoying, though.

Gameplay: 6/10

The world of Silhouette Mirage is made up of two types of enemies: Silhouettes and Mirages. You are one of the few that is made up of both properties. While facing one way, you are Silhouette. Face the other, and you are Mirage. When facing other Mirages, only your Silhouette side can injure them. Your Mirage side won’t inflict any damage, but will slightly raise your spirit, which is constantly drained by your weapons. More importantly, your Mirage side can deflect shots from other Mirages, bouncing their shots back at them. In fact, this is the only way some enemies can be defeated. Unfortunately, it easy to get confused when you have enemies of each type on both sides of you.

Each level has a boss that must be defeated in order to move on. The bosses are pretty challenging until you figure out the trick to beating them, in classic gaming style. The boss challenges are easily the best part of this game. One boss starts out as a Mirage, but then morphs into a Silhouette. You have to avoid the Silhouette form, then unload on the Mirage form. The bosses are well thought out and defeating them gives you a real sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately, the rest of the game doesn’t measure up. Most of the levels consist of moving past a looping background and shooting the same enemies over and over. Sometimes, enemies will drop coins after being defeated. These coins can be spent at a shop that appears in most of the levels. Different weapons can be purchased here along with items that restore life and energy. The problem is, money is really tight in this game. And because you only have 9 lives to complete the entire game, the small amount of money you have has to be spent on restoring your life, leaving you with little money to purchase weapons. I went through the entire game and only got to check out two different weapons. In later levels, all of my money went to refilling my life meter, so I spent the majority of the game with my default weapon (which doesn’t pack much of a punch, by the way). The Saturn version of the game was actually a little bit easier and money was more plentiful. Why they changed the Playstation version is beyond me.

Conclusion: 6/10

Silhouette Mirage doesn’t have a whole lot to offer. The bosses are fun and combat is somewhat innovative, but I grew bored with it rather quickly. So unless you just can’t get enough of Treasure’s wackiness, leave this one on the shelf. If you have an urge to play a good platformer, pick up Megaman X5 or X6.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/07/02, Updated 01/07/02