Sanvein is a fast-paced top down shooter where time is of the essence and every moment counts. The main computer of the self-sufficient space colony Utopia, called St. Schutz, has gone haywire. The goal of the game is to escape from Utopia. The game plays very differently from a normal space shooter. Each "floor" is made up of a series of interconnected rooms, and the player can choose any room adjacent to one they've cleared. For each adjacent room the player has cleared, their firepower in that room will be greater. Each floor has a number of boss rooms with a much larger and more dangerous enemy, each of which must be cleared to complete the floor. There is also a stronger power weapon which will recharge after use. All the while, a strict timer is counting down. When the player gets hit, instead of dying or taking damage, they lose time on the timer. The only way to get more time is to defeat a boss, so the player must balance between clearing rooms for greater firepower, and clearing bosses for more time.
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If this game was released three years earlier, it would have held the same respect as something like Einhander. If it was released today, the stylish presentation and D&B/Jungle influences on the soundtrack would shoot this game to the moon, or at least get decent Steam sales. It just got lost in the shuffle as a late-era PS1 release with a budget price and label.
Honestly, it's extremely unique and worth a try. Just doesn't have the razor-precision that I personally crave in an arcade experience, and the visuals and music don't do enough to compensate.
Developed by Success, who is more well-known for the Cotton series of shooters, for D3's budget Simple 1500 series, this is an arcadey, time attack 3d shooter with super fast micro levels. Each stage typically has less than five enemies to kill, and often you'll pop into a stage and pop right back out before racing over to the next one. There's a constantly ticking clock, and taking damage lowers how much time you have left. While the game is really fast paced and looks amazing, the sheer amount and lack of variety in the stages makes the game feel really repetitive. It's not that the core loop isn't fun, but that it isn't fun enough to sustain itself. Still, for me this is a "hidden gem" just because of how unique and cool it is look at.