Catalogue No. - T-10616G

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This is what the Saturn is all about, arcade action shooters in 2D. No other system of it's time could pull of what the Saturn could and this game is one of those to show off what the Saturn can do. Soukyugurentai comes to us from Raizing, the same people who brought us Battle Garegga and Kingdom Grandprix as well as others. While those games never really looked that hot they certainly played well. This is where Soukyugurentai differs. Soukyugurentai plays well and looks beautiful !! Let's talk about the way it plays first. Your ship is equipped with the standard fire and bombs (which look stunning by the way) but also a very nice lock on laser system. Similar to that used in Layer Section 1 and 2 but also different enough to be unique. Your ship can output a wire polygon frame that scans everything within it (below or above) then locks on to that item. Release the button to let loose a devastating lock on laser or cluster attack depending on which of the two frames you use.

All ships used in the game are pre-rendered very well indeed, the back drops are stunning too, making good use of the Saturn's scaling capabilities and finally the bosses are a sight to behold. They are massive. So big that they can fill almost the entire screen. Soukyugurentai is also an aural master piece with atmospheric tunes coming straight from the Saturn's sound chip.

Soukyugurentai packs a fair challenge but is not the hardest of shooters. There is plenty to keep you coming back though with the inclusion of a hidden options screen that allows you to customize all sorts of game features such as free zooming, free play, hidden Raizing sound museum and so on.

If you're a Saturn owner and a shooting fan then you should have this game. Don't be put off by the Electronic Arts logo on the case. They have nothing to do with the game apart from it's distribution. This is pure Japanese shooting action.