Ratalaika Games has been on a hot streak by bringing modern ports of classic games, many of which never left Japan before. One of these series was Cyber Citizen Shockman, a game whose sequel was released in the West and was a reasonably well-liked Mega Man-inspired game. The original Cyber Citizen Shockman is a bit different and is a mix of very deliberate platforming alongside sword fighting and some light RPG mechanics for upgrading that is still really unique by today’s standards.
Some have compared the first Shockman game to what we would later see with the Mega Man Zero games and that is not a bad comparison really. The games see you take control of one of two characters in single-player, or two players in co-op, and take on a variety of stages. The platforming you will encounter here is not as tight as the classic Mega Man series but feels right with regards to where it needs to be, but it pales in comparison to how good the combat feels.
Cyber Citizen Shockman feels incredibly satisfying in terms of combat with the sword due to how precise the sword movement can be. This goes well with the overall stages and enemy placement, and while the stages feel short compared to stages in other platformers, nothing overstays its welcome either. The stages are able to be tackled in a few different orders, but what is interesting is that you do not need to beat each stage.
You will initially have a choice of three stages, with more stages opening up depending on which stage you chose, en route to the final area, but you can choose to go back and do every route in the game. During the stages, you will find money after defeating enemies and after clearing a stage, you can do repairs on the characters for a cost, or buy new upgrades to give more options for things like attacking. These options include beam attacks and more, but while these upgrades are neat, the best thing is still the sword combat, which just feels right.
The game’s visuals are good for the time, giving us that early 16-bit look that works well for the best Turbo Grafx/PC Engine games, but while the classic visuals still look great, it is the music that stands out more. The music in Cyber Citizen Shockman is some of the best from that era, and the various stages all have some great chiptunes that make the experience fun. Even the boss music, which is a bit samey, still sounds amazing and the victory music just stands out as some of the best on the Turbo Grafx/PC Engine.
Ratalaika did a great job with this port, and their usual touches add to the experience in a very good way. The rewind options come in handy with the game’s more difficult parts and there are a number of quality-of-life improvements that make the experience more to the modern gamer’s liking. The various screen filter options are also a great touch, as those who want to experience the game as it looked back then can still do so.
There is also a cheat option to give you unlimited health and money if you are doing poorly, but players should not feel a need to resort to this right away, because the game is not too hard after a few rounds, especially with the use of the rewind feature. There is also a neat art gallery that shows off a lot of illustrations of the characters and environments and seems to have been preserved very well. The inclusion of the art and things of this nature I a great touch, because giving more the chance to see what went into making the game is always a good thing.
Ultimately, Cyber Citizen Shockman is another great re-release from Ratalaika and one that retro fans should definitely check out. The game is fun and the modern touches are handled well, and we get to experience a classic for the first time in the best way possible. This is highly recommended.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
