Ever play Metal slug and think to yourself "That was great and all but it really needs 100% more dolphin". Well boy do I have the game for you!
Evidently some former Metal Slug developers had the same thought when making this run and gun for Sammy Corporation in the early 2000s. Initially only released in arcades on Sammy's Atmoiswave arcade boards but later ported to Dreamcast by fans a few years ago to allow more people to experience it. Though adding in it's own unique ideas Dolphin Blue is such a close representation of Metal Slug you would think it was actually a spin off by SNK themselves. The military uniforms, guns and even the sound effects in places sound like they are just samples taken from it's influential forebear.
You get two characters to potentially play as, Erio an Arms Dealer and Anne a soldier. Regardless of who you play as in this adventure you will shoot through hordes of soldiers as they kidnap the Kingdom's Princess as the main premise. The most striking thing about Dolphin Blue are the visuals. It uses a mixture of chunky 3D backgrounds with 2D sprite characters and it's a gorgeous mix. Whilst the sprite work isn't the best I have seen of that era the colours and contrast with it's backgrounds make the game a real looker to play through. There is a lot going on at any one time with a lot of action and enemies on screen. A lot of the humour of the Metal Slug games is present such as scuba diver enemies suits inflating up when damaged and soldiers dangling precariously off of runaway trains in a very comic fashion. The levels themselves are pretty memorable with flooded mines, battleships, airships in a 1940's style diesel punk aesthetic.
There are only 5 levels but there only needs to be because this game is bloody hard. There are 3 types of gameplay in it's hour or so runtime though all three are run and gun type of foot, swimming or dolphin riding. Each have the same principle of shooting enemies, stabbing them if they get close whilst picking up some weapon power ups like Vulcans, missiles or firecracker grenades. These weapons have limited ammo and though frequent aren't always frequent enough and your base rifle can barely kill basic enemies but little else. Aside from that you also get a special attack that has a charge bar I was calling the RPG in my head (Rocket Porpoise Grenade) where your Dolphin flies forward doing a strong homing attack or on land you do a more powerful shot.
Now where the game gets hard is in both it's design and execution. On land your character feels stiff to control and shuffles rather than walks with no way to speed up. You can only shoot in 4 way directions despite some encounters clearly needing 8-way which I found extremely vexing often leaving me in no win unavoidable situations. The enemies will come in force from all angles leaving deaths often unavoidable and without the abilities to really deal with them except learning the game and the later levels are utterly brutal. The other modes are a lot more fluid for both underwater sections feeling more like a shoot 'em up and the dolphin Riding sequences which are a genuine blast to speed though. Even then though you can't fire backwards sometimes leaving you open to attack from the enemy encounters which was also a small annoyance. If it wasn't for the Dreamcast port I would never have beaten this as it has infinite continues and in places I just died endlessly.
I guess overall no matter how I look at it this is a good looking fun game that's a bit weird but there isn't a lot here that I don't think to myself Metal Slug already did and better. Certainly worth a playthrough for run and gun fans or people that like playing obscure retro games like me but it's not quite the hidden gem I was hoping.
+ Dolphins!
+ Great visual style and colours, striking looking game.
+ Dolphin riding!
- Too hard for me in the latter half.
- Stiff characters on land and no 8-way directional shooting. Really?
Evidently some former Metal Slug developers had the same thought when making this run and gun for Sammy Corporation in the early 2000s. Initially only released in arcades on Sammy's Atmoiswave arcade boards but later ported to Dreamcast by fans a few years ago to allow more people to experience it. Though adding in it's own unique ideas Dolphin Blue is such a close representation of Metal Slug you would think it was actually a spin off by SNK themselves. The military uniforms, guns and even the sound effects in places sound like they are just samples taken from it's influential forebear.
You get two characters to potentially play as, Erio an Arms Dealer and Anne a soldier. Regardless of who you play as in this adventure you will shoot through hordes of soldiers as they kidnap the Kingdom's Princess as the main premise. The most striking thing about Dolphin Blue are the visuals. It uses a mixture of chunky 3D backgrounds with 2D sprite characters and it's a gorgeous mix. Whilst the sprite work isn't the best I have seen of that era the colours and contrast with it's backgrounds make the game a real looker to play through. There is a lot going on at any one time with a lot of action and enemies on screen. A lot of the humour of the Metal Slug games is present such as scuba diver enemies suits inflating up when damaged and soldiers dangling precariously off of runaway trains in a very comic fashion. The levels themselves are pretty memorable with flooded mines, battleships, airships in a 1940's style diesel punk aesthetic.
There are only 5 levels but there only needs to be because this game is bloody hard. There are 3 types of gameplay in it's hour or so runtime though all three are run and gun type of foot, swimming or dolphin riding. Each have the same principle of shooting enemies, stabbing them if they get close whilst picking up some weapon power ups like Vulcans, missiles or firecracker grenades. These weapons have limited ammo and though frequent aren't always frequent enough and your base rifle can barely kill basic enemies but little else. Aside from that you also get a special attack that has a charge bar I was calling the RPG in my head (Rocket Porpoise Grenade) where your Dolphin flies forward doing a strong homing attack or on land you do a more powerful shot.
Now where the game gets hard is in both it's design and execution. On land your character feels stiff to control and shuffles rather than walks with no way to speed up. You can only shoot in 4 way directions despite some encounters clearly needing 8-way which I found extremely vexing often leaving me in no win unavoidable situations. The enemies will come in force from all angles leaving deaths often unavoidable and without the abilities to really deal with them except learning the game and the later levels are utterly brutal. The other modes are a lot more fluid for both underwater sections feeling more like a shoot 'em up and the dolphin Riding sequences which are a genuine blast to speed though. Even then though you can't fire backwards sometimes leaving you open to attack from the enemy encounters which was also a small annoyance. If it wasn't for the Dreamcast port I would never have beaten this as it has infinite continues and in places I just died endlessly.
I guess overall no matter how I look at it this is a good looking fun game that's a bit weird but there isn't a lot here that I don't think to myself Metal Slug already did and better. Certainly worth a playthrough for run and gun fans or people that like playing obscure retro games like me but it's not quite the hidden gem I was hoping.
+ Dolphins!
+ Great visual style and colours, striking looking game.
+ Dolphin riding!
- Too hard for me in the latter half.
- Stiff characters on land and no 8-way directional shooting. Really?
Dolphin Blue is a beautiful game, and with unlimited continues, it's great to just pick up and play. Given it's like Metal Slug, it took maybe an hour to beat, which makes for an "easy" experience to memorize and get better at. I would have gone broke if I played this in an arcade.
A very good yet very unfair Metal Slug clone. The art and overall aesthetics are top notch. Gameplay feels slightly loose and incredibly unfair. I would have docked more points if I didn't have unlimited continues. Overall I had a lot of fun and definitely will play again.
What if Metal Slug.....but TOTSUGEKI? This game is amazing. I had a smile on my face for the entire run. Instantly one of my favorite arcade games.
absolutely shameless in its egregious credit-eating designed existence. i fortunately wasn't throwing quarters at this game though, so i managed to have a good time.
it's metal slug with extra stage/enemy hazards, double the speed, and bosses that just really don't want to die. there's some optical assault happening here because these stages get cluttered very quickly. background effects are firing off, bullets are flying, gold/medals are dropping, and lots of enemies in the background just existing as an asset.
that aside, it was a game that i couldn't put down. it helps that it's so short. straight up arcade goodness with all the frustrations of being an arcade game.
it's metal slug with extra stage/enemy hazards, double the speed, and bosses that just really don't want to die. there's some optical assault happening here because these stages get cluttered very quickly. background effects are firing off, bullets are flying, gold/medals are dropping, and lots of enemies in the background just existing as an asset.
that aside, it was a game that i couldn't put down. it helps that it's so short. straight up arcade goodness with all the frustrations of being an arcade game.
Um ótimo jogo arcade de Run and Gun que vale a pena ser jogado.
Dolphin Blue é um jogo Run and Gun com algumas sessões auto scroller onde você anda montado em um golfinho enquanto metralha todos os inimigos na tela.
O jogo grita a Metal Slug tanto em seus sprites quanto em gameplay e a trilha sonora é muito boa.
O jogo é bem curtinho então não leva mais que 1 horinha para zerar, pra quem curte jogo arcade, metal slug ou o genero run and gun em si, eu recomendo dá uma olhada.
Dolphin Blue é um jogo Run and Gun com algumas sessões auto scroller onde você anda montado em um golfinho enquanto metralha todos os inimigos na tela.
O jogo grita a Metal Slug tanto em seus sprites quanto em gameplay e a trilha sonora é muito boa.
O jogo é bem curtinho então não leva mais que 1 horinha para zerar, pra quem curte jogo arcade, metal slug ou o genero run and gun em si, eu recomendo dá uma olhada.
(Galloping Ghost June '23 Trip)
I love how they take Metal Slug's design principles and push the sprite work and aesthetics to such heights. It's a beautiful game, especially on a CRT TV. I got through about half of it at Galloping Ghost, and finished the rest on an emulator (as a side note, how cool is it that Atomisware emulation works through modified Dreamcast? Props to the people who made that happen). It's short but never feels like it overstays its welcome and the mix of land, air, and sea adds enough variety to keep each of the five levels feeling fresh.
I love how they take Metal Slug's design principles and push the sprite work and aesthetics to such heights. It's a beautiful game, especially on a CRT TV. I got through about half of it at Galloping Ghost, and finished the rest on an emulator (as a side note, how cool is it that Atomisware emulation works through modified Dreamcast? Props to the people who made that happen). It's short but never feels like it overstays its welcome and the mix of land, air, and sea adds enough variety to keep each of the five levels feeling fresh.
Daaaaawg, I'm so ass at this game, but fuck me if the graphics, gameplay, and aesthetics of it don't sucker me in. It's definitely built around 2 players (that 2nd half mollywopped me to hell and back), but by yourself it's still really really good.
That sound when you do the special attack with the meter is really satisfying, especially with the Dolphin clicking when you’re above/below water
it's so cash.
Rock solid Metal Slug clone. It doesn't hit the same mind-blowing highs MS does, but it avoids that franchise's bullish difficulty issues. the rechargeable Dolphin '''bomb''' mechanic is raw and it's a shame that Metal Slug 6 & 7 didn't try mimicking it. The oceanside setpieces are fast-paced and really fun, as are the machine bosses. I'm glad there's not much visual clutter either; makes it a lot more approachable than most run and guns.
Avoid playing a CDI rip of this game if you can though. Load times are disgustingly bad, and there's some significant slowdown in a lot of spots. If you play this, emulate it or run it on an ODE.
Avoid playing a CDI rip of this game if you can though. Load times are disgustingly bad, and there's some significant slowdown in a lot of spots. If you play this, emulate it or run it on an ODE.
Dreamcast port of the Atomiswave game
Got stuck 3rd level where enemies stopped respawing lol.
Very well made and looking run-n-gun, decent gun variety. Some enemy reads are cruel though.
Got stuck 3rd level where enemies stopped respawing lol.
Very well made and looking run-n-gun, decent gun variety. Some enemy reads are cruel though.
It's Metal Slug but you have a dolphin.
além de ter muito carisma, a direção artística desse jgo é impressionante!
uma aventura curta que domina sua estética de uma forma bem diferente de jogos de seu genero (metal slug por exemplo)
Aqui, somo personagens 2d lutando contra um império nazista de maquinas 3d que poluem o oceano,
O contraste do natural com a maquina colocado em 3d torna a experiencia bem viva, sem falar do uso do splanos para desenvolver a narrativa.
apesar de muito dificil, jkogar coop foi bem divertido, como cresci jogando metal slug, voltar e jogar Dolphin Blue me fez pensar como eu amaria ter um dreamcast na época
uma aventura curta que domina sua estética de uma forma bem diferente de jogos de seu genero (metal slug por exemplo)
Aqui, somo personagens 2d lutando contra um império nazista de maquinas 3d que poluem o oceano,
O contraste do natural com a maquina colocado em 3d torna a experiencia bem viva, sem falar do uso do splanos para desenvolver a narrativa.
apesar de muito dificil, jkogar coop foi bem divertido, como cresci jogando metal slug, voltar e jogar Dolphin Blue me fez pensar como eu amaria ter um dreamcast na época
Marriage pros:
finally sex heheeh
Marriage cons:
Have to share your dolphin lvl 3 super unblockable setup projectile with wife
finally sex heheeh
Marriage cons:
Have to share your dolphin lvl 3 super unblockable setup projectile with wife
Beautiful, Distracting And Too Brutal For It's Own Good
Hey! It's Metal Slug but with Dolphins! It's not hard to see the similarities as both have a serious yet tongue-in-cheek scenario of having to repel invaders (this time it's Sea Nazi's!), both have distinctive levels, both have that teeth-gnashing, fist-slamming gameplay and both have a heavy-machine gun!
But look past the surface and you'll see that Dolphin Blue stands out, in good and bad ways.
To start with the presentation is fantastic. Graphics are lovely with each stage having nice colours and feeling detailed and busy, the noise is loud and crisp with the effects being punch and the enemies grunts and laughs being comedically on point. And the squeak the dolphin makes is adorable. There is a lovely charm to this game that draws you in.
However, this is a double edged sword, as because it's so busy (and very distracting on your playthrough(s), this means you can suffer cheap deaths. Even if you're concentrating, the bullets and bombs are sometimes hard to make out because of the effects of explosions, smoke or other effects.
The gameplay is another mixed bag. On the plus side it's frantic, not with just the constant enemies firing bullets of throwing bombs, but with coins and medals dropping, stages having an auto-scrolling part and a strict timer which does not allow you to be defensive or hesitate. Dolphin Blue also encourages you to be aggressive, while also not being reckless and use your special ability, where knowing when to use your special is vital to prevent losing lives and beat bosses quicker. It has three levels and it charges fast, but the action is so fast (and the strict timer) you can't just spam it at max level and wait till it recharges.
There is also some element of replayability as the collectable coins, gold bars and medals (the latter having secret ones) adds an element of seeing how high one can get a score. Also the fact you are shown how quickly you finished a stage and also ranked for your overall performance may incline those to see if they can do better. Of course, this comes with the caveat that you become so good at the game, which means persisting with the insane difficulty this game throws at you.
And it is the difficulty that Dolphin Blue trips this game up by being so brutal. Even without the distracting and hiding bullets element that was outlined above, this game will kick your ass. It only has five stages but these are not quick jaunts and the first stage is not one that eases you into the game. And it only gets much, much harder from there as the situations become chaotic, the bosses become much cheaper (with the penultimate and final bosses turning part of their fights into bullet hells) and level design just becomes unfair, with the final level taking the cake in terms of cheapness. Not helped is the fact that weapon drops aren't as common as you'd expect, meaning resource management is a lot more tricky and you'll often go into situations with just your pea shooter, including bosses. Metal Slug was no cake walk but it didn't set out to murder you within the first five minutes of the game.
And it's the difficulty and cheap deaths you suffer in Dolphin Blue that lower the score. No one wants an easy Run 'n Gun and yes, this is an arcade game, so it's to be expected that the challenge would ramp up mid-game but Dolphin Blue goes above and beyond in punishing you and with comparisons to Metal Slug are unavoidable, many may feel it doesn't measure up overall, despite being the much better looking game.
However, for those who persevere, Dolphin Blue is still a fun run 'n gun game with some replay value for those who want to improve and show off. It's worth a play just to see it in action the very least, even if you don't get very far.
Rating: 7/10
Hey! It's Metal Slug but with Dolphins! It's not hard to see the similarities as both have a serious yet tongue-in-cheek scenario of having to repel invaders (this time it's Sea Nazi's!), both have distinctive levels, both have that teeth-gnashing, fist-slamming gameplay and both have a heavy-machine gun!
But look past the surface and you'll see that Dolphin Blue stands out, in good and bad ways.
To start with the presentation is fantastic. Graphics are lovely with each stage having nice colours and feeling detailed and busy, the noise is loud and crisp with the effects being punch and the enemies grunts and laughs being comedically on point. And the squeak the dolphin makes is adorable. There is a lovely charm to this game that draws you in.
However, this is a double edged sword, as because it's so busy (and very distracting on your playthrough(s), this means you can suffer cheap deaths. Even if you're concentrating, the bullets and bombs are sometimes hard to make out because of the effects of explosions, smoke or other effects.
The gameplay is another mixed bag. On the plus side it's frantic, not with just the constant enemies firing bullets of throwing bombs, but with coins and medals dropping, stages having an auto-scrolling part and a strict timer which does not allow you to be defensive or hesitate. Dolphin Blue also encourages you to be aggressive, while also not being reckless and use your special ability, where knowing when to use your special is vital to prevent losing lives and beat bosses quicker. It has three levels and it charges fast, but the action is so fast (and the strict timer) you can't just spam it at max level and wait till it recharges.
There is also some element of replayability as the collectable coins, gold bars and medals (the latter having secret ones) adds an element of seeing how high one can get a score. Also the fact you are shown how quickly you finished a stage and also ranked for your overall performance may incline those to see if they can do better. Of course, this comes with the caveat that you become so good at the game, which means persisting with the insane difficulty this game throws at you.
And it is the difficulty that Dolphin Blue trips this game up by being so brutal. Even without the distracting and hiding bullets element that was outlined above, this game will kick your ass. It only has five stages but these are not quick jaunts and the first stage is not one that eases you into the game. And it only gets much, much harder from there as the situations become chaotic, the bosses become much cheaper (with the penultimate and final bosses turning part of their fights into bullet hells) and level design just becomes unfair, with the final level taking the cake in terms of cheapness. Not helped is the fact that weapon drops aren't as common as you'd expect, meaning resource management is a lot more tricky and you'll often go into situations with just your pea shooter, including bosses. Metal Slug was no cake walk but it didn't set out to murder you within the first five minutes of the game.
And it's the difficulty and cheap deaths you suffer in Dolphin Blue that lower the score. No one wants an easy Run 'n Gun and yes, this is an arcade game, so it's to be expected that the challenge would ramp up mid-game but Dolphin Blue goes above and beyond in punishing you and with comparisons to Metal Slug are unavoidable, many may feel it doesn't measure up overall, despite being the much better looking game.
However, for those who persevere, Dolphin Blue is still a fun run 'n gun game with some replay value for those who want to improve and show off. It's worth a play just to see it in action the very least, even if you don't get very far.
Rating: 7/10
Ran like shit and a lot of bosses were just quarter eaters.
Music and graphics were great, though. Love the dolphins.
Music and graphics were great, though. Love the dolphins.
Charming visuals and cute dolphins can't really save what's basically just a boring quarter muncher. Not offensively bad but doesn't really have much to offer either.
Dolphin Blue é um ótimo jogo que conseguiu saciar o meu apreço por Metal Slug. Tem visuais 2D bonitos e dinâmicos, uma boa jogabilidade e uma dificuldade elevada, mas na medida certa. As áreas em que achei que ele pecou, foram na quantidade de Auto-Scrolls e sua identidade pouco marcante, presente em sua estética e trilha sonora. Dolphin Blue pode não ser um dos jogos de Run 'n Gun mais polidos ou originais do mercado, mas tem chances de agradar quem curte jogos desse tipo e se tiver a oportunidade pra jogá-lo (porque não é sempre que se encontra uma máquina da Atomiswave ou dispositivo que possa emular um Arcade desse calibre ou um Dreamcast), aproveite-o.
Prós: Gráficos 2D bons e visualmente dinâmicos; Jogabilidade competente; Dificuldade elevada, mas agradável.
Contras: A sua identidade não é tão marcante; Podia maneira nos Auto-Scrolls.
Prós: Gráficos 2D bons e visualmente dinâmicos; Jogabilidade competente; Dificuldade elevada, mas agradável.
Contras: A sua identidade não é tão marcante; Podia maneira nos Auto-Scrolls.
get's a bit too hard near the end for my liking, but a super fun time all around. great animations, great guns, great music.
A pretty cool Metal Slug type game. It has a handful of attacks that are a bit too tricky to evade, but is for the most part a fair game, the special attack mechanic is pretty cool, and I find its use to evade certain attacks useful, adds an extra layer of choice during boss fights as well, if only I didn't suck at it.
The sprite work has a nice fluidity to it, and the color palette is awesome, is not as impressive as a Metal Slug game, since is not all fully 2D, but is still a nice looking game. Soundtrack is pretty catchy, also very Metal Slug, which makes sense since is the same composer. Also you get a dolphin, so that is cool.
The sprite work has a nice fluidity to it, and the color palette is awesome, is not as impressive as a Metal Slug game, since is not all fully 2D, but is still a nice looking game. Soundtrack is pretty catchy, also very Metal Slug, which makes sense since is the same composer. Also you get a dolphin, so that is cool.