Kaizou Chounin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess (Turbografx-CD)

Kaizou Chounin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess review

Game: Kaizou Chounin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess
Platform: Turbografx-CD
Genre: Action
Developer: NCS

Reader review by espiga

October 03, 2010

It's just another day in modern Tokyo. A cute schoolgirl (or schoolboy, if you're so inclined to choose) is walking down a metallic pathway, when suddenly, robotic ape/lizard hybrids leap from nowhere, only to be slashed in twain with your sword that leaves a shower of sparkles in its wake. Reinforcements come in from all sides as you continue to press your way to the right. A large humanoid robot attacks, its lanky limbs forcing you to keep your distance. You hold your attack button, and after a moment you unleash your full power.

SHUBI BEEEEEEEEEEEAM!

A ball of energy rockets forth, defeating the robot and immobilizing it, but not destroying it. You climb into it, and take the controls. Bounding forward, the enemies that once caused a little trouble are completely decimated by your robot's newfound ability to blast the foes with tongues of lightning.

It's still just another day in Tokyo.

Unfortunately, that's also the biggest problem with Kaizou Chounin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess. For every moment that absolutely rocks, like running through a stage on a giant robot or performing a wall jump and rappelling yourself forward as lava climbs higher and higher, there's a moment that's just as dull. You will have your generic snow level with a trio of equally generic evil snowman bosses, the last of which makes the powder-covered ground collapse to reveal an uninspired mineshaft stage. You'll cock your eyes in bewilderment as you come to the realization that the aforementioned lava scene takes place in a temple overflowing with water.

Of course, one cool feature is how the stages seem to transition seamlessly. Like the snow floor collapsing to reveal a mineshaft underneath, many of the stages shift their focus so that you're not really sure just how many levels there are in Shubibinman 3. The first stage, that has you running on a robot through a modernized Tokyo, has you leaping onto a ship. It takes you up into the sky where cannons circle you and fire towards the center, as you're leaping from small elevated planes to another, eventually landing on a platform in the middle that a veritable legion of little implike creatures destroy piece by piece, making you fall to the ledge of a futuristic castle high in the sky, filled with robotic enemies and a miniboss that locks on to your location and fires a barrage of missiles at you.

Yes, despite some bland areas mixed in, Shubibinman 3 still manages to exude a certain charm about it. An early boss fight pits you against an overweight cyborg henchman that wears a kung-fu uniform, while a later boss reveals a plethora of grenades and ammunition in a colourful animated cutscene complete with voice acting. The bright, colourful graphics and the cutesy sound effects belie the fact that the game is ultimately little more than a decent, yet somewhat forgettable, action platformer.

And not even cute anime schoolgirls can fix that.

Rating: 7/10

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