While Cyber Citizen Shockman 2 turned the game into a Mega Man style game, this third entry hearkens back to the first game, but does make some changes to emphasize speed and combat agility. The problem is that the game’s level layout seems more suited to a slower paced game, with some sections feeling deeply unfair, and other just frustrating. Of course, it is not all bad and some sections are truly creative with fun gameplay where you hack and slash the enemies, but the unevenness is a bit much.
There are more combat options this time in addition to the standard attack. You can do a charge attack of course, and you can also access turbo mode to continuously attack, but the game emphasizes jump attacks a lot more. Both main characters from the previous game return, and you have your choice of whom to play as, but they are pretty much the same, although this makes co-op less frustrating since neither has an advantage.
Cyber Citizen Shockman 3: The Princess from Another World is far more difficult than the first two games. Part of this is enemy placement and boss fights, which require precise movement that is at odds with the game’s level of speed. In addition, the game pushes for more creative combat while not giving you an opportunity to strategize as much, meaning the combat is left a bit unfulfilling because it does not give its own premise a chance.
It is not all bad, though, and the cheat system built into this re-release makes the game a lot more fun. While some may scoff at using cheats, they were put in the game for a reason and the feeling of being overpowered does go well with the game’s combat, which finally makes it satisfying. Without the unfair challenge, Cyber Citizen Shockman 3: The Princess from Another World finally gets to live up to its full potential, so the stigma of using cheats should not stop you from playing.
Cyber Citizen Shockman 3: The Princess from Another World also contains a number of extras in the form of a gallery for character art, the original manual (untranslated), CD artwork and more, which is a nice touch. There is also the original untranslated game, but it is more of a curiosity than anything else. Still, the inclusion of the extras does help beef up the value of the game, as does the rewind option which helps with the difficulty.
Overall, Cyber Citizen Shockman 3: The Princess from Another World may not be the best in the series, but the modern touches added to this re-release definitely have upgraded the experience. I can recommend the game now, but it needs to be emphasized that the modern touches are needed for enjoying the full experience.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
