Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)There's a reason why this game is held in such high regard among true blue shooter fans.Einhander has the trappings of a legendary game within its genre.Dazzling graphics, tight control, outstanding music and sounds, and a strong variety of weapons.They're all here, but that's not where the fun stops.There's also an art gallery that grows as the quality of your performance increases and an intriguing story, much different from the usual "an evil alien empire wants to destroy humanity, let's send one fighter pilot to stop all 500,000,000 of them" fare.In Einhander, you're on a suicide mission and you're painfully aware of it.Beautiful!
Einhander's visuals are beyond reproach.The backgrounds are vibrant and detailed without being garish or distracting, especially stage five.Ship designs are cool all around, and every enemy, from the mightiest boss to the lowliest peon, goes out in a blaze of glory when you destroy it, instead of merely blinking out of existence or disappearing in a bland red puff.
On the audio front, the sound effects are excellent.Launching rockets, shattering neon signs, and, of course, explosions.All well done.The intentionally emotionless female voice that addresses you after each stage is very credible, and the German commands you hear during boss encounters lend a terrific sense of atmosphere to the game.Moody and catchy techno tunes provide the musical backdrop and, for the most part, complement the corresponding areas perfectly.The operatic female vocals at the beginning of stage one clash very effectively with the destruction that ensues and let you know your ears are in for a treat from the start.And, the music for the sixth stage end boss (after the rocket with the time limit) is so rousing, you won't even care when he kills you 20 times in a row.
Eight special weapons are readily available and there's something for every taste, from the heat-seeking Wasp ("You can run, but you can't hide!") to the lightsaber-like Blade ("I don't need no Force to kick your sorry butt!") to the no-nonsense, wallop-packing Cannon ("JUST DIE!!!!").Plus, there are four others (each a sort of variation on one of the ubiquitous eight) hidden throughout the game.
Einhander's developers hit the nail squarely on the head (pun absolutely intended) where the challenge level is concerned.The game can get pretty rough, but it's the GOOD kind of rough.No shields or defensive power-ups are available (one of the game's very few flaws) so one hit will kill you, but it has to be solid, direct impact.Enemy bullets that travel at 2 MPH and just barely graze the little ball on the top of your radio antenna don't count.The last two bosses are tough to beat, and some of the earlier ones aren't exactly a cake walk either, but the only one that I think crosses the line between "challenging" and "frustrating" is the robotic ape mid-way through stage five.Oh, how I despise that banana-chewing abomination!
You get three lives per credit and nine continues for a total of 30 lives, though you'll earn an extra life or two along the way when you attain a certain score.However, there is one point in the game...the rocket you approach from behind...where, if you fail to defeat it within the given time limit, it's GAME OVER no matter how many lives or continues you have left!So, unless you want to see the "bad" (or should I say "worse"?) ending, I'd advise you to get yourself killed if it looks like you're not gonna get the job done in time.Then, you'll get another shot at it.
If proof was ever needed that 2-D games can still be plenty of fun, Einhander is that proof.I revel in the fact that it outshines many more modernized games on all fronts despite the old-fashioned 2-D gameplay.The only exception is the Wasp missile being able to seek and destroy on-screen enemies that have yet to align with your ship (and certain objects in the background, too...that's a hint).Some might complain about the lack of a two-player mode, but in my opinion the gloomy suicide mission aspect of the game would be jeopardized if it weren't played solo.With three ships to select from and no shortage of secrets (including two additional ships), the replay value is strong, but even if that weren't the case, you'd want to play it again and again anyway, because it's crafted with such tender, loving care and, on many levels, it's flawless.I have no qualms about calling Einhander one of the all-time great games for the PlayStation.Square would be well advised to re-release it (along with Final Fantasy Tactics and Xenogears).Don't hesitate to grab a copy if you come across one, as I for one am NOT selling mine!
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Product Description:
There's no denying that the space shooter isn't what it used to be. The once-thriving genre, championed by such classics as Gradius and Raiden, has boiled down to more of a nostalgic pastime. People just aren't as jazzed about blowing away hordes of alien space ships and racking up billions of points like before. While the occasional shooter still shows up every now and then, it seems like it'd take a miracle for a company to produce one that would rejuvenate the genre and renew public interest. Leave it to Squaresoft to accept the challenge. And while the fruit of its efforts may not be the miracle this genre needs for a complete revival, it's just about as good as shooters get. Einhander isn't particularly long, but shooters almost never are. The half dozen or so stages are seamlessly interconnected and demand just over an hour to plow through in total. Each stage - in fact, each part of each stage - grows progressively more difficult, such that you'll constantly face new challenges in the form of smarter, meaner enemies and more of them. Likewise, the mid and end-level bosses will constantly keep you guessing, as they tend to be both unpredictable and versatile in their attack styles. Even shooter veterans will have their hands full with Einhander, though multiple difficulty settings make the game accessible and enjoyable even for those whose hand-eye coordination isn't what it used to be.
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