Loved the artstyle, gameplay and music. The controls took some getting used to but afterwards they weren't so bad. The boss fights were definitely the highlight for me, though the bosses in this game have so little health you can make quick work of them once you know what you're doing. Also, the comms button in place of a map is a really cool feature, it adds a lot to the immersion and I haven't seen it done anywhere else. The only thing that brought it down for me was that it's all so short! It would have been nice to have more missions and story because it felt like as soon as things were starting to go somewhere, it just... ended.

This game is definitely a mixed bag. On the one hand I like the concept, the gaphics looks amazing for the Saturn, presentation is excellent and the way in which they implemented a system similar to that of Sonic's rings in a third person shooter is more or less well accomplished. Sadly, it suffers from the typical 3D game problems of the 32bit era: Horribly cringy voice acting (except for the woman who guides you throughout the missions), issues with camera angles and strange collision detection. Still, Burning Rangers has a lot of potential and I'm sure if Sonic Team takes the time to overcome all these shortcomings, the sequel should be a great game... oh wait right, I forgot.

I guess it was great to learn the hard way why this game is underrated.

So back in Middle School for me, I was introduced to the game as being among the more elusive and pricy games for the Saturn alongside Panzer Dragoon Saga. So getting a legit copy was never really in my reach. I did however have the pleasure of seeing a complete copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga for sale at a convention, but alas it was over 800 dollars.

When mangling with Saturn emulation off RetroArch here and there I did give the game a shot, and after getting too bewildered, I gave up. The only game I recall ever completing by emulating the Saturn was Mega Man 8.

So flash forward to now. I was ecstatic. I have a modchipped Saturn to play burned games. I was eager to finally give the underrated gem, the overlooked gem a fair shot. Especially for something with such style, and a theme that fits the definition of Jam.
I ended up being left with a product of Sega's time frame.
Wanting the Saturn to die a lonely death.

The main menu alone speaks it all. There's a major gap of something missing. Is there something to unlock? There was. There was a multiplayer mode, a subgame mode, but alas they were removed. Probably to save time. But they didn't have enough of it to make up for the loss.

And the game itself is interesting. You have a tutorial that attempts to teach you. Even if it doesn't teach you it all there is. No mention of the dodging siding mechanic, or the fact putting out green fire gives 5 crystals. That and green fire can also shoot at you.

Then afterwards you have only 4 levels to go through. All of them are lengthy but alas, don't make the game as long as it should be. Sometimes for me playing the levels just makes me linger for more. You feel the lack of refinement, and even the feeling of the developers wanting to polish it some more, but.. Could not.

The first level I'd add admittedly does not make a good showcase of the game as the later ones have a much better handling of the framerate while the first gives the player an awful impression, assuming the whole game is just a big space.

I'd argue the game could've been more polished on the Saturn and heck, would've been a great 1999 release rather than a rushed out the door 1998 one. The Saturn is capable of the 3D. It's just the game in the state that it is, honestly makes it look like a bad example. But when it's not suffering, it can look remarkably incredible.

What I do utterly agree with everyone on however, is that this game absolutely deserves a second chance. It is unfair that Nights, a game that was literally perfect and had no issues on Saturn, was given a touching it up shit remaster treatment, while you got the other Sonic Team Saturn game that's pretty much rotting Anakin Skywalker. I'd describe the camera system in this game to be fighting with a cameraman that happens to be a roaring drunk bear. And another major thing is that despite the Analog Stick offering 360 degree movement, there is no percise movement offered by the stick (walking) WHICH IS A BIG ISSUE TOO IF YOU'VE PLAYED THE PLATFORMING BULLSHIT IN LEVEL 3 AND 4. Doesn't help that Nights and even Sonic World (from Sonic Jam) offered it.

The lack of music isn't too bad in my opinion. As it fits the atmosphere of being a Space Firefighter in a building that's burning down, BUT the bosses go down too bloody easy. They have lively boss themes but just die as quick as Napoleon pleasing his wife if you know what you are doing. The fish one in particular, is literally Proto Chaos 4 from SA1.

And another major issue is definitely the lore BEING ONLY LEARNED IN THE BLOODY MANUAL. For a modern gamer, they aren't gonna understand what the hell is the deal with Tillis or Shou when they talk about certain things, and that's because all of that was in the manual. Atleast with Nights, the basic lore you needed to know was within THE GAME. As it was told visually. With anything regarding what was up with the kids were both cutscenes at that too. The important information that Shou became a Burning Ranger because one sacrificed his life to save him as a child, and that Tillis became an orphan due to a fire taking her parents, was all not mentioned within the game. And even the other rangers have lore too that goes unmentioned in the game. One being that Chris' father was a Burning Ranger, and probably being the very one that saved Shou and died.

In general the game suffered indeed. It has an incredible world. A remarkable concept. Takes the bravest job there is, and gives it a Sega flair. But it suffered. It suffered from being made in a time in the company when rather than keep going, it was to abandon ship and make a wholly new console, despite it's fine library, really a short term answer to what was changing. using CDs, having one stick. Sounds like something against the N64, but was actually against the PS2.

Regardless of it's background, Burning Rangers is a unique game. And due to it's style, it's grace, it's groove. I give it a 4. And it is a replayable arcadey game for sure, despite it's nasty warts. Had it been able to go further and beyond, doing what it wanted to accomplish with its concepts and ideas.. It could have been another exceptional masterpiece from Sonic Team. But alas.. That unfortunately is not what happened.

So please Sega.. Revive Burning Rangers for Christ's sake. They can put out the fire that is your debt.

Best experiment Sonic Team has made.

Yeah the controls suck, it's short as hell and the limit timer thing is really annoying but goddamn I love this world and some of the ideas they introduce like having where to go be told to you through an immersive comms unit that just adds so much to the core experience and how it handles having the gameplay be all about saving people are just really neat and ideas that I haven't seen in a lot of other games.

I know this will never happen but I hope this game's world and characters are expanded upon way more, with tighter controls and design choices that won't make me want to have to use save states in the final section, I mean it's firefighters in space for gods sake!