Einhander

"Square's fantastic little secret"

What genre comes to mind when you think of Square? 99.9% of you probably said RPG. But during the 32-but era, Square made an effort to diversify their lineup. Quite possibly the best game released as a result of this is the horizontal scrolling shooter Einhander. Einhander lacks the compelling plot expected from Square games (although it does have a good plot considering it's a shooter) but has gameplay that lives up to their best RPGs.

Graphics: 10/10
Einhander is done in 2.5-D (polygonal world but 2D gameplay) and looks great in it. The backgrounds are well detailed, as are the enemy ships,with large, impressive bosses. The explosion effects are incredible. The 2.5-D allows enemies to come at you from the background and foreground, and occasionally the view (although never the control) switches to a behind the ship view. There are even FMV sequences, up to Square's usual high quality.

Sound: 8/10
The music isn't as incredible as in most Square games, but it gets the job done. The sound effects are great, with constant explosions and weapon sounds. You also occasionally hear voice from your A.I. assistant and the bosses.

Gameplay: 9/10
Einhander is the type of shooter where you start from a check point when you die, instead of just reappearing. This can be frustrating, but the game is rarely cheap, and you are given ten continues so you'll get a lot of tries. There is a lot of variety in the enemies, and each level has usually 2 or more bosses in it, each which provides a unique challenge. The powerup system is standard for a shooter. Certain enemies drop weapons when destroyed. The two main differences are that you have a limited amount of each weapon and that you can have the weapon mounted below or above your ship to fire differently. There are three ships to choose from, the main difference being how many weapons can be used and how many at the same time (you can store and switch between multiple weapons). The levels have a lot of variety, and there are some clever ideas, like one level where you're chasing a large enemy ship under a time limit.

Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Overall: (not an average) 9/10

Conclusion:
Einhander is quite possibly Square's most underrated game. It can be hard to find, but any fan of shooters owes it to themselves to track it down.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/02, Updated 07/28/02