Magical Chase

~ MAGICAL CHASE ~

Quest / Palsoft

HuCard

1991 (US: 1993)

People would seem to have good reason for being excited about acquiring this game, and not just due to overcoming its elusiveness. I'd seen nothing but high praise for MC for a number of years, and based on testimonials from a variety of sources, it seemed like a sure thing. But I'd also kept in mind the lukewarm review it received from VG&CE back when it first came out. I'd pretty much written off that review, but as it turns out, once I played the game, I concluded that VG&CE was right on: Magical Chase is... okay.

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I like elements of precision and smoothness in my shooters. The sharp simplicity of the gameplay and the exactness often required in the more exciting entries serve to separate the genre from others and make it much more appealing to me. MC lacks those elements, going the sloppy-shooter route instead. It has you waft along with your large hit box and hilariously long vitality meter (which can be stretched to even greater lengths by purchasing the appropriate item in shops). Feel free to blunder through the fields laden with pudgy foes and their projectile attacks, as money is abundant and shops will be right around the corner by the time you get into any trouble. You might have to make effective use of your "stars" (read: options) against certain bosses, but otherwise, strategy and precision are hardly necessary and don't really seem expected of you. Hard mode is a little more exciting than normal, but it feels even sloppier, as there's more aerial crap to bumble into, and it still isn't very tough. So MC is not challenging, it's not rewarding, and it doesn't feel particularly great to play.

When I'm up for a sloppy shooter with shops, I prefer to go with Lords of Thunder, since that one features awesome beasts and bosses and boasts incredibly impressive visual moments every step of the way. MC's cast of small-fry is uninteresting and unendearing (disappointing considering the "cutesy" subject matter), while its bosses are simpletons.

Its graphics are technically impressive, I guess, but they seem like spatterings of colors and scrolling without any regard for what might actually be visually appealing.

I must note that there are some differences visually between the TG-16 release and its PC Engine counterpart, with the only significant one working in favor of the US version, which has a refined brick-tower background for its Stage 1, while the PCE game sports simplistic, multi-colored Tetris-block terrain.

Well, I'd said that MC is okay, but as I wrap up this review, I'm hard-pressed to remember why I was that "generous." Let's see: I like the Stage 5 tune a bit, I like the few instances where I feel compelled to put my options to good use, and I enjoy the decent challenge presented by the final stage on hard mode. That about covers it. Sure, I'm in the minority, but the game was a disappointment for me, and it might be for you too if your tastes in shooters are like mine. Others may enjoy the visuals and relish the opportunity to stumble through a shooter sans much grief or thought, but not me. I wouldn't even rank this above Cotton in the prestigious broomstick subgenre. If you're a serious shooter player and you're interested in laying down big bucks on one of the more elusive PCE titles, I'd recommend efforts like Sapphire and Sylphia long before this one. VG&CE probably would have too.