🪐 Written: January 28th-February 25th, 2023 🪐
Ah, Christmas, such a wonderful time of the year! 🎅
The cold weather we had these past few months was nice, and I've been living for it, but all things must come to an end eventually.
As Christmas 2022 was approaching, I asked for four Japanese Saturn games, three of which arrived that day while the fourth came mere days after the fact, and that's okay because they were worth the curiosity... mostly.
There were plans to convert this game to the PlayStation One as Bubble Bobble II with Virgin Interactive as publisher, it was largely if not totally complete before it was sadly cancelled 😔 As someone who grew up with Sony's console playing Bust-a-Move 2 Arcade Edition, that stings
The first Saturn game I tried on December 25th, 2022, my seventeenth game for the system, was Ving's 1997 console adaptation of Taito's arcade game Bubble Symphony which was one of the games on the Saturn I was curious about many years ago prior to investing in the console nearly a year ago (realistically, I decided to start small with games in terms of price and make my way from there).
Transformed into dragons by Hyper Drunk after inadvertently stumbling across and reading some mysterious books, human children turned baby dragons Bubblun, Bobblun, Kululun, and Cororon must make their way through a multitude of stages in order to regain their original forms*. While simple, the gameplay is engrossingly fun and addicting, and it's nice how each dragon has got a different level when it comes to their speed and bubble shooting rate plus you can charge your bubble shot and let go to amass randomly assorted bubbles (e.g. Bubblun shooting three bubbles at once, Kululun shooting bubbles in a "T" formation, to name two examples).
* I know the situation is "bad" but honestly......... they should stay as baby dragons, humans have a consistent track record of making a big mess of everything, which is especially true nowadays
* Also known as the game the enemies from Bubble Bobble first appeared in, long before Bubblun and Bobblun made their adorably grand debut
Screengrabbed while watching Shadowserg's Bubble Memories (Arcade) All Bosses (No Damage) gameplay video on YouTube
There would be another action-based arcade outing with Bubblun and Bobblun not long after this game in the form of Bubble Memories, which despite being subtitled The Story of Bubble Bobble III it takes place before the events of Bubble Symphony (Bubble Bobble II). What do you mean that's needlessly confusing, it makes perfect sense if you don't think about it, said someone at Taito in a stupor of denial maybe... 😕 Why do prequels need successive numbers in the title? That never made sense to me.
It's a shame that Bubble Symphony's Saturn port never got released outside of Japan (or that it even took three years from the arcade's original release for it to even happen), because it's a very sweet and charming game while it lasts, and no matter how difficult it gets and no matter how many credits I use up it's an incredibly fun game to boot.
The second Saturn game I tried that Christmas day, and my eighteenth game for the system, was Konami's compilation title Konami Antiques MSX Collection Ultra Pack. Now for those unaware, the MSX was a computer gaming system developed by ASCII and Microsoft which made its debut in 1983 and would be discontinued a decade later in 1993*, only ever seeing a wide distribution in Japan and in Europe. Among the companies that made the MSX an ideal platform for their video games from pretty much the start was Konami.
* In its evolution the MSX computer would come out in four variations: the original, the MSX2, the MSX2+, and the MSX TurboR
There's a good variety of games to choose to play here, be it ports of arcade games or original MSX content, among them Konami's Ping Pong, Hyper Sports 2, TwinBee, Gradius, Athletic Land, Knightmare, Pippols, and Parodius, to name several,
Fun fact: Penguin Adventure marked Hideo Kojima's professional video game debut as assistant director, and funny enough, Konami Antiques MSX Collection Ultra Pack is the second time Penta's sequel game received the Sega treatment (after an unauthorized Master System port by Korean-based Zemina nine years earlier)
and let's not forget the most important games to headline this compilation Antarctic Adventure (which I played before on Nintendo 8-bit oriented plug-and-plays) and its direct sequel Penguin Adventure: Yume Tairiku Adventure (the latter of which is one of the reasons I wanted to play this compilation, and the curiosity was worth it) featuring none other than Konami's penguin mascot of sorts Penta.
The logo they changed it to twenty years ago to celebrate their thirty years just doesn't have the same effect, you know, and given 2023 marks their jubilee (this year) I can't help but wonder if they're going to change the logo again for this occasion... probably not, but we'll see
Awww, remember when Konami's logo used to look like that? I remember... *sigh* 🥺
As far as presentation goes and as far as I can surmise (having never played on an MSX computer firsthand), the emulation work Konami accomplished to bring these games in the same package appears spot on performance-wise, and I didn't even mind that the MSX games themselves were presented in a slightly windowboxed format. The sound quality is also pretty solid, and the gameplay for each respective game is good (even if I'll admit certain games had their learning curves due to the conversion from MSX controls to Saturn controls, e.g. Konami's Ping Pong).
I would love to cover each game thoroughly on a proper review of this compilation one day, the only question is how I go about it, 'cause generally I like to go by chronological release order
As MSX content goes, this collection represents nearly half of Konami's overall catalogue (an even smaller number if you count their MSX2 and MSX2+ fare), and being a compilation from the '90s that wasn't Tose's PlayStation One-based Namco Museum hexalogy there is an admittedly barebones quality about as it features the games and nothing else (even the manual has a page devoted to one if not two games each); there isn't even an option to go back to the game selection menu once you've chosen your game, for the only way to go back is to press Start and the A, B, and C buttons together (I'm so glad I learned that soft reset trick by accident when playing Team Andromeda's Panzer Dragoon all those months ago). That's really a minor nitpick really, otherwise Konami Antiques MSX Collection Ultra Pack is a very sweet retro compilation on the Saturn. 😃
while development was worked on by Aspect, known primarily as the developer for the 8-bit sequels to Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
Largely taking control of the eponymous music-loving anthropomorphic grasshopper armed with his trusty bubble-conjuring fiddle, and on a few occasions as his flamethrowing pistol-toting butterfly girlfriend Katy, this is a strange one. I'm not going to lie, this is a strange one. The gameplay is reasonably good, though surprisingly it doesn't take advantage of the whole Saturn controller as it only uses the A, B, and C buttons as it vies for a simpler gameplay.
🎵 Then look into the skies where through, through the clouds a path is torn, look and see how she sparkles: it's the Last Unicorn! 🦄 I'm aliiiiiiiiive, I'm aliiiiiiiii-i-i-ive 🎵
Here is a game where you search for and round up the spirits of the Bremen Town Musicians in the open-ended dead of night, where Tempo and Katy temporarily grow in size and power as a means to deal with certain bosses as a musclebound showoff and boxer respectively, where you'll face off against the Little Red Riding Hood riding on a Wolf-like car as she'll occasionally sic her sheep on you, where during a flight sequence touching randomly numbered mix tapes will not only change the background but the incoming obstacles you'll face, ride on a chariot led by a unicorn in the cosmos replete with planets and constellations and musical notes trying your best not to collide on anything, and navigate around a maze-like hotel/laboratory environment with ninjas and nurse minions wheeling around sick patients on a stretcher (where taking the wrong elevator will send you back), et al. Needless to say, randomness runs rampant here and all logic has been thrown out the window. 😵
Because they lifted Tempo and Katy's sprites from the first game when it came to their celebratory dance... I know this because I saw footage of the first game on YouTube... maybe Red and Aspect were pressed for time, I don't know? 😕 Kinda hard not to notice the sudden sprite change
Yeeeah, do the 32X! ... I don't own a Sega 32X, only a Sega Genesis and a Sega Saturn. The visuals are brightly colorful and wildly imaginative, there's an appealing slickness to the character models and animation (especially when Tempo fiddles on the ground or in midair), there's a wild manic energy to it not unlike Red Company's other franchise Bonk (especially with the incredulous reactions upon sustaining damage, and Tempo even scales up waterfalls like Bonk does), Masayoshi Ishi and Hiroyuki Yamada's soundtrack is neat as it goes through different genres depending on the situation and adapts to the environment well (the space chariot theme sounds incredible), the difficulties are manageable, and for the most part I found it endearing... though this game requires approximately two hours to be beaten, and all in one sitting.
*I'm less uncomfortable by the image itself more so than the awkward scenario of someone walking in while the image is on the TV and the person playing being put in an uncomfortable position of having to explain the context... except there is no context here, it's just there
Silhouette Mirage was also released on the PlayStation One in Japan and in North America
There was one game that had yet to arrive, which would finally find its way here on December 28th, 2022, my twentieth Saturn game was the Entertainment Software Publishing release Silhouette Mirage, a sidescrolling action platformer developed by Treasure (of Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy fame) which has got a rather unique duality-based gameplay aspect that makes it stand out from the rest of its ilk.
As the female creation Shyna Nera Shyna on a mission to restore the planet to its former glory, you must contend with a multitude of enemies that fall under the category of "Silhouette" or "Mirage", where your red side is more effective against the former and your blue half stands a better chance at taking out the latter. It's fascinating how your progress and how you deal with your obstacles is highly dependent on which side of the screen you face, as well as how Shyna's red half is angelic and soft in nature which contrasts with her blue half that's demonic and sharp (interesting take on bipolarism, whether that was the intent or not).
The expressiveness in their profiles during dialogue sequences get me every time 😆
Outside of that, there's a large myriad of controls that make the proceedings very fun after getting accustomed to the controls, like whooshing across with the wings of her hat flapping which enable her to ride up curvatures to high places, doing slide attacks, grabbing enemies with her hair and punching them with it if not shaking them down or launching them up in the sky, deflect enemy fire back at them with your shield (provided it's the same color), and most importantly, firing projectiles and blasts against every foe in your wake (with different weapons bought from random bunny merchants, even powered up should you have enough money to purchase them with) and occasionally use spirit energy to form desperation attacks.
It's quickly become one of those intro sequences I could watch over and over and not get bored, it's just that good
Silhouette Mirage has got an impressive opening cutscene by the Gonzo animation studio that does a very good job at setting the tone for the game, and it manages to generate so much hype and wonder for what you're about to be treated to.
Cuties! 💗
The colors, the animation, the dynamic angles, the marriage of visuals and music, the charm, it's *blows chef's kiss after chef's kiss after chef's kiss* 😙🎔
The visual aesthetic of this game is very striking to look at with each area having its own distinctive flavor and design, there's an engaging and endearing charm when it comes to the characters, it's got very solid scaling effects, there's a good sense of detail in the background, and Katsuhiko Suzuki, Jun Irie, and Hideki Matsutake's music is incredible through and through (and the best part is that the game disc doubles as a soundtrack CD, YES!); some of my favorite themes are "Night Flight", "Atop Pauro's Castle", "Punky Pumpkin Castle", and "Witches' Banquet".
モーセ = Moses
Out of curiosity I decided to translate the names of the characters featured in the manual via Google, and throughout the course of the game Shyna is helped out by a green magic wielder called Mo--👀 "Moses"? ... His name is "Moses"? Whaaaaat?? 😲
Alas, as of writing this I have not beaten this game yet, I keep losing my last continue at the Za-Zohar fight
Silhouette Mirage is a very fun and fascinating Treasure game to play, but it sure can become difficult the further you progress in it. I know the dual-natured gameplay might have turned some people off, and I can understand why as it does take a bit to accustom to, but I still ended up liking it a lot all the same, even though I've yet to make it to the end I'll keep trying until eventually I manage. But from what I've seen, it's really good. 😃Quick recap:
#17 Bubble Symphony [ ⬤ ] | Saves: N/A
#18 Konami Antiques MSX Collection Ultra Pack [ ⬤ ] | Saves: N/A
#19 Super Tempo [ ⬤ ] | Saves: N/A
#20 Silhouette Mirage [ ⬤ ] | Saves: 2 Blocks
My Personal Sega Saturn ranking:
Baku Baku Animal > Tomb Raider > Bubble Symphony > O-Chan no Oekaki Logic > Astal > SteamGear Mash > Konami Antiques MSX Collection Ultra Pack > Silhouette Mirage > Hebereke Popoitto > Croc: Legend of the Gobbos > Panzer Dragoon > Clockwork Knight 2 > Clockwork Knight > Sonic 3D Blast > Super Tempo > Solar Eclipse > Whizz > Shining Wisdom > Zap! Snowboarding Trix > Bug!
Ten American games, ten Japanese games, my Saturn collection is slowly expanding itself.
Present (not complete) Saturn wishlist:
● Burning Rangers
● Fighters Megamix
● Fighting Vipers
● Legend of Oasis, The
● Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
● Solo Crisis
● Virtua Fighter
● Virtua Fighter 2
If there's any game I haven't listed, feel free to make a suggestion and I might consider whether to look into it.
I think I might wait a while before doing another Random Saturnday, I mean a long while, because I grossly miscalculated the amount of time I thought it would take to finish it, and I procrastinated when it came to getting some of the screenshots I needed until later on, and I wanted to share my thoughts on what games I had presently in my collection but didn't want to rush (and it was hard to find the right words right away for certain games), and I didn't want to post it outside of a Saturday. I worry I can't do anything right sometimes, even though I try my best to improve (I'm my own worst critic, and I'm a perfectionist), but what would make it all worthwhile it is if I feel it helped anyone through a hard time or if it genuinely raised an interest in all things Saturn. I like talking about my journey with the Sega Saturn, but I feel like with anything else I'd rather take a while to write something good, and I feel I set myself up in thinking I could just talk about it in one week for all of them. If you have enjoyed reading my thoughts, I thank you and I really appreciate you, and I'm sorry if it didn't measure up to the standards of my previous Random Saturnday, but I do try. Well, until next time, everyone, take care! 👋
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Thank you for reading my Random Saturnday post, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW is allowed); hope you have a great day, be a nice human, and take care! 😃
