THE GIRL FROM GUNMA Kai 　群馬県から来た少女・改

[後半に日本語レビューあり] [h1]Gunma Obsession x MSX 16-Color Psychedelic Retro Side-Scrolling STG[/h1] A pseudo-retro side-scrolling STG faithfully recreating the graphics (16-color palette) and sound (PSG+SCC) specifications of MSX computers, which were popular in 1980s Japan. Set in Gunma Prefecture, you control a cute pixel-art girl, mowing down enemies themed around Gunma's nature and culture with auto-shot. Originally released for smartphones in 2014, this Steam version was reborn with substantially increased content after roughly a decade. Created by a developer who helmed multiple cult classics during his time at a major publisher, the solid game design backed by that pedigree is evident throughout. The game consists of 8 main stages plus hidden stages accessible under special conditions--[spoiler]3[/spoiler] of them in total. Controls are stripped to a single auto-fire button, thoroughly embracing the "good old STG" philosophy from before the bullet-hell era. Multiple aircraft and barriers are available to choose from, and continues are generously provided, making it approachable for STG newcomers. Meanwhile, the conditions for accessing hidden stages are demanding, offering plenty o…

There are many games that are retro inspired, or strive for a retro aesthetic. But there are few games that truly capture the precise essence of the system it seeks to emulate. The Girl from Gunma kai is one such game. Clearly coming from the heart of an artist with complete love for the bygone eras of his gaming youth, The Girl from Gunma kai looks, feels, sounds and plays like it really is a cheap Casio game on the MSX. It is gorgeous in its deliberate flaws, as much as it is gorgeous for shaping beauty through its graphical limitations and its bombastic music. It's also a game of two sides. Casually, playing through the game normally, finding secrets, collecting powerups, you get a simple but enjoyable shmup that takes you on a tour of Gunma. When you try for secret bosses and hidden endings, the game becomes progressively more difficult and a true challenge. And now the elephant in the room: The dancing anime girl. Some people are uncomfortable with the dancing anime on the right, with worry that it might be some kind of sexualized child thing. The character Coyotl is not a child, and the game makes a running gag in how she's never drawn the same way twice - different art in…

This is such a happy game!

Subway surfers for 45 year old japanese salarymen. It feels rewarding to master despite being so simple and often unforgiving, but the 5 continues balance everything out. It does a great job at encapsulating a MSX game and I never knew what I'd run in to next, it's an excellent cult game.

Ultimate

Originally I invested in this last year at debut, this is a uniquely interesting and original nostalgic homage to the flair of early 80s shmups like Star Jacker (SEGA) and Xevious (Namco) ect with more contemporary productions of similar aesthetics such as XeGrader, but with a colourful scrolling perspective and an SG-1000 and MSX style aesthetic built from the TMS9918A spec and V9938 palette with PSG and SCC style sound chips, with some Asian and Japanese inspired cultural elements, such as Daruma - the Japanese name for the popular Indian monk Bodhidharma, widely credited as imparting Chan and Zen Buddhism, as well as the 18 stances that evolved into the basis of Kung Fu forms at the Shaolin temple. The Daruma doll is a prominent fixture in Japan, and is featured frequently here. Much as Big Pole's Adventure satirises the 8-Bit platformer style, The Girl From Gunma is a loving tribute to the shmup genre of the era. The MSX (parodied as 'DSX' here, a pun/riff of the MSX brand moniker) was another 8-Bit system that arrived subsequent to the SG-1000 (proto-Master System) which it shares the popular Zilog Z80 microprocessor in common with. It remains faithful to the technological qu…