Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Einhänder (Playstation)

Horizontal
Checkpoints ON
3 Difficulty levels
7 Stages
Ship speed selectable
- - - - - - -
Developed by Squaresoft
Published by Squaresoft in 1997


When I started collecting video games, I remember telling myself that one of the first shooters I would try to beat on the Playstation was Einhänder. However, as soon as I got it (US version) for some reason I couldn't play the game for too long. I wasn't hooked enough from the first play sessions, so it was kept on hold for months until a couple of weeks ago, when I finally decided it was time to face it once and for all.

Upon getting back to the action against the Earth (you're a fighter from the Moon, how cool is that?), I finally figured out why I didn't like the game in the first place. It was the music! The music in Einhänder is basically techno and electronica evolutions that do not stand out in any way during gameplay. But then came the day when I turned on the TV with the volume cranked up. I noticed the game got a lot better, and I even started appreciating the soundtrack. So if you feel underwhelmed in a similar fashion, try playing it with the volume adjusted a little bit higher than the way you have it for your regular shmup. It worked for me.


Regardless of music, I do comply that this is a very beautiful game. It's remarkably crafted, with gorgeous graphics, great level design, slick 3D backgrounds and amazing boss confrontations. In addition to that, it also brings something new to the hori-shmup table, in the form of the gunpods you must get from enemies so that you can, well... defeat them. There are lots of gunpods to choose from, and also a bunch of them which are secret and can only be acquired if you reach certain criteria while playing. Therefore, a whole new level of strategy is necessary if one wishes to clear the game with one credit.

From all the ships available for play, in this 1CC I decided to use the Endymion-2, which allows you to carry 3 gunpods at a time but use only 1 of them. After playing for a while, the game let me equip the ship with one of any available gunpods from the start screen, but I went bare handed as it's supposed to be from default. My favorite gunpod is the Grenade, which was used together mainly with the Vulcan, the Wasp or the Cannon, although in some parts the Hedgehog and the Spreader were very handy as well. You can position your gunpod below and above the ship, and each gunpod will behave differently (I was able to unlock all of them except for Juno).

The basics of gameplay I just went through certainly give you an idea of how intricate it is to master Einhänder, and that reminds me I haven't even scratched the surface here. Using any of the other 4 ships (2 being secret ones) will definitely require different approaches, and the unpredictable nature of enemies and bosses will certainly demand a good deal of play time in order to see the real ending again. I say "real" because there's a giant spaceship that must be stopped within a certain time frame in the 6th stage, or else you fail your mission. And that's just a hint of how diverse and varied Einhänder is in terms of game design. From a gameplay point of view, the scoring system awards killing multiple enemies as fast as possible or destroying several parts of bosses at the same time, while giving special bonuses for unlocking the secrets within each level. It's not as easy as it sounds, trust me.


Another interesting aspect of this title is the dark tone of the first stages, which goes against what I believe to be a slight genre convention. In most cases you have first stages that are clear, bright and cloudy, as opposed to very dark and oppressive last levels. In Einhänder it's the other way around, so the ramp in difficulty as you reach brighter sceneries is a welcome addition. It's also really cool that you never see your ship disappear between stages (until the 6th mission), so it all feels like a great big non-stop adventure.

I don't care for RPGs. In fact, I can't even stand to watch an RPG recording. On the other hand, it's just beautiful to see someone playing Einhänder properly. That's a great contrast for Squaresoft, since this is their only shmup in a myriad of crappy RPGs released year after year.

So here's my final score, with no starting gunpod:

8 comments:

  1. Don't talk bad about something you have not even played!
    Every single RPG game Square has released is excellent and a reference to any RPG player. If you haven't played at least one of them, you cannot hope to be called a RPG player! The entire Final Fantasy series, Chrono Trigger, Kigdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, etc... I might not have played all of them, but I assure you that I've played some of the best: Final Fantasy VII (considered by many the best RPG ever) and Final Fantasy XII.
    I do see the appeal of shmups, with busy schedule, long hour jobs and all, but you just don't know what you are losing by pushing away games that unite excellent "better than most crappy movies" plots, and action.

    kkaroto

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  2. Ok, maybe I've gone too far with the RPG bashing. I reckon Squaresoft is one of the best RPG developers and such, and I just feel sad they never made another shooter after Einhänder.
    But the truth is I will never play an RPG. Besides, gaming time gets shorter and shorter everyday, and investing so much time to beat a game that takes too long to even learn and offers no immediate rush is out of my book.
    Anyway, no more RPG (or any other genre) bashing here!

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  3. I don't want to talk about RPG....(FF7 is one of my preferit game)...But i want to speak about Einhander....
    And i think is the best shmups on ps1.....I really love this game....
    dark graphics....great soundtrack....Great gameplay...i've the ntsc/J version....and it is one of my favourite ps1 games...i want to believe in a sequel by square maybe in HD :D

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  4. lol, Square RPGs appeal greatly to casual gamers, yes, but definately not the best of the genre. If anything, the brought it down a notch from what the DQ series did. And FFT is a joke. Very broken/unbalanced, way to overly complicated (w/ bible size manual, lol) & forced random battles too?! Yikes! Shouldn't even be a Tactical RPG. Was fine the first time cause I didn't know better, but Shining Force series showed me the light. Plus have since been greatly been paying attention to game balance & design, and can't believe how blind I was and how many still are in seeing games from that perspective (and I'm still leaning & observing something new with every game. But one thing is always the same for every game. The more complex a game is, the harder it is to balance/design. Start with this line of thought).


    Back to Einhander. Just finally getting into this game too (yeah, it took awhile for me too). And I'm glad I can finally really apreciate what a great game this is from the little playtime I've put into it (made it to stage 4 or 3 last boss, when you surface again and it's early daylight. He creamed me ASAP & lost my last life. Sigh). This game really reminds me of the methodical R-Type type gameplay. Something I'm glad I learned to love (not many love R-Type style gameplay, sadly). But this game seems way more relaxed then R-Type in that it's easier to wing it for longer periods of time instead of literally checkpoint by checkpoint a la R-Type, lol. Wonder which I'll like better in the end? Delta or this?

    Edward! Which you like best, this or R-Type Delta? ... Wait, you haven't done Delta yet... why not?! You no like R-Type enough to have done it by now?... I think you done 'em all before this? Wait, you still got SNES part 3, I think? (good luck with that long & boring level 1)... Darn. Answer this question after you 1cc Delta. :)

    Sinful

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    Replies
    1. Yep, still got R-Type III to tackle. Chronological evolution, YES!

      Next time I take the SNES out of the box I'll play it, then I'll be free to move on to Delta and answer your question properly. :)

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    2. You're either absolutely ignorant or just plain numb/shallow/stupid if u think Squaresoft brought RPGs down or made them a "notch down". RPGs used to never appeal to 'casual gamers' until Square had already made dozens of excellent ones. And then their best were in the mid to late 90s or so, mostly ps1. Its a fuckin completely ridiculous assertion.

      Square had xenogears and vagrant story, which were hardly played by 'casual players' or huge successes, let alone geared towards that (yr talkin Halo, COD, madden, tekken here.) The people seeking these titles out now, are far from "braindead" or fickle pass-the-time types.

      If u played Chrono Trigger and FFVI when they first came out, which btw many didnt, then u wouldve never said they notched shit all down. They may not have had all the best RPG designs (some of the best then were on PC, Saturn, etc), but pound for pound they were probably the overall best RPG developer in their prime.

      Also considerin the quality (Vagrant Story is hands down in the creme de la creme of best games ever made, period. And its not that long - its only drawback. And not to mention some other, obvious titles), yr realy robbing yrself by choosin to never play some of these games.

      Squaresoft basicaly sold not jus one of the most influential consoles, but one of the most influential eras of all time. Jus look at the amount of art and creativity in Einhander. Now if u wana talk about SquareEnix - their recent years comprised with Enix; the company that made that DQ u speak of - well.. theyre a different story.

      Delete
    3. Oh! I was waiting for this reply! :D But sadly I can't talk about it here, don't want to upset Master Edward. I would say pick a place, but I played a lot of RPGs (yeesh, Edward is gonna look at me funny from now on XD), and I'm one of the few that does look at games from a balance/game design perspective too... a heck. I'll give you one very good example, but I will not continue this debate. Just play the games and see for yourself. And even if you still don't believe me, that's fine too. So here's my example. DW VS FF;

      - In FF mana restoring items are given like candy and you never have to worry about not having any. So why even bother with a magic meter if magic is basically unlimited anyways? Mana in DW is quite rare or very expensive and limited.
      - Inns aren't a deal at all in FF due to unlimited amount of vital mana items and you can use tents + save anywhere on the overworld anyways (plus I think in dungeons too? I'm forgetting now). In DW the Inns are a must. Due to it being the only place you can save progress + restore limited mana to help maintain rare mana restoring items.

      These two example should suffice to open you mind to a different perspective of understanding RPGs and gaming in general. If I've failed. Then oh well. I will not be replying. Sorry. This is not the place and I basically said more then enough anyways.


      Reading rest of your reply;

      - no, Square Soft made RPGs mainstream with top notch graphics, presentation, ads, etc of FF7. Don't mean anything about the quality. In fact. With FF7 quality and difficulty of their RPGs took a massive, massive nosedive. Super easy already plus I can spam all day the most powerful spell I have?! What a mess. Game is just a movie.
      - XenoGears gameplay & difficulty suck too outside of them mech battles because you had to manage fuel. Great story, though.
      - Vagrant Story looks promising. Haven't tried it yet. Not giving hopes up though (which is also for the best)... don't worry, I will get to it one day. I'm just saying Square ain't all that. Don't mean I have all their games on ignore. I enjoy studying games, so I need to play them all.
      - Yes, I started RPGs with Chrono Trigger, then FF7, then FF6. Still, these aren't the only RPGs out there. When I only knew of Square I thought they were the best at RPGs too. I kid not. So been where you are already.
      - sales does not fit in with what I'm talking about. If you base your faith in just that for Square being the best, then lol.
      - yes, Einhander really is a rabbit out of the hat. But it's also not an RPG. Square did make many great games before they went all RPG. You ever play Rad Racer? Pure masterpiece. They never should of went all RPG. What a loose to the gaming world. :(

      - Sinful

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  5. Yes, Properly. The only way I want this answered. I'll be patiently waiting. :)

    Sinful

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