Takeda Shingen

~ TAKEDA SHINGEN ~

AiCOM

HuCard

1989

I'll be frank here. This is one of those, uh, "rough around the edges" games that I seem to have an affinity for--I'm talking stuff like Legion, Energy, Deep Blue, and Jimmu Denshou. If you happen to be sane, unlike me, and aren't into the aforementioned "classics," then forget about Takeda Shingen. It's not for you.

The maniacal who are still interested in the title might think it's a brawler along the lines of Golden Axe. It sure looks like one in screenshots, but it doesn't play like one at all. If you so much as graze an enemy (or come close to grazing an enemy, as the collision detection is somewhat "off"), you will take damage, so there's none of that "moving in close for throws and grabs" stuff. In fact, pretty much all you can do initially is take a simple hack with your sword--a hack that your foes will block more often than not.

The early going is rough.

But then you level up a bit and learn a couple new techniques, and earn some cash and upgrade your blade, and all of a sudden, the action feels smoother; and, amazingly, the game becomes pretty enjoyable.

You've gotta work hard for those advancements and purchases, although there might seem to be an easy way out: Unlike most old-school brawlers, TS doesn't force you to clear the screen of enemies before moving on. You can jaunt along past all the foot soldiers, eschewing the idea of gaining money and experience in favor of a pain-free trip to the boss.

But then, of course, the boss will ANNIHILATE you.

Really though, by the time you're up to Stage 2, things should be going considerably better than they were when you were taking slow hacks that continually rebounded off blocks in the first level. It's a good thing that TS makes an early turnaround, as it has only four stages with which to entertain you.

Maybe you won't be entertained because you find the 8-bit-quality graphics and tunes off-putting, but I like them. The sprites are quite large, especially the bosses, and there are little visual touches that make the simple landscapes a lot more appealing than you might initially expect them to be--touches like pretty blue streams, snow-covered steps, and scarlet and nighttime skies.

Meanwhile, the mellow music contains some nice hooks, producing a heavy nostalgia-inducing effect on me.

That's just me, though. I know a lot of people won't like the game. But if you're willing to persevere through the troublesome early going, who knows...