Einhander

"*Wipes away tears of joy*"

Einhander is a side scrolling shooter designed by Square. Though known for their talent at designing RPGs, the company has shown incredible versatility in designing other types of games. Einhander is an example of this since it is a finely crafted side scrolling shooter that applies enough innovation and enough intense action to keep the this newcomer to the genre a major contender in greatness.

Though graphics should be the least important factor in what constitutes a good game, the phenomenal and practical graphics of Einhander serve not only to make the game look good but support gameplay exponentially. The graphics are entirely in 3D and everything is made up of polygons. Injecting 3D visuals into games that have been traditionally 2D (and you can\'t get more 2D than side scrolling shooters) usually spells doom for many games or at least waters down the flavor of games enough that their traditional 2D roots are but a vague, foggy memory. This is not the case here, for Einhander\'s beautifully rendered enemies and environments look amazing and fit very well with the overall theme of the game. As a matter of fact, the 3D graphics of Einhander facilitate an extra level of detail with fully animated bosses, backgrounds, and even your own ship. Robotic joints move and background features shift and move naturally. It really is a beautiful thing to behold. Furthermore, Einhander’s beautiful visuals compel the player not only to play further into the game to see other levels, but to have a good time doing it over and over again. In other words, Einhander’s visuals never get old or stale. In fact, after many years since the game’s release, I have yet to see side scrolling shooter that can visually match Einhander.

Einhander also doesn\'t pull any stops. Levels scroll vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Your ship will also fly into and out of the background and the camera will often shift to give you some pretty amazing cinematic moments (don\'t worry, nothing ever gets in the way of your view of the action). Special effects and explosions look amazing, too!

But visuals will mean nothing if there is no gameplay to back them up. Fortunately, Einhander sports enough gameplay for a small city. At its heart, Einhander is a side scrolling shooter. There should be no disillusions as to this. As a side scrolling shooter, you fly your ship on a 2D plane, fighting off hoards of enemies with an assortment of weapons. Levels include midbosses and bosses, many of which take up half the screen or more. This alone would warrant enough gameplay for lovers of side scrolling shooters. However, Einhander goes further by introducing a means of collecting weapons from fallen enemies and by being able to destroy parts of enemies. Destroying individual parts of enemies or bosses comes into play when looking for weak points or trying to acquire a different special weapon. Collecting weapons is unique in that you can position new weapons on your ship or in your ship’s storage, change the way the weapon is fired, and switch weapons to suit your situation. These two innovations work hand in hand. For example, destroying the bullet shooting arm of an enemy boss will yield a machine gun which you can collect and attach to your own ship and use against the enemy boss.

Einhander’s innovations and overall game play lead to a more strategic game. Depending on the type of ship you fly, you can reposition your new found weapon in one of two locations, yielding a different angle of fire or a different type of weapon fire all together. Often times, you will be required to reconfigure your weapons on the fly in order to adapt unique and dangerous situations. Sometimes, the decision of which weapon to pick up will determine the outcome of a particular battle. Also, special weapons have ammunition limits. Therefore, not only must you know how to use each weapon, but you’ll have to use each weapon wisely.

Einhander’s sound is excellent, too. The music is funky and the sound effects really work. Some sounds could have been better than others, but overall, Einhander delivers a solid aural presentation. Also, Einhander delivers and interesting story that is atypical of the usual themes found in most shooters. There is even a interesting twist towards the end of the game. Though the plot is very tenuous and full of inconsistencies and lacks substance, it is a change of pace and an inspiring one at that.

Finally, Einhander is full of special features and secrets that will keep you playing well beyond the amazing final battle. I’ve played through its lengthy levels numerous times and have yet to tire of this game nor have I discovered all that I can.

Some may try to assert that Einhander lacks difficulty. I would condition this misleading statement by noting that playing and beating the game on hard (in order to unlock all the extras) is not easy at all, nor can it be done in one continue (one of the conditions for unlocking one of the secret ships). Additionally, mastering this game can take ages and one should not be lead to believe that you can simply pick up the controller and breeze though this masterpiece.

Einhander is a beautiful game that is truly one of a kind. If you can find it, play it. Even with the 128 bit systems of today, very little can match its splendor. Though lukewarm lovers or haters of side scrolling shooters may cringe, true side scrolling shooter lovers will be in heaven with Einhander.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03