Pink Sweets, first impressions

[NTSC-J]

Went to HEY today and was pleasantly surprised by three new Pink Sweet cabinets that were up and running. I gave it a couple of tries and here are some initial impressions for you guys:

- The graphics are quite nice, lots of color, with backgrounds that aren't just static pre-rendered environments. Yes, now trees sway and buckle under your awesome fire power (I guess Under Defeat started a nice trend). However, I wouldn't call it a "cute-em-up". It looks more like Ibara's world with really out of place toy robots running around. Some tanks for instance look a lot like Ibara's, only with yellows, pinks and bright blues instead of browns and greys.

- You get to choose from 4 different ships at the start, piloted by the girls of Ibara.

- There are three buttons: shot, option, and speed. You can adjust ship speed during gameplay. The option I guess was the bomb, but never really used it.

- How it plays: my first run I was kicking ass and wondering what the hell happened to my Ibara. Tame patterns with bullets getting cancelled when they approached my shot (wtf). My second run I bothered to watch the opening demo and here's what was happening: if you don't fire, a ball of power builds on the front of your ship and once released, is essentially like Ibara's bomb (only, prettier...one charge shot is a giant rose for ex). What's more is you can catch bullets with it and the more you get the faster it builds, meaning if you think you know what you're doing you can play chicken with the patterns, eat em and shoot it back. If you don't aim right of course, you will get nailed. It charges really fast tho, so I can imagine the volleying that goes on in later levels.

As soon as I started playing it correctly the rank reamed me hardcore and it was back to Ibara.

- You collect medals as in Ibara, only now there are roses to be picked up on the ground instead of from explosions.

- During boss battles a text crawl goes across the screen with boss shit-talking in varying degrees of decent english.

- The music was cutesy junk.

That's about all I can think of atm. My first run I got up to 1,7 or so million and hit no extend. The top score I saw was 4,4. Not sure how far in the game that was.

[Limbrooke]

You get to choose from 4 different ships at the start, piloted by the girls of Ibara.

So in this game you play as the guardians?
If so

I gotta get this game when it comes out.

Otherwise nice preliminary review J.

[Triple Lei]

Speaking of which, a Pink Sweets manga is up:

http://www.cave.co.jp/webmanga/ibara/

[SuperGrafx]

Cool.
Thanks for the report.

[GaijinPunch]

I found the graphics to be subpar, but that was just me. When I played it, I couldn't hear the in-game music b/c they were blaring the worst song I've heard in my life over the speakers (you can hear it in the videos at gamengai). Is it by any chance the same music in-game? That would just be unforgiveable.

[dai jou bu]

someone needs to translate this web manga.

It's... very good quality.

[NTSC-J]

I found the graphics to be subpar, but that was just me. When I played it, I couldn't hear the in-game music b/c they were blaring the worst song I've heard in my life over the speakers (you can hear it in the videos at gamengai). Is it by any chance the same music in-game? That would just be unforgiveable.

Yea I wasn't too impressed by the graphics, other than not having completely static backgrounds like Cave always does. The toy robots just didn't seem to belong.

I couldn't hear the music too well, but what I heard was pretty damn shitty and annoying. Maybe later in the game its an aural masterpiece, but I'm gonna say save your $90 and skip the soundtrack.

[BulletMagnet]

As soon as I started playing it correctly the rank reamed me hardcore and it was back to Ibara.

Hmm...the same guy who did Ibara did this game too, right? If so, and judging by your impressions, it sounds like he went with a "Bakraid" rank system (rank's not much of an issue unless you're playing for score) instead of a "Garegga" system (learn to both score well and handle the rank, or else you won't get anywhere) this time around. As such, it sounds more accessible than Ibara...at first you can focus on just surviving without worrying about being smacked down too hard, and then working in scoring as you get more comfortable. Outta curiosity, does the game share Raizing's usual relatively generous extend rate, so as to encourage suiciding to ease the rank when you get it angry?

[freddiebamboo]

Galuda style bullet hoarding without the slow mode? Sounds good aside from the iffy graphics

Just glad they put in multiple ships for true raizing goodness

Cheers for the impressions

[Valgar]

CAVE has a video on their site if you want to hear the hyper girl squad music, synced with the video.

[GaijinPunch]

3rd stage extend

[Twiddle]

all the pics are icons

thanks anti-foreigner xenophobia

[NTSC-J]

Outta curiosity, does the game share Raizing's usual relatively generous extend rate, so as to encourage suiciding to ease the rank when you get it angry?

I went past the 1,5 mark without hitting an extend, so it doesn't look like it. Suiciding may not be part of this one despite the wicked rank. Maybe more like DOJ's than Ibara's. While I wasn't at the arcade for very long, the furthest I saw anyone get is stage 4. There's no extended or regular modes to choose from, I wonder if it loops.

Isn't this the first Cave game with 4 ship types? Others have let you choose different combinations, but never 4 completely different ships.

[GaijinPunch]

That would be the first I'd say. ESPRade was schedule for 6, but we saw how that turned out.

There are reportedly 7 extends in this game.

For the record, I got to the stage 2 boss the first time I played.

[Zweihander]

Outta curiosity, does the game share Raizing's usual relatively generous extend rate, so as to encourage suiciding to ease the rank when you get it angry?

I went past the 1,5 mark without hitting an extend, so it doesn't look like it. Suiciding may not be part of this one despite the wicked rank. Maybe more like DOJ's than Ibara's. While I wasn't at the arcade for very long, the furthest I saw anyone get is stage 4. There's no extended or regular modes to choose from, I wonder if it loops.

Isn't this the first Cave game with 4 ship types? Others have let you choose different combinations, but never 4 completely different ships.

Ibara did let you choose 4 different "ships", from the options menu, but it was more of a matter of how your ship used the Bomber.

[cigsthecat]

So does this play like a Raizing game at all? That short vid GP linked to makes it look like a mix of Cave/Raizing that isn't going that well. Ship slowdown button = gross.

I also agree about the graphics being a disgusting mix of two incompatible styles. Looks like a bunch of the enemies are just recolored Ibara guys too.

[DC906270]

i think it looks good, im looking forward to playing. kind of an alternate Ibara, all 'caved' up.

[icycalm]

Do they have PinkSweets hooked up to that giant rear projection TV? Are there a lot of people usually waiting to play it?

I wish I was there.

[Valgar]

Gah, can someone upload the vids Gaijin linked to? Looks like they are down...

I agree with cigs...it looks like Raizing+Cave.

[Frederik]

I actually liked the music on the CAVE site vid, sure its sort of cheesy eurodance trash, but I like it better than the ESPGaluda soundtrack. This one seems more cheery to me, and also more videogame-ish.

Oh, and personally I love the look of the downscaled Ibara-bosses for the player ships (from what I can see in the video).

[Dandy J]

Gah, can someone upload the vids Gaijin linked to?

I'm getting a 403 forbidden error. Dunno why...

EDIT I used FlashGet and it totally worked.

[GaijinPunch]

Here's the page. He's also posted a 4th stage boss vid.

[oxtsu]

Thanks for the impressions, NTSC-J and GP.

So does this play like a Raizing game at all?

Rumor-mill says no. Only some graphics+world from Ibara.

[Valgar]

The score fonts and HUD are the exact same from Ibara.

[WarpZone]

*watches 4th boss video*

Wow, never seen anything quite like that before, although it certainly looks Raizing-like to me. The idea of having a charge shot that works like a Raizing bomb (but without a bomb stock to worry about, it seems) sounds great, like a logical expansion of one of the major Raizing mechanics.

[BulletMagnet]

Suiciding may not be part of this one despite the wicked rank. Maybe more like DOJ's than Ibara's.

Hmm...if that's the case, then maybe using those charge shots is sort of like using Hypers in DOJ? If so, then the prevailing "motto" for the game would be "score lousy and play it safe, or play for score and prepare for pain, 'cuz there's not much you can do to ease it," heh heh.

As for hitting 1.7 mil and not seeing an extend, IIRC Bakraid's extend rate was every 2 mil...guess I'll just wait for more info (and to at least see the vids which are currently down) before speculating any more though.

Isn't this the first Cave game with 4 ship types? Others have let you choose different combinations, but never 4 completely different ships.

The first I can think of with 4 separate ships on the selection screen...as was said, though, previous games have offered lots of different "variations" on fewer ships (I think the record is Ibara's 8, though as has been brought out it's "not really a Cave game"). Actually, that gets me to wondering...did you notice any "Raizing-esque" type variation when selecting ships, i.e., depending on which button you use to select a ship, its color scheme/stats change?

I also neglected to comment on the "speed" button earlier...you don't see that feature too much in shmups these days (only recent one to use it which I can think of is Border Down). I guess Cave-zing left behind the usual "hold the shot button to slow down" mechanic for this one? In general I don't mind a speed-adjust button (in many cases, actually, I kind of like having it handy), though how easily one will be able to make use of it in a Cave-style manic shmup remains to be seen, I suppose...

[GaijinPunch]

According to this thread there could be up to 7 non-scorebased extends.

[agony]

I actually liked the music on the CAVE site vid, sure its sort of cheesy eurodance trash, but I like it better than the ESPGaluda soundtrack.

right!

I really like that music because it fits perfect to the game

[NTSC-J]

Ibara did let you choose 4 different "ships", from the options menu, but it was more of a matter of how your ship used the Bomber.

I mean 4 completely new ships. Like I said, previous Cave games let you combine different types. Ibara has 8, Progear 6, DP series 6, etc. PS' 4 ship types seem really different from one another which I like. One of them I chose had a bizarre lightning shot, unlike Cave's usual narrow and fast, wide and slow ships.

Do they have PinkSweets hooked up to that giant rear projection TV? Are there a lot of people usually waiting to play it?

Yea they do. I went on Sunday in the afternoon, so I expected long lines but only a few guys were interested in the game. I was able to play it right away. A lone Ibara cabinet was on the other side of the row and looked mighty cold and lonely. Shiki 3 had as much of a crowd as PS -_-...

[roker]

If it has a Black Label mode in the port

then I'm all for it

so far it doesn't sound too Raizing-like from the impressions in this thread