The holy grail of most Genesis owners. MUSHA is a fast paced shmup albeit on the easier side(1CC'd it my second try) but makes up for it in incredible presentation and a roaring speed metal soundtrack. After finding out Raizing was formed from ex-Compile devs I started to notice some of their DNA in this game mostly with the little guys who float around you that you can change various formations with.
Awesome vertical shmup. A certified Genesis classic.
An incredibly badass shmup that was a 7/10, then became an 8/10 when I played on Easy.
Look, I don't think this game is suuuper hard on Normal, it's doable. But there's a couple of annoying quirks:
Your small secondary ships die when they come into contact with anything, which is a bit annoying, particularly in levels with tight corridors.
If you happen to die and revert back to your pea shooter, holy shit it's a steep hill you are climbing back. The game becomes exponentially more difficult, bordering on impossible depending on which section that happens.
The power up mechanics are cool and I greatly appreciate that they give me one extra hit.
Look, I don't think this game is suuuper hard on Normal, it's doable. But there's a couple of annoying quirks:
Your small secondary ships die when they come into contact with anything, which is a bit annoying, particularly in levels with tight corridors.
If you happen to die and revert back to your pea shooter, holy shit it's a steep hill you are climbing back. The game becomes exponentially more difficult, bordering on impossible depending on which section that happens.
The power up mechanics are cool and I greatly appreciate that they give me one extra hit.
There are very few games that can master the YM 2612 chip flawlessly. This is one of those games
Decent-ish game, took me a few tries to 1cc (1-credit/no-continue clear it). I kinda like the option formations but don't like how options can be destroyed. Game sure drags on though, but that's just typical Compile style, if you think 30 minutes is too short for a shmup then you might like this since it goes for about 40 minutes.
Few things in this world get me more pumped than hearing the full metal fighter tune in the first stage...
it's a good shmup
A great little game from the 16bit era. Very good art design land soundtrack. Satisfying gameplay that isn’t too unforgiving and a cool power up system where it still gives you a fighting chance after you lose a life. Too often I find shmups take away all your power ups when you lose a life and the game becomes hugely more difficult. This is defintely one of the better Megadrive shmups.
Que jogo foda. A compile se aproveita bastante da base de seus antecessores, mas foca no que ela faz de melhor: estética. É um shmup mais casual em geral, mas a estética é o que carrega a experiência, a música é um absoluto banger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MIqgHu3tsg), os gráficos são bem impressionantes para o Mega Drive e as fases são cheias de setpieces curtas e divertidas, sempre mantendo o ritmo frenético e épico do jogo. O sistema de power-ups foi um tanto simplificado, mas funciona muito bem de qualquer forma, já que o foco aqui não é em variedade de armas e administrar seu arsenal, é mais sobre recompensar o jogador que passar pelas fases tomando menos dano, auxiliando tanto no ritmo quanto na estética do jogo, já que quanto melhor você jogar, mais rápido você vai passar pelas fases e maior vai ser o espetáculo, o sentimento de passar por uma horda de inimigos com o power-up de laser upado ao máximo é maravilhoso. No fim, M.U.S.H.A é muito mais sobre apreciar o espetáculo do que decorar as fases e ir a fundo nos sistemas do jogo, e nisso, é um jogo ótimo.
Most of the reproduction carts I've been picking up are for games I'm already familiar with and which I have a lot of affection for. M.U.S.H.A. is a rare exception where word-of-mouth has encouraged me to pick a copy up sight unseen, and thankfully I feel like I got my money's worth.
The level of production here is impressive for a 1990 Genesis game, with the opening cutscene featuring some excellent sprite art in particular. Maybe I'm just a sucker for this era of anime and mecha aesthetics in general, but the look of Genesis games in 1990 for me are largely defined by Ghostbusters, Moonwalker, Valis III, and Cutie Suzuki no Ringside Angel. Not great looking, those games. Kinda ugly, in fact. Sure, the Genesis had finally moved past the washed-out color pallets of the janky arcade ports it launched with, but developers really hadn't tapped into what the console was capable of yet, and M.U.S.H.A.'s level of fidelity feels like a promise of what's to come compared to the rest of its 1990 contemporaries.
The gameplay itself is not so impressive, but it is solid. M.U.S.H.A. is a vertical shooter where you can level up your primary shot, collect Options, and make use of powerful secondary attacks - three in all: a laser, barrier, and missiles. When you game over you're taken back to the main menu, though you do have the option of selecting "continue" to pick up from the level you left off in, effectively giving you unlimited continues. I'm always pleasantly surprised when a game of this era allows that, since it was far more characteristic to tell you "tough shit" and make you start the whole game over again. Although M.U.S.H.A. is more forgiving in this regard, it's still a challenging game, though to be fair I also kinda just suck at shoot-em-ups, so what I find difficult might be a breeze for more experienced SHMUP players.
That said, my only real issue with M.U.S.H.A. is how easy the bosses are. It actually feels a bit weird fighting them; if your primary shot is leveled up even slightly you'll probably melt their HP in under a minute. Usually with shoot-em-ups you'll get these big, impressive boss battles that are equal parts a test of your skills and a set piece, but M.U.S.H.A. kinda drops the ball here. The levels themselves are a lot of fun so it's not like the experience is significantly held back by this, but I was kinda bummed out by these fights.
I had more to say about this one than I thought I would. You should play it. Good game.
The level of production here is impressive for a 1990 Genesis game, with the opening cutscene featuring some excellent sprite art in particular. Maybe I'm just a sucker for this era of anime and mecha aesthetics in general, but the look of Genesis games in 1990 for me are largely defined by Ghostbusters, Moonwalker, Valis III, and Cutie Suzuki no Ringside Angel. Not great looking, those games. Kinda ugly, in fact. Sure, the Genesis had finally moved past the washed-out color pallets of the janky arcade ports it launched with, but developers really hadn't tapped into what the console was capable of yet, and M.U.S.H.A.'s level of fidelity feels like a promise of what's to come compared to the rest of its 1990 contemporaries.
The gameplay itself is not so impressive, but it is solid. M.U.S.H.A. is a vertical shooter where you can level up your primary shot, collect Options, and make use of powerful secondary attacks - three in all: a laser, barrier, and missiles. When you game over you're taken back to the main menu, though you do have the option of selecting "continue" to pick up from the level you left off in, effectively giving you unlimited continues. I'm always pleasantly surprised when a game of this era allows that, since it was far more characteristic to tell you "tough shit" and make you start the whole game over again. Although M.U.S.H.A. is more forgiving in this regard, it's still a challenging game, though to be fair I also kinda just suck at shoot-em-ups, so what I find difficult might be a breeze for more experienced SHMUP players.
That said, my only real issue with M.U.S.H.A. is how easy the bosses are. It actually feels a bit weird fighting them; if your primary shot is leveled up even slightly you'll probably melt their HP in under a minute. Usually with shoot-em-ups you'll get these big, impressive boss battles that are equal parts a test of your skills and a set piece, but M.U.S.H.A. kinda drops the ball here. The levels themselves are a lot of fun so it's not like the experience is significantly held back by this, but I was kinda bummed out by these fights.
I had more to say about this one than I thought I would. You should play it. Good game.
Making recovery fun in a shmup is a dark, arcane art... and M.U.S.H.A. succeeds because it makes recovery fun.
The cool part about it is, there are TWO stages of recovery -- 1. if you don't have a power-up equipped, and you get hit, you die. Everything resets to zero, a la many a dad-shmup, and you must scrape your way back from oblivion. (This CAN be done, and the few times I managed to do it late in the game it was exhilarating). 2. if you DO have a power-up equipped, and you get hit, you simply lose the power up, making you vulnerable... and your "arm level" (power-up strength) decreases by one. More simply: you have a two-hit health bar, and every power up is a health item.
Thus, the technically ideal way through the game is to not DIE-die until the final stage, and to juggle power-ups in the meantime, crossing frightening gaps between them if you get hit, and then doing mini-recoveries back to full fire power. (Pro-tip, full shield is where it's at). It's a far cleaner, tighter system than in other Compile games, with fewer weapon choices and shorter levels adding to an overall air of relieving minimalism.
...and then, on top of such solid gameplay fundamentals, they hit you with some insanely unique visuals (Age of Samurai + yokai + robots) and the most blisteringly awesome music I can remember in a console shmup I've played that's not called Thunder Force IV.
I went into this with skepticism after bouncing off Blazing Lazers, and feeling like maybe I was "growing out" of Compile's particular style... but nah. M.U.S.H.A. owns.
The cool part about it is, there are TWO stages of recovery -- 1. if you don't have a power-up equipped, and you get hit, you die. Everything resets to zero, a la many a dad-shmup, and you must scrape your way back from oblivion. (This CAN be done, and the few times I managed to do it late in the game it was exhilarating). 2. if you DO have a power-up equipped, and you get hit, you simply lose the power up, making you vulnerable... and your "arm level" (power-up strength) decreases by one. More simply: you have a two-hit health bar, and every power up is a health item.
Thus, the technically ideal way through the game is to not DIE-die until the final stage, and to juggle power-ups in the meantime, crossing frightening gaps between them if you get hit, and then doing mini-recoveries back to full fire power. (Pro-tip, full shield is where it's at). It's a far cleaner, tighter system than in other Compile games, with fewer weapon choices and shorter levels adding to an overall air of relieving minimalism.
...and then, on top of such solid gameplay fundamentals, they hit you with some insanely unique visuals (Age of Samurai + yokai + robots) and the most blisteringly awesome music I can remember in a console shmup I've played that's not called Thunder Force IV.
I went into this with skepticism after bouncing off Blazing Lazers, and feeling like maybe I was "growing out" of Compile's particular style... but nah. M.U.S.H.A. owns.
It's pretty high on the face-melting spectacle Richter scale. But the bosses are annoying
Terrific game, but brutally hard in its final levels. Loved the extra hit afforded to you after collecting a power up and the look of the whole thing. Worth playing if you have access to it.
Solid. I thought a little too much was going on in the final level, which makes it a little less fun than the rest of the game, but the soundtrack is solid and powering your ship up is really satisfying
frenetic fun with a neat power-up system and some explosive weapon combinations. powering up your ship requires catching flying capsules from a small shootable ship that appears pretty frequently, and these capsules not only upgrade your shots but also increase your number of options. there's also a large number of different orientations for your options, and the game is pretty good at presenting different scenarios where you'll need each of them. in some instances you may need to let your options roll around you to help clear enemies at all sides of you on the screen, or perhaps let them cover the side away from your movement to snipe bosses from the side, or beyond those it might be best to just let them sit in the classic 3-way formation. you can also stack unused options, and once you have a decent stockpile you'll have trouble dying thanks to the carnage you can rain down endlessly. it helps that powerups also give you an extra hit as well, making this a relatively forgiving game for the time. these powerups can be leveled up if multiple identical ones are collected in a row, and the leveling is shared between them, making on-the-fly strategy changes allowable without punishment.
a few quibbles though:
-all the sprites are so chunky in size, and while your own hitbox is more lenient than the chassis suggests, it's not quite clear where its bounds actually are
-dying means losing absolutely everything, and later stages really expect you to have a fully kitted-out ship going in lest you get quickly swamped by large heat-seeking projectiles and the like. I got through 4, 5, and 6 on a single life and then had to repeat 7 over and over again, after having died on the final boss no less.
-the bosses are all relaxed affairs (which is nice for this kind of game) but the final one (the three-phase one that is) is pretty rough. the first two phases are interesting but that third one really feels meant for a ship with a clearer hitbox considering how narrow the corridor you must fly in is
-having to hold two buttons down to fire both primary and secondary shots really fucked up my thumb. I need to break out my arcade stick next time I try to play a shmup for this genesis series
-the backgrounds have some fun parallax (especially the chasm stage) but there's a few instances where it's difficult to tell the enemy ships apart from the environment. this is especially bad in that final stage, and it may have been done on purpose
it's not perfect, but it's still a fun ride. I'm relatively inexperienced in this genre but I enjoyed my time with it, and I'll likely try out some of the other aleste titles after making my way through this one.
a few quibbles though:
-all the sprites are so chunky in size, and while your own hitbox is more lenient than the chassis suggests, it's not quite clear where its bounds actually are
-dying means losing absolutely everything, and later stages really expect you to have a fully kitted-out ship going in lest you get quickly swamped by large heat-seeking projectiles and the like. I got through 4, 5, and 6 on a single life and then had to repeat 7 over and over again, after having died on the final boss no less.
-the bosses are all relaxed affairs (which is nice for this kind of game) but the final one (the three-phase one that is) is pretty rough. the first two phases are interesting but that third one really feels meant for a ship with a clearer hitbox considering how narrow the corridor you must fly in is
-having to hold two buttons down to fire both primary and secondary shots really fucked up my thumb. I need to break out my arcade stick next time I try to play a shmup for this genesis series
-the backgrounds have some fun parallax (especially the chasm stage) but there's a few instances where it's difficult to tell the enemy ships apart from the environment. this is especially bad in that final stage, and it may have been done on purpose
it's not perfect, but it's still a fun ride. I'm relatively inexperienced in this genre but I enjoyed my time with it, and I'll likely try out some of the other aleste titles after making my way through this one.
Really enjoyed this seemingly random title for the Switch’s Mega Drive service. My understanding is M2 has acquired the rights to the Aleste series and MUSHA is a spin-off of sorts. It’s a really smart vertical shooter that yes, at times can seem monotonous as you blast down wave after wave of enemies.
But the nuance exists in the two shooting buddies by your sides, commanding them to shoot forward, at a 45 degree angle front or back, rotating, in reverse to your movements or free form. As well as upgradable specials and main shot. These are all managed dependant on the needs of each stage.
The game looks vivid on Mega Drive and runs smooth as butter. There is some slowdown time but it occurs maybe once or twice a play and is entirely necessary. The soundtrack is also strong as.
I felt it was especially smart that at the end even with the basic shooter you can take down the final bosses - which is a very likely result on I found even on Normal this is a struggle. A classic, loved it.
But the nuance exists in the two shooting buddies by your sides, commanding them to shoot forward, at a 45 degree angle front or back, rotating, in reverse to your movements or free form. As well as upgradable specials and main shot. These are all managed dependant on the needs of each stage.
The game looks vivid on Mega Drive and runs smooth as butter. There is some slowdown time but it occurs maybe once or twice a play and is entirely necessary. The soundtrack is also strong as.
I felt it was especially smart that at the end even with the basic shooter you can take down the final bosses - which is a very likely result on I found even on Normal this is a struggle. A classic, loved it.
Classic game room W
So I’m not super into shoot ‘em ups. I can respect them but eh not for me. Then I played this game and just everything clicked. I think this is by far the most fun I’ve had with one of these games. First off the powerups and additional lil buddies really help give you a chance. Believe me this game is still difficult and brutal sometimes but the opportunity to actually take multiple hits along with being able to shred enemies if you’re skillful and get upgrades feels really rewarding. It’s fun to have a game that you can break if you work for it and keep yourself alive which is what this game does. I always felt in control and felt like I could easily win with just more practice, memorization and of course getting every upgrade and lil buddy I could to completely obliterate any enemy I came in contact with. But you gotta work for that shit. I guess I just don’t like other games like this because I find myself dying over and over while being discouraged to try again.
This game is the huge exception for me because it’s just so damn fun and rewarding I wanted to keep playing.
Going to graphics I like the aesthetics a ton. I like the mix of ancient Japanese aesthetics combined with a more gritty and futuristic art direction. Everything in this game just feels really dangerous and as if you’re going against some truly deadly machines or impossible odds. It’s all awesome and the detail is just phenomenal for an early genesis title like this. I do also like the anime styled cutscene that starts the game but I personally wish we got one more cutscene to end the game at the very end. Overall sick stuff tho.
The music here is just fucking epic. As the classic game room review mentioned, this soundtrack sounds incredible and it’ll leave you stunned by what the genesis can accomplish.
So for me this game is an essential shooter on genesis and it’s a blast start to finish.
So I’m not super into shoot ‘em ups. I can respect them but eh not for me. Then I played this game and just everything clicked. I think this is by far the most fun I’ve had with one of these games. First off the powerups and additional lil buddies really help give you a chance. Believe me this game is still difficult and brutal sometimes but the opportunity to actually take multiple hits along with being able to shred enemies if you’re skillful and get upgrades feels really rewarding. It’s fun to have a game that you can break if you work for it and keep yourself alive which is what this game does. I always felt in control and felt like I could easily win with just more practice, memorization and of course getting every upgrade and lil buddy I could to completely obliterate any enemy I came in contact with. But you gotta work for that shit. I guess I just don’t like other games like this because I find myself dying over and over while being discouraged to try again.
This game is the huge exception for me because it’s just so damn fun and rewarding I wanted to keep playing.
Going to graphics I like the aesthetics a ton. I like the mix of ancient Japanese aesthetics combined with a more gritty and futuristic art direction. Everything in this game just feels really dangerous and as if you’re going against some truly deadly machines or impossible odds. It’s all awesome and the detail is just phenomenal for an early genesis title like this. I do also like the anime styled cutscene that starts the game but I personally wish we got one more cutscene to end the game at the very end. Overall sick stuff tho.
The music here is just fucking epic. As the classic game room review mentioned, this soundtrack sounds incredible and it’ll leave you stunned by what the genesis can accomplish.
So for me this game is an essential shooter on genesis and it’s a blast start to finish.
I spent a ton of time playing various Compile shooters this year, which of course meant I got around to M.U.S.H.A.
While I can agree that it's probably the strongest shooter on the console, I don't think it's the best thing Compile has ever made. It starts out very strong and stays that way until the last stage, which just felt like a massive difficulty spike. Die on the second of the numerous mini bosses (referring to the one with the rockets and homing missiles) and your run is basically over if you're trying to 1CC. It's really annoying and put me off from doing a 1CC for a while.
I also really, really wish this game had a sound effect for when you've taken a hit. Pretty much every other shmup that doesn't kill you off instantly had one, so it's a curious omission here.
I still like this one and can see myself popping it in every so often, but I'm going to be honest and say I enjoyed Power Strike II on the Master System a bit more when it comes to the console Aleste games. (Since this game is technically a part of that series)
While I can agree that it's probably the strongest shooter on the console, I don't think it's the best thing Compile has ever made. It starts out very strong and stays that way until the last stage, which just felt like a massive difficulty spike. Die on the second of the numerous mini bosses (referring to the one with the rockets and homing missiles) and your run is basically over if you're trying to 1CC. It's really annoying and put me off from doing a 1CC for a while.
I also really, really wish this game had a sound effect for when you've taken a hit. Pretty much every other shmup that doesn't kill you off instantly had one, so it's a curious omission here.
I still like this one and can see myself popping it in every so often, but I'm going to be honest and say I enjoyed Power Strike II on the Master System a bit more when it comes to the console Aleste games. (Since this game is technically a part of that series)
O melhor: A ação frenética com uma estética bem interessante
O pior: Os estágios finais não mantém o mesmo nível do resto do jogo
Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor: Parabéns para quem criou o retroacrônimo mais anos 90 possível para justificar o nome do jogo no Ocidente
Um shmup muito bom de Mega Drive, com ótimos visuais e um desafio (na maior parte) mais "acessível" do que boa parte dos jogos do genero. O design do mecha que dá nome ao jogo é incrível, e boa parte dos bosses são bem legais também. Faz falta um ataque tipo "bomba" que percorre a tela inteira, comum do gênero, mas eu gosto do sistema de níveis dos power ups e das diferentes formações que as naves auxiliares podem ter. É bem curto e com um pouco de prática dá pra terminar sem muito stress. Uma boa recomendação para quem gosta do gênero.
O pior: Os estágios finais não mantém o mesmo nível do resto do jogo
Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor: Parabéns para quem criou o retroacrônimo mais anos 90 possível para justificar o nome do jogo no Ocidente
Um shmup muito bom de Mega Drive, com ótimos visuais e um desafio (na maior parte) mais "acessível" do que boa parte dos jogos do genero. O design do mecha que dá nome ao jogo é incrível, e boa parte dos bosses são bem legais também. Faz falta um ataque tipo "bomba" que percorre a tela inteira, comum do gênero, mas eu gosto do sistema de níveis dos power ups e das diferentes formações que as naves auxiliares podem ter. É bem curto e com um pouco de prática dá pra terminar sem muito stress. Uma boa recomendação para quem gosta do gênero.
I think what stunned me the most about M.U.S.H.A. (MUSHA) is just how stunning it's opening looks. If there is any SHMUP out there that will sell itself within minutes, MUSHA would be it. Honestly, MUSHA seemed like it was something out of an anime or something, then when I got to the actual gameplay I kinda forgot what it was. Like I want to say it was a pretty great '90s shmup classic, but when I look back on it, all I can think about is how muddle everything is together.
Not to say, MUSHA did anything bad with it's gameplay, it's more a matter of what it didn't do that really makes it forgettable to me. From the music blending together, to the backgrounds being fairly dark or the enemies not really "popping" from the screen. There is just a lot that happens in MUSHA, most of which happens fast, and it just doesn't stick to memory. I think, largely this just has to do with MUSHA being a little too crunched on the screen, and if the ship was smaller or the screen were bigger, I think it could have made a better impression with it's enemies compared to them being blasted off the screen before you can see them. As well, the backgrounds rarely have something that captivate me, often just being blue goo or dark abysses, that it just doesn't make me interested in it. And honestly I think that's just the problem with MUSHA, there just isn't many interesting things to it. Any that do happen blend too much or are small in comparison that I really couldn't say it's worth playing because of it.
This isn't to say that MUSHA is bad though, there are a few bright spots in MUSHA that do make me wish we got more of it. There is a whole level where you are passing through the skies, and the effects are really neat and kinda jaw dropping in the '90s. Then you have little things like the floor collapsing to transition to the next level, or a segment where you are rushing through gaps to get through a cave. Not to mention, a lot of the weapons and power ups for MUSHA are fun to use. Not only are they fairly overpowered so even beginners have a easier time, but it's often to the point that you just don't see enemies on the screen with how fast you destroy them. MUSHA really does make you feel good regardless of mastery of the SHMUP genre. And it's effectively these bright spots that make me understand how people could love this game as much as they do. I wouldn't say MUSHA is fully dependent of nostalgia to be as good as it is, but it certainly has it's fans that perhaps favor the game more than they should due to their memories with this game.
MUSHA probably isn't a classic that some of it's fans make it out to be, but it's by no means a bad game either. It's fairly down the middle with some neat spots between the gameplay, and largely was entertaining throughout my play through of it. Just don't expect it to be blowing your mind or anything.
Not to say, MUSHA did anything bad with it's gameplay, it's more a matter of what it didn't do that really makes it forgettable to me. From the music blending together, to the backgrounds being fairly dark or the enemies not really "popping" from the screen. There is just a lot that happens in MUSHA, most of which happens fast, and it just doesn't stick to memory. I think, largely this just has to do with MUSHA being a little too crunched on the screen, and if the ship was smaller or the screen were bigger, I think it could have made a better impression with it's enemies compared to them being blasted off the screen before you can see them. As well, the backgrounds rarely have something that captivate me, often just being blue goo or dark abysses, that it just doesn't make me interested in it. And honestly I think that's just the problem with MUSHA, there just isn't many interesting things to it. Any that do happen blend too much or are small in comparison that I really couldn't say it's worth playing because of it.
This isn't to say that MUSHA is bad though, there are a few bright spots in MUSHA that do make me wish we got more of it. There is a whole level where you are passing through the skies, and the effects are really neat and kinda jaw dropping in the '90s. Then you have little things like the floor collapsing to transition to the next level, or a segment where you are rushing through gaps to get through a cave. Not to mention, a lot of the weapons and power ups for MUSHA are fun to use. Not only are they fairly overpowered so even beginners have a easier time, but it's often to the point that you just don't see enemies on the screen with how fast you destroy them. MUSHA really does make you feel good regardless of mastery of the SHMUP genre. And it's effectively these bright spots that make me understand how people could love this game as much as they do. I wouldn't say MUSHA is fully dependent of nostalgia to be as good as it is, but it certainly has it's fans that perhaps favor the game more than they should due to their memories with this game.
MUSHA probably isn't a classic that some of it's fans make it out to be, but it's by no means a bad game either. It's fairly down the middle with some neat spots between the gameplay, and largely was entertaining throughout my play through of it. Just don't expect it to be blowing your mind or anything.
M.U.S.H.A. não é um shmup com mecânicas muito únicas, ele não se utiliza da substância, mas sim da apresentação. É um jogo muito frenético porque usa da apresentação pra entregar um jogo muito único; muito bonito e tem músicas do caralho, e tudo isso no final forma um dos melhores jogos do Mega Drive.
M.U.S.H.A. was a very fun and addicting shoot 'em up on the Mega Drive by far, out of the ones on NSO. This plays almost like Ikaruga in terms of how you gain powers, how the three buttons utilise different shots, and how they basically make you feel like a boss at this game.
That bastard hit me in the final cutscene, fuck it.
M.U.S.H.A. (Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor), known in Japan as Musha Aleste: Full Metal Fighter Ellinor, is a stylish, if somewhat standard, shooting them up video game for the Sega Genesis (I played on the Nintendo Switch Online Genesis application). Like Compile's earlier games Blazing Lazers and Gun Nac, the enemy sprite and level designs are pretty impressive; I was really taken aback by Stage IV, where you battle over storm clouds, and as lightning strikes the screen goes white except for the silhouette of your ship and enemies. It's really cool. I'm a sucker for the mecha theme, and really like the robot designs. One of the enemies looks like an off-brand Zaku when they take their stance to point their gun at you; always loved killing those guys.
The final level is kind of a pain, expecting pixel perfect dodges in a constrained space, which had not yet been asked of the player. The way there is pretty breezy though. There's an options system where you can control how your drones behave, and the usual upgrade system that gets more powerful as you pick up more of the same color, but I played through most of the game without realizing which button fired your upgrade weapon, and the drones setting is never necessary to fiddle with. There are upgrades that float around which drop cards, and when you pick up three cards you get another drone added to your bank. I liked that addition; deciding when to shoot the icon to drop the cards reminded me of the Bells from Twinbee.
Altogether a pretty decent time; need to check out the other Aleste games.
The final level is kind of a pain, expecting pixel perfect dodges in a constrained space, which had not yet been asked of the player. The way there is pretty breezy though. There's an options system where you can control how your drones behave, and the usual upgrade system that gets more powerful as you pick up more of the same color, but I played through most of the game without realizing which button fired your upgrade weapon, and the drones setting is never necessary to fiddle with. There are upgrades that float around which drop cards, and when you pick up three cards you get another drone added to your bank. I liked that addition; deciding when to shoot the icon to drop the cards reminded me of the Bells from Twinbee.
Altogether a pretty decent time; need to check out the other Aleste games.
still working on the 1CC, one of the best shmups i ever played. fun weapons, cool spectacle, very tight pacing and level design all while feeling very fair and respectful of you as a gamer. compile da best shmup guys
Very nice, especially for the Genesis in 1990. I honestly had this in my backlog a long time and assumed it was three or four years later until I actually opened it up today. The weapons are nice, the soundtrack is great (as expected from sharing a developer and console it sounds very Puyo Puyo), and on premise alone it's kinda cool to control a big ass mech in a vertical shmup instead of your usual ship. Definitely feels a bit...too big, though, particularly in the much-loathed final level and boss which doesn't seem designed for it at all. It's also hard to keep track of everything, particularly your options as Gradius would call them (idk what they're generally referred to as) with so much shit going on at all times. Still, this game is damn good. Definitely worth a look.
Apparently the Sega Mega Drive has over 60 shoot 'em ups. Pretty crazy amount for one system alone. M.U.S.H.A is part of the Aleste series supposedly though I've not played any of the others yet. You play the role of a pilot taking on a supercomputer attacking earth after the rest of her squad are vaporized. A pretty cool opening sets the scene then you're thrown straight in the action.
It's a fast paced action heavy game with a lot of enemies coming at you reasonably with a pretty intense soundtrack to match. The power up system comes in two forms. Firstly, capsules that power your Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armour ( I love how dumb that is to be able to call the game M.U.S.H.A) with a little satellite drone for every three collected (maximum two drones). The satellite drones can be told to move around you, fire forward, backwards or just attack freely. They seem on a timer or get destroyed though I could never work out which. The second power up comes in the form of coloured elemental orbs called power chips that give you one of three abilities; missiles, lasers, or a spinning self defense ball. These also give you an additional hit point of defense losing them instead of your ship blowing up. It's a simple system which I did like but I found the additional weapons kind of boring and the capsules hard to see compared with other shoot 'em ups.
My big issue though is that the last level just isn't any fun with annoying homing missiles that are difficult to dodge from, a final boss that is a pain to fight and I just found the last section generally frustrating. When you die you lose everything which normally (for me anyway) lead to a chain of deaths with my woefully under powered M.U.S.H.A. A pity as it's earlier stages are pretty fun.
Overall a good little shoot 'em up with nice sound and visuals but not the system's best.
+ Good soundtrack.
+ Fast paced action.
+ Solid sprites
- Last level is pretty unfun.
- Power ups are kind of boring.
It's a fast paced action heavy game with a lot of enemies coming at you reasonably with a pretty intense soundtrack to match. The power up system comes in two forms. Firstly, capsules that power your Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armour ( I love how dumb that is to be able to call the game M.U.S.H.A) with a little satellite drone for every three collected (maximum two drones). The satellite drones can be told to move around you, fire forward, backwards or just attack freely. They seem on a timer or get destroyed though I could never work out which. The second power up comes in the form of coloured elemental orbs called power chips that give you one of three abilities; missiles, lasers, or a spinning self defense ball. These also give you an additional hit point of defense losing them instead of your ship blowing up. It's a simple system which I did like but I found the additional weapons kind of boring and the capsules hard to see compared with other shoot 'em ups.
My big issue though is that the last level just isn't any fun with annoying homing missiles that are difficult to dodge from, a final boss that is a pain to fight and I just found the last section generally frustrating. When you die you lose everything which normally (for me anyway) lead to a chain of deaths with my woefully under powered M.U.S.H.A. A pity as it's earlier stages are pretty fun.
Overall a good little shoot 'em up with nice sound and visuals but not the system's best.
+ Good soundtrack.
+ Fast paced action.
+ Solid sprites
- Last level is pretty unfun.
- Power ups are kind of boring.
Jesus once said, truly it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than it is for the sprite in Musha Aleste to navigate the absurdly minimal amount of real estate available to her in the final boss fight
Todos os meus amiguinhos fãs do Mega Drive são um bando de poser. Só isso explica como depois de décadas conversando sobre VGs com eles nenhum teve a decência de me indicar o game mais bonito, mais frenético e com música mais radical do sistema.
Musha Aleste is one of my favorite shoots 'em up of all time, and one of the more roughly obscure ones on the Sega Genesis. Our hero, Ellinor, piloting the MUSHA, a special unit mecha with an advanced arsenal, is part of a team sent to investigate a supercomputer that began attacking Earth from a distant planet, as she arrives, her squadmates are decimated by the Dire-51 computer gone rogue. She takes it on herself to complete the mission and avenge her squad in a suicide mission.
After the intro, the game doesn't stop once, throwing a multitude of enemies and power-up at you in one hour of total carnage. The game features a speed metal soundtrack with its screaming overdriven guitars made excellent on the YM2612 FM sound chip. The graphics are flawless, the game has a nice polish with an intro sequence, and its many fast-moving cameras give a strong illusion of speed to the vertical scroller. Many of its enemies are - again - inspired by Yokai and Japanese lore, such as enemy robots wearing Hannya or Noh masks, giving the game a really exotic vibe.
As of today, Musha Aleste remains one of the most expensive Genesis games for collectors to acquire at over four Benjamins, but giving it a playthrough on a MegaDrive emulator is more than worth it.
After the intro, the game doesn't stop once, throwing a multitude of enemies and power-up at you in one hour of total carnage. The game features a speed metal soundtrack with its screaming overdriven guitars made excellent on the YM2612 FM sound chip. The graphics are flawless, the game has a nice polish with an intro sequence, and its many fast-moving cameras give a strong illusion of speed to the vertical scroller. Many of its enemies are - again - inspired by Yokai and Japanese lore, such as enemy robots wearing Hannya or Noh masks, giving the game a really exotic vibe.
As of today, Musha Aleste remains one of the most expensive Genesis games for collectors to acquire at over four Benjamins, but giving it a playthrough on a MegaDrive emulator is more than worth it.