Hellfire S

~ HELLFIRE S ~

NEC Avenue / Toaplan

CD-ROM

1991

The awful Genesis version of Hellfire takes a lot of heat for being ridiculously difficult and using an irritating checkpoint system. This decidedly superior rendition is less difficult than its Genesis counterpart, as enemies here fire slower projectiles and take fewer hits (though the adjustments certainly weren't taken far enough to make the game easy), and it allows you instant respawns. Fantastic red book audio (courtesy of T's Music) and nice anime cutscenes are thrown in for good measure.

I'm not a huge fan of the "choose a direction" weapons system (you use only one weapon throughout, but decide on the fly whether it fires horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), and I don't lament the fact that it wasn't taken on by other shooters, but Toaplan made use of it well enough here that it's effective as a one-game gimmick.

Level designs are appealing, as you visit deserts, jungles, and odd outer-space gardens while contending with a respectable cast of enemies...

...though I would've liked more out of the bosses, who often ask that you simply shoot a "marble" or pull off minor-league evasive maneuvers.

The last boss, a large steel knight equipped with lance and shield, is pretty cool, however.

The big draw here is the brilliant soundtrack. The fifth-stage tune is one that I rank among the best Turbo CD shooter tracks, as it features an outstanding lead that actually goes a melodic route rather than sounding like some butt-metal fan wailing away on his guitar. The subsequent level's heavenly theme calls Ys to mind for me.

Most second-tier PCE shooters have obvious downfalls, but Hellfire-S manages to do at least "pretty well" in just about everything, save for maybe boss design. Back when I bought it, it almost always sold for $40-50, but it seems easy to obtain for a modest $20-30 these days. Considering its solid action and great music, I'd say it represents a good value within that price range.