THE SHENANIGANS OF SHENANDOAH
This review is gonna be quite unique since we will check a game that was forgotten 30 years ago and was resurrected today: 1993 Shenandoah.
I know the drill.
Originally conceived for the Commodore Amiga as Shenandoah: Daughter of the Stars and later renamed as 1993 Space Machine before being cancelled, the game makes its debut on today's consoles under the name 1993 Shenandoah. After 30 years, we can finally have a look to a classic of PC shooting.
You've been warned.
This final version of the game grants us the option of picking 3 selectable save files in the style of Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, where we can pick which difficulty we want to play, for instance if we want to enjoy the game on its full combat experience, that's the Skilled difficulty or the more relaxed Rookie level. If "Danger" is your name and unfairness is your kind of game, then Hardcore will send you shieldless, making you extremely vulnerable and things will be a lot harder. After picking the difficulty, we can select which color we want for our ship when the game is played in a Multiplayer session. Simple aesthetic option, but adds a little personality to the game.
Welcome to the Shenandoah Interplanetary Tour.
Your trusty silver guideman will provide you with the information you need to know.
In the style of a Megaman game, or a Thunder Force game, you're given the option of selecting your starting stage. Now, I think four is a good enough amount of options as it allows the player to unlock the next worlds by himself/herself, but for the sake of taking unnecessary risks this is done for both challenge and fun factors. In this case, picking any other stage than the first planet is a potential death sentence because all the stages have stage hazards of certain degrees of difficulty; from the oh-so-common magnets that will try to make you crash towards them to ever-oozing blobs and surprise thin beam traps. The silver guy gives you advice of what you're gonna find in those stages, so you've better pay attention and read the intel before choosing a level.
There's only two classes: Small or Big.
Unlike the other Arrowhead, this one wasn't meant to be used against the Bydo Empire.
Right after selecting the planet you're about to strike, you have to pick a ship. By the moment you can only buy one of the small "Basic Six" as they have the same all-rounder conditions and they're able to carry sub-weapons on top and bottom in the style of the Bits of R-Type (Dino's Io units in Pulstar/Blazing Star) and they have great speed and fast firing rate, while the "Big Three" have strong firepower, but slow firing rate and they are much larger hitboxes due to their size, but they can carry up to four guns covering front and rear too.
*"Solo Sortie" plays in the background*
Each world is divided in two phases: Space and Planet. Space is the first phase, where the objective is to traverse the area as you learn the basic mechanics of the game. To begin with, you have a barrier comprised by multiple orbs that can be rotated in order to deflect a bullet. While an orb goes "offline" after taking a hit, it will regenerate quite fast, allowing you to take multiple hits from any direction. One thing you have to keep in minde is that the barrier is also your lifebar too. Everytime your ship takes a hit, it will reduce the amount of orbs on your barrier, making you more and more vulnerable until they're gone and you're a one hit target. You have bombs which are screen clearing flashes that damage and destroy some enemies, but here's the catch: Bomb items are rare, so you have to learn when to REALLY use a bomb because of this, but most of the time you're not gonna need them at all as your ship and its equipment are all what you're gonna use throughout the whole game. While dying will send you back to a checkpoint on pure R-Type style, there's very few of them, but you'll know you've reached one 'cos the screen will show the letters "Checkpoint" to confirm that. For an early 90's shmup, it features the concept of score multipliers. There's specific "Zako" type enemies that after taking 5 Zako ships down quickly you will be racking "Streaks" which are the combo multipliers for your score. The "Streak" will remain active as the next enemy is destroyed before the Streak message (example "X5 STREAK") disappears. This might require to equip a weapon with good firing rate rather than power.
It's Xenon Megablast all over again.
Once you've finished the Space segment, you'll be on the store-ship, where you can buy a new ship, upgrade the one you have or even sell it, along with buying new equipment for your ship as additional support. Depending on which ship type you have, the more support things you can equip it. The small ships can only carry two equipments while the big three can carry four of them. Also, you can't equip the same weapon twice as if it was the Claw/CRAW in Thunder Force. If one weapon is on the upper part, you're gonna have to buy something for the ship's bottom part. Like your ships, you can upgrade or even sell any equipment you own.
Time to hit the surface and get rid of those bastards.
After eliminating the boss and visiting the store-ship, you'll be on the second phase of the game: The "Planet" phase. During this phase, you will be facing the ground restrictions and navigate through the "geography and architecture" of the level on pure Gradius and Thunder Force III style, as there will be buildings which you'll obviously have to avoid. While there's no collision damage with a building, you will die if the screen scrolls and you are "stucked" on a building. The major danger in these phases will be the missile holes in the ground which will try to ambush you and the magnets that will damage/kill you if you crash with them. Like in the Space part, there's also boss battles.
Cross the wrong stream and you're dead.
Surface levels are more than just the traditional Gradius-esque "navigate while shoot and dodge". For instance in the first planet you will have to navigate through a laser maze. While the beams look like if its impossible to navigate, you have to pass through the thin beams. Pick the thicker ones and you're dead. I think having beams of different colors would help to distinguish safe from lethal a little more easier since having them as single white colored leads to confusion and being sent back from a checkpoint isn't something funny.
Welcome to the (mutant) jungle.
We've got fun and games.
Navigation doesn't limit to avoid crashing with the surface. As you make progress through the game, the game will deploy new stage hazards, like an R-Type bio-swamp-jungle level where droplets, bubbles and closing gates will try to stop you, and even crystals that fire thin lightning across each other as if they were some sort of energy blockade, giving you seconds to cross before they try to block you again. Curiously for a shmup like this, Power ups and life recovery items scarce like I said before, but THERE IS a way to stock on bombs easily: Repeating the "Planet" segment of planet Denibo until you max out the bomb stock.
"Feel the need" like in 1986?
Here's your chance, kid.
The final stage will make another twist in traditional gameplay as it requires you to pass through gates in order to make the level shorter. Crossing a gate will increase the speed of the level, dropping the distance to target much faster, but also passing through enemies with less troubles.
Talk 'bout having a bling-bling?
Eat yo' heart out, sucker!
After clearing all the levels and take Nestor down, this is your ending. The Shenandoah is back in good hands and you're condecorated. Not with a simple medal, but with the biggest medal ever know. You know you're a hero when you're given the biggest medal in the 'hood.
A harsh way to be a "Party crasher".
After being congratulated and getting the biggest medal a pilot can get, the silver man will give you one more advice at the expense of becoming the bummer of the day, the game is not over yet.
One last level, one final challenge.
Once you've killed Nestor, there's a new sector waiting for your challenge. That is your real final stage.
The objective is survival, not attacking.
The final level is to stop Shenandoah because Nestor managed to activate it before going down. Unlike your ordinary boss battle, you have to survive all of its bullet hell patterns until it explodes. If the game was released in 1993 as planned, it will predate Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga on the concept of surviving the final boss by dodging instead of attacking.
Depending on which ship you're using, it's gonna be the difficulty due to the bullet hell this boss will unleash upon you. Having a large ship is gonna be a painful challenge. Speaking of facing difficulties, if you can make it to the end you can get a staggering reward of 5,000 credits, making this stage helpful if you want to get most of the upgrades fast.
As a PlayStation 4 game, there's the usual trophies to obtain. However, the most absurd of all is "42" which require you to die exactly 42 times during the whole game.
Before Blazing Star there was Shenandoah.
Graphically, it manages not just to recreate the style of the Amiga, but to push it much further, with the incredible stunning visual effects that made it one of the best computers for gaming. If there was one thing that the Amiga paid attention was on graphic detailing. Despite being "Sprite-based", the great majority of Amiga games, especially the "Non-Arcade conversion" ones had massive detailings, and examples are memorable: Agony, Apidya, Project X, Super Stardust, Uridium 2, the Shadow of the Beast series and of course, the Turrican trilogy. 1993 Shenandoah is among that list with incredible detailed structures, surface layouts, day and dusk transitions, parallax scrolling (the Planet level of Dennax) and even a pseudo-CGI moving background on Zint Core that would predate Pulstar and Blazing Star if the game was released on 1993. Visual spectacles are impressive like the bull head in the Test Facility and the "Firebird" in Nestor's Escape are impressive since they're complex, smoothly animated figures made of bullets, something that DEFINITELY you won't find on DOS computers, or in the SNES. There's some Psygnosis nods within the game, the most notorious is the mountain background on Dennax, which rather than being an "Earthly" chain of mountains, it is more of a fantasy, surrealistic geology that look very reminiscent of Roger Dean's fantasy worlds.
So nostalgic, they're awesome!
The loading screens are pretty well made and sometimes they look more like illustrations rather than pixel art due to the Amiga's extensive color palette.
Silver Surfer: I don't like Reed Richards 'cos he's dangerous.
Human Torch: That's Right!, Silver Surfer... We are dangerous.
The character cast, its based on realistic western-euro styled artwork and when it's human based characters like the three superiors in the introduction they look quite OK and the sprite art is right on with the Amiga style like the whole game. However, the guy who gives you the briefing can best be described as Silver Surfer doing a Val Kilmer. Think of the Marvel superhero with a Top Gun Iceman-influenced haircut and sunglasses right out of 1986 and that's the briefing character from Shenandoah.
What the fuck is that?
Mr. Potato Head as the Headmaster of Fortress Maximus?
By God, just look at him. As if the Silver Surfer with sunglasses wasn't bad enough, this happens. If you thought Walter Campbell from Raiden V wasn't already enough "So bad you can't hold laughter" type of characters, 1993 Shenandoah says "Check this out". If you ask me what's Ellron Hubcap's supposed to be I'd say this is what happens when Mr. Potato Head was turned into a Headmaster and becomes the head of Fortress Maximus. But having a failed surgery to look more human. Is like the game is saying "Please poke fun of the character designs", well here I go. I'm not gonna be too drastic as I did on Solar Shifter EX where, to quote Knocker from Ace Combat 7 "I said what I had to say", but here I go. I know this game is based on an old cancelled Amiga game from 1993 and anime wasn't too popular in the US back then, but this is one of those times that make me wish the game could give us the option of choose between the vintage style or an arranged style for today's anime loving audiences. I'm not talking fanservice like today's anime industry does. Just a simple, heartwarming anime girl to make this game look a little better. Nothing more, nothing less, 'cos the only thing you want to from Ellron is to see how his ugly face is bombed to hell in a massive Cordium primed warhead bombardment like in Project Wingman's mission "Consequence of Power". It might cause a serious disaster, but considering how ridiculously ugly and horrible he looks, and how much the world had to get rid of him, anyone, including a plethora of judges would consider the Cordium-triggered Calamity as "Justified Destruction".
Fixed, looks waaay better now.
In 30 years we will see "1993 Shenandoah Anime Girl Edition" ROM hacks on the 'net.
Something like this would work. Is that too hard to learn in today's games? Many gamers would appreciate something like that.
The sound department is a mix between the original Amiga and the failed Amiga CD32. While the Amiga computer had almost CD-like quality on the music (Apidya is a great example), it was until the Amiga CD32 where the CD audio was perfected. 1993 Shenandoah borrows that aspect pretty well, completing the oldschool reminiscence this game aims to, complete with Chris Hülsbeck styled beats and fast paced rhythms that combine electronic with drumming.
2023 CURIOSOAH
- The Interceptor ship resembles the Cybernoid from Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine.
- The name "Arrowhead" might be or not a reference to the R-9A Arrowhead from the R-Type series.
- The commentary of Ruck Bodgers before the Dennax boss is a clear reference to Buck Rogers.
- The trophy "Master of the Universe" is a reference to Mattel's Masters Of The Universe (A.K.A. He-Man and the Masters Of The Universe).
- "Rambo" clearly refers to John Rambo, the Vietnam soldier portrayed by Sylvester Stallone in the Rambo saga (A.K.A. First Blood saga).
- "Spartan" can refer either the Roman soldiers and the UNSC armored infantry from Microsoft's Halo franchise.
- The trophy name "Flamer" is a reference to the internet/gaming term used to refer the kind of person that purposely anger other users through insults on forums and online gaming sessions.
Just closing loose ends.
Better 30 years later than never, Nina.
1993 Shenandoah is the unexpected resurrection of an old Amiga game that fulfills your shmup expectations since it has all that makes a classic shmup the good oldschool shooting game it is: Interesting gameplay mechanics, vast in-game store with lots of items to buy and replayability allowing you to revisit levels. All of this with gorgeous graphics, visual effects and music that made the Amiga the shmup heaven it was. If you're looking for some good vintage PC shmupping, then this is the game for you.
If Eda likes it, then its a good game.