I feel foolish. That’s because, up until a little while back, I thought the Turbo-Grafx release Shock Man was a “one and done” sort of release. And not a bad one at that.
But now, thanks to Ratalaika Games, I realize there’s a whole gaggle of these games. The Cyber Citizen Shockman games have been blossoming well over the past year, and even after a rough start, it looks like the saga is finally coming into its own.
Now the 1992 game that stands out in the collection, Cyber Citizen Shockman 3: The Princess From Another World, is available, and at a very reasonable price point, just under six bucks. But the real question is if it delivers with these cheap, nostalgic thrills. Well, sort of.
There are some problems you’ll need to balance out, oddly enough like the first couple of games. But if it’s old-school platforming goodness you’re after, you could certainly do far worse.
The Princess Is In Another Mindset
The game’s story once again follows our heroes, Arnold and Sonya, as they recover from previous adventures. But it isn’t long before this princess from another world (hinted at in the title) begins to wreak havoc, attempting to take the world for herself.
It’s silly and a bit over the top, but an ideal setting for the platforming action that’s to come. Which, isn’t bad, but does need to be talked about a little bit.
The game does feel better than the first two counterparts, and is better built when it comes to boss encounters, as well as some savvy level design. And bashing enemies does have its good moments.
However, the game is still harder than it has to be, thanks to unfairly set up hit detection that can leave you like a sitting duck. Fortunately, there are in-game cheats that you can activate to alleviate the process, though some purists will likely leave them off to see if they can finish the game in one piece. Up to you, of course.
Like previous Ratalaika games, there are options to play around with, namely the cheats. They actually make this game a bit more tolerable, especially when kids are involved. But, honestly, this is one time I probably wouldn’t have minded seeing a bit more balance.
So it’s an improvement and a…disprovement at the same time. Wait, is that a word?
Back To the Old School
One benefit that Cyber Citizen Shockman 3 provides is that it reminds you clearly of a different time in gaming.
The visuals are the best the series has seen yet, with delightful animations, clever boss designs (wait, a snowman?!), and, again, some slick level designs. The cinema scenes are great as well, unfolding more of this goofball story.
It’s also nice for the series to have a proper soundtrack taken straight from CD, as that’s how Shockman 3originally released. It definitely has nostalgia going for it, and fits nicely with the “weirdos from outer space” theme. You can also mess with a few options as well, if you really want to go retro with the release.
Is This Shockman Right For You?
I do like the fact that Ratalaika has given Cyber Citizen Shockman 3 an affordable price to pick it up at. It’s a neat reminder of how gaming used to be, without ballooning it to epic proportions (like Limited Run Games’ Felix the Cat previously did).
That said, it’s not for everyone. The tough difficulty and consistent hits are a bit rough to swallow, and there’s not enough gameplay differences between the two characters, as we were hoping. There are cheats that can balance this out, but they shouldn’t have been needed in the first place.
It’s a worthy purchase overall, just be prepared for some speed bumps when you take it out of the parking lot. They’re a bit…shocking? I’ll see myself out.
GAMERHUB RATING: 3.5 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Thanks to PR Hound for the review code!
