"RAIZING = amAIZING (enter Battle Garegga)"

It's occurred to me that while I've tried just about all types of shooters in my time, I've always favored the manic shooter for pure enjoyment. I do enjoy the “thinking man's” shooters (ie. Ikaruga), but my constant need and craving for adrenaline pumping twitch style gameplay, dictates I give the edge to the manics.

In Battle Garegga, you will find that, not only is the ingenious level design meant to cripple your hands and fingers, but also that there is very little pattern learning to be done. Quite simply, it is the very definition of what a manic shooter should be. There aren't any revolutionary gameplay mechanic elements present here that will have BG compete with modern shooter fare, the likes of DDP Dai-Ou-Jou, Mushihime, Giga Wing 2, etc. What it does do, is stick to the original concept of weave in, out and around the cascading swarms of bullets headed your way. It does this so well in fact, that I can't recall any other manic shooter making my hands sweat and fingers hurt as much. The bullets are tiny, your hit box isn't. But it's also not huge. It's a fair balance, and Raizing is to be respected for the technical prowess they put on display while you're playing this marvel of a game.

The theme of the game is a WWII post-modern world. The detailed ships you fly are not space ships. They are WWII style propeller war planes. The environments you fly through are not colorful or happy looking, not even other-worldly, if that makes any sense. This isn't your typical “wow, look at those backgrounds and the colors!” It's a bleak, war-ravaged land and it's meant to play that way. No favors or lucky dodges here. If you see a pattern forming here, it's only that you should know, this isn't the casual shooter fan's game. It's the hardcore shooter fan's game.

You've got 4 ships to select from and 4 hidden, for a total of 8. The weapon power ups are insane! I guess Raizing figured, for the player to stand a chance, he/she will need all the help they can get. An interesting concept is the bomb power ups as well. As a whole, these little gameplay touches really make this game an extraordinary example of how a great game can come from simple little touches in gameplay.

This brings me to the final observation. The music in this game isn't epic, nor is it so different from the rest that it stands out as an incredible achievement in this department. Yet, don't misunderstand that for criticism. What I'm saying it that it fits perfectly with the rest of the game. For this, Raizing is to be commended. They kept the game real.

Let me add one final note, this is the most realistic shooter I've played yet. That should give you a hint to the type of shooter Battle Garegga is. There is no filler, no stunning effects (although the explosions are to die for!), no extravagant bullet patterns and no memorization. All BG is, is just pure unadulterated fun. And this is exactly what a manic shooter should be all about.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/08

Game Release: Battle Garegga (JP, 02/26/98)