Game review: Mamorukun ReCurse! (Xbox Series X)
The arcade was one of my most favourite places to visit when I was a young lad growing up in the late '90s and early '00s. I had fond memories of playing the likes of Street Fighter II, Tekken 4, Time Crisis 2, and more.
Sadly, the popularity of traditional video game arcades started to dwindle when console gaming became popular and more affordable. Instead of proper video games, arcades started to change and add more carnival-style games. Nowadays, I never visit the arcades because most machines are just scam games aimed for kids.
Thankfully, old-school arcade games are still being remembered, as many of them have been ported to home consoles and PCs. The newest game to be ported to modern devices is Mamorukun ReCurse! Originally released in Japan in 2008, gamers worldwide can now play this classic.
Mamorukun ReCurse! is a vertical-scrolling shoot-em-up with five playable characters that have to kill a bunch of monsters coming from the Netherworld. Their goal is to simply seal the gate to the World of Darkness and save the world.
The five playable characters are Mamoru, Mayuno, Kinya, Beniko, and Fululu. All of them are young Japanese students, but they all have different shooting abilities, so it pays to try them out and see which character suits you best.
For example, Kinya is probably the best character in the entire game because he can fire out shots in more angles than anyone else in the game. Mayuno usually shoots in a straight angle, but her firepower is more powerful when it is concentrated in one area.
For the modern release of Mamorukun ReCurse!, there are two control schemes for players. The default option is using the left analogue stick to aim, and shooting use the face buttons. In my opinion, this control scheme was difficult because aiming with the left analogue stick felt stiff and awkward.
The alternative way to play the game is aiming and shooting using the right analogue stick. This was my preferred way to play the game because aiming 360 degrees was a breeze, and not needing to spam the face button made firing guns less tiring.
Aside from shooting, there is another ability that each character has in this game. This is called the 'Curse Bullet' system. Cursing enemies can damage them, but they get stronger. However, defeating cursed enemies gives better rewards when you kill them.
Alternatively, you can also curse the playable character, too. By cursing your own character, this increases their firepower and speed for a short amount of time. I thought cursing my own character was useful during some boss fights.
Speaking of bosses, a mandatory boss fight occurs when you reach the end of each level. They are usually harder, bigger, and more threatening enemies compared to the normal bad guys. I have to admit, the last boss was a long fight, but it felt satisfying when he finally went down.
In terms of game modes, there are three main modes for players to choose from. Arcade mode is the default mode, and this allows you to play through the whole base game. I recommend that most players start at Arcade mode because it has infinite continues.
The next big mode in this game is Story Mode. This allows you to play as all five characters, and there are cutscenes and dialogue scenes that tell the story of the game. This mode is harder because you only have five lives and there isn't infinite continues.
The last major mode in the game is called 'Netherworld Adventures'. This is a challenge mode where you can only recruit three characters and play through several levels. The game also has a Practise Mode for anyone who is new to the series.
Lastly, there is a Gallery where you can unlock movies and illustrations from the game. You pretty much have to play through the game in order to unlock everything in the Gallery!
Graphically, the game has cute anime-style graphics, but most things are rendered in full 3D. Since this is a vertical scrolling shoot-em up, the screen isn't fully filled up in pixel perfect mode. You can set a nice background for any parts of the screen that are left unused, though.
As much fun as I had playing this game, there is only one issue I have with it is that the enemies fire too many projectiles. It can sometimes feel impossible to truly avoid all of the gunfire that is littered on the screen. You really have to have fast fingers to get zero deaths in this game!
Aside from the difficulty, Mamorukun ReCurse! is still a fun game with old-school gaming mechanics. Gamers who love shooters from the old-school arcade era should give this game a try.
Verdict: 8.0/10