>When the Sega CD was originally released the biggest problem it faced was the fact that developers just didn’t know what to do with the exponentially larger storage medium. Some created ill-fated FMV titles for it, others made games that could easily have been done on the Genesis, and others took this a step further by porting previous releases on the base console with minimal enhancements. It was a bit of a mess to be honest, but some such as Gamearts and Konami gave us titles so large in scope that they never would have been possible on a cartridge. So where does Android Assault: The Revenge of Bari Arm fit in, you may ask? While it is an exclusive release for the add-on it’s something that could have just as easily been done on the Sega Genesis with few features missing. Fortunately it’s actually a pretty decent shooter even though it lacks any real innovation and fails to take advantage of the hardware in any meaningful way.
Android Assault takes place in the year 2192 long after off-planet colonization has become a reality. The story begins with colonists on the moons of Jupiter are under attack by an independent nation based off of the planet Saturn called Zias. Thanks to research on this rogue force scientists are able to work on and eventually complete a ship capable of standing up to them. This is named Bari Arm which can use a multitude of different weapons and even has the power to transform into a mech. This ship is all that is standing between the Jupiter colonies and total destruction, and the game begins this lone aircraft is sent out to do battle with the forces of Zias. The scenario is nothing special and it’s extremely similar to just about every other shoot em up of this kind. Android Assault does however get extra points for its fully voiced intro FMV which, aside from the soundtrack, is just about the only way the developers actually took advantage of the CD format near as I can tell. With that out of the way it’s time to discuss the gameplay.
What we have here is your basic two dimensional horizontal scrolling shooter. You take command of the Bari Arm ship as you dodge enemies and their projectiles while returning fire. Your goal is to reach the end boss of each stage and defeat these large menacing enemies soundly. By default you are given four different speed options indicated by four bars on the top right section of the screen. You can adjust this to your liking which is a pretty handy feature. What’s cool is the weaponry at your disposal. You have four different shot types and each can be powered up three times by collecting ‘Pow’ icons.
The first of these weapons is the thunder cracker which is a standard spread type shot that you begin the game with. When powered up it will also shoot backwards which is very handy. Next we have the burning wave which is your standard laser beam. Powering it up results in multiple shots, but they only go straight forward. My favorite of the weapons is the chase canon which is a homing shot. Additional power ups increase the number of missiles fired, and because they all hone in on the on-screen enemies this is the most useful one. Lastly is the satellite bomb which, despite the cool name, is the slowest and least useful of the bunch. I generally avoid it.
Now what’s interesting is the fact that you can charge each weapon for a more powerful effect, and this is done automatically when not firing. Another unique feature is that when you collect your fourth power up Bari Arm transforms into a mech. This makes him an easier target, but you can take one hit before dying while in this form. It’s a decent addition to the game, but it’s nothing particularly innovative.
The level design is pretty standard by genre standards. In many areas, particularly when you have the homing shots, you don’t need to move too much as long as you hold down the fire button. One advantage Android Assault has over other similar titles is the fact that most levels have more vertical space than most others. The screen scrolls as you move up and down, and in some areas the scrolling is completely upward. These sequences can be a little off-putting because you can only fire left or right, but it at least feels unique in the realm of shmups. Aside from these moments the level design is tragically standard.
The developers set out to make a pretty standard shooter, and that’s exactly what we’re left with. You would think that with the increase in storage space they might have tried some new things, but that’s not really the case here. The boss encounters however are pretty well done. The charge shot dynamic really helps make them distinct because, if you time it just right, you can nullify full chains of their attacks. Unfortunately there’s no two player mode here, and that alone would have propelled this title to new heights.
Android Assault looks like a Sega Genesis title. That’s not a bad thing, but considering we’re playing it on expanded hardware it’s certainly not good. The sprite work is good with fair amount of detail in the backgrounds, and there’s absolutely no slowdown from start to finish. Parallax scrolling is present but it’s not above and beyond what you would expect on the Sega Genesis. The ship and enemy designs are very standard, and aside from the bosses it seems that the artists weren’t feeling particularly creative. The introductory FMV is well drawn and animated, and this is one of my favorite aspects of the game on a visual level.
The soundtrack is one area in which the Genesis simply could not have compared. The music in stage one in particular is one of my favorite video game songs of all time. The rest is a mix of techno and rock, but it all fits and is highly enjoyable. There’s limited voice work (mostly limited to the introductory sequence) but the announcer does speak whenever you pick up a new power-up which is kind of neat. It’s low quality, but for the purpose of making the actor sound more robotic which is okay.
There are plenty of good games that are alone worth picking up the Sega CD for. This is not one of them. That’s not to say that Android Assault isn’t fun, because it is, but there are so many other titles in the library that are incredible and this is honestly a pretty by the books shooter. Android Assault reminds me of a slightly watered down Thunder Force, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s almost worth checking out for its soundtrack alone, but this isn’t the type of game that warrants picking the expensive add-on up for alone.
