Working Designs was one of the greatest publishers on all time. They translated and released games we would most likely have never seen outside of Japan. Though they’ve since closed shop the company will always hold a special place in my heart. When they switched support from the Sega Saturn console to the Sony PlayStation they continued the trend of bringing over quirky titles. One of these lesser known releases is Elemental Gearbolt. My interest in light gun shooters began many years ago. Somehow I missed out on this game when it was released. I’ve since been able to add it to my collection and it’s now one of my favorites. The genre has largely been forgotten in modern times and fans looking for older releases can do no wrong with it. It runs a high price, but Elemental Gearbolt is totally worth it.
The story is told through numerous anime cut-scenes. The artists took a very artsy approach here by creating a watercolor fantasy world. It’s well appreciated. The scenario is subtle and not easily described, but I will try my best. The game takes place in a medieval fantasy world with floating islands, airships, and legions of monsters. You play as one of two female characters outfitted in magical armor and must blast your way through numerous areas of the world. All of this is to put an end to a tyrannical king. What’s interesting here is the fact that, despite being a lightgun shooter, the two protagonists do not fight with guns. Instead they fight with magic.
Both have three spells at their disposal; the standard fire spell that sends one powerful shot, an electricity based spread blast, and a rapid fire water incantation. You can switch between the three on the fly. You’ll need to do so on a frequent basis because they are all useful in different situations. In typical fashion your character will gain points with every enemy you destroy. What’s interesting is that at the end of each stage you can choose between points or experience points. The former is used to earn high scores, and the latter allows you to gain levels thus becoming stronger and gaining health. It’s sort of like a light role playing game in this regard. The RPG elements makes Elemental Gearbolt deeper than your standard light gun fare. It’s also very unusual, but in a good way.
Aside from these fancy trappings Elemental Gearbolt generally functions like a normal light gun shooter. You view the action from a first person perspective and your character moves forward on their own. The only control you have is shooting and aiming. You defend your precious life bar by defeating enemies and shooting down their projectiles before they connect. Because Elemental Gearbolt gives you magical spells instead of guns you have unlimited shots and never have to reload. The only limitation is your rate of fire, and each spell varies in this regard. The faster shots do less damage and the fire spell (which you can only fire at a snail’s pace) is the most destructive. They each have their uses and are handy in different situations.
Most enemies take just a few shots to defeat. Your health is measured at the bottom of the screen by a gauge of blue crystals and when depleted you’re forced to use a continue in order to proceed. Hitting enemies in succession without missing gives you a combo bonus and the game sure loves to make these tough to pull off later on. This aspect of the game works perfectly for those who love competing for high scores. Every level is littered with green crystals that when shot release helpful items such as fairies which increase your overall score at the end of the stage as well as potions which restore your health. The crystals are tricky to hit because you’re usually distracted with monsters and projectiles. This is where level memorization comes in handy. Elemental Gearbolt is hard but it’s never totally unfair.
The stage designs are among my favorite across the entire genre. It’s on rails, but the developers manage to keep things fresh and interesting throughout. In the first area you’re wandering through a decrepit medieval town with enemies flying in and others perched atop buildings. Other areas have you blasting your way through spooky forests, scaling desert mountains, exploring aquatic ruins, and more. Because your characters are ‘magical beings’ they jump and glide through the air and even skating over the water. This makes for interesting stage scenarios.
I’m really impressed with how each area feels dynamic from one another. The boss characters don’t fare quite as well. At least they’re difficult and often take up the whole screen with their bodies and bullets. They simply aren’t as interesting as the rest of the game. Still, I expected more. The levels are beautiful and interesting in general. The developers did a fantastic job at purposely misdirecting the player, or ‘players’ if you’re playing co-op with a friend. Speaking of multiplayer it works, but I actually prefer going solo in this one.
Elemental Gearbolt looks amazing by PlayStation standards. The environments are completely three dimensional, as are most of the enemies, but a few are sprite based. It’s not a big deal because they’re still competently designed and don’t look as out of place as you would expect. The art style is fantastic. Enemies designs are unique and fit the world very well. Many of the bugs and dragons reminded me of something like Nausicaa or Panzer Dragoon Saga, but they’re distinct enough that they don’t feel like mere copycats. The engine is very solid for this game. The framerate stays constant and is very smooth. It struggles slightly in two player mode, but it’s not enough to ruin the experience. Unfortunately this game does suffer from the typical polygonal warping and blocky textures that are commonplace on the system, but I’m used to it by now.
The soundtrack is also incredible. As far as I can tell it’s fully orchestrated with each song featuring some great instrumentation. Every level has its own music, and it’s all incredible. I especially like the tracks for levels three and four; the compositions are downright beautiful. The sound effects are also very well done. Spells each have their own distinct recorded sample, and they’re extremely realistic and function as a nice audio aid for which weapon you have equipped.
There’s a fair amount of voice work here that occurs during the cut scenes. This is high quality as per Working Designs usual fare, and though the story is hard to follow I enjoyed these sequences mostly because of the voice work. The audio is fantastic in this game, and Elemental Gearbolt has one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time by far. I only wish a soundtrack was packaged in.
Elemental Gearbolt is a very solid light gun shooter on its own merits, but what makes it particularly memorable is the interesting setting and art style. It’s unlike anything else released under this genre. The game is very short and I can complete it in around an hour. Getting good enough to complete it that quickly will take some practice. I’m certainly not complaining because the experience is a fun one. Elemental Gearbolt is hard, and that’s what prevents it from being over too soon. If you’re looking for a fantastic light gun shooter it’s well worth sucking up the price tag and adding this one to your collection. You won’t regret it; I still return to beat my high scores.
