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By Lonnie on January 15th, 2002
Introduction Silhouette Mirage is a unique game with a very different twist. It’s another American translation of a wacked-out Japanese game. Originally on the Sega Saturn, Working Designs has done a good job of getting all of the two dimensional power out of the Playstation. Personally I think the Saturn version had more pizzazz. I saw it in the window of my local import shop and figured what the hell, it’s unopened and its cheap. Needless to say I was not disappointed.Presentation The world is in a devastating apocalypse, Some computer has gone crazy and somehow managed to divide the worlds creatures into two classes, The Silhouette and the Mirage. Don’t ask me, its Japanese. Now the watch guard computer safety system has sent forth a Messenger of Justice to travel to Edo (That Psycho computer) to repair the circuitry before it destroys the world. There are seven stages to blast your way through using your parasitic weapons. The game has a very Anime inspired look, and holds its own ground in the animated video sequences. However the menu system and overall appearance of the game look awfully dated. I must give props to the guys at working design and treasure for the awesome instruction book and case. Treasure has done it again, it’s just too bad the Saturn didn’t have a chance to bloom, Or else we would have had this game three years ago.Graphics & Sound The graphics are awesome but also simple. Remember this is a Treasure game, The underground equivalent of Rare or Square. It’s all plain 2D sprites and backgrounds from start to finish. There’s nothing other then that. What you see in the pictures is what you get, and there’s also the occasional slowdown, although it only happens about twice in the whole game, so it’s no big deal. You also fight the same enemies over and over again throughout the whole game, although they are kind of interesting, with funny little dolls, and pumpkins attacking you. Bosses are big, but don’t look amazing or anything, Most of these problems is from pushing the weak 2D power of the PSX too far. Remember this game is a port from a Sega Saturn game. You can’t expect maximum power. I couldn’t say enough about this games music. I love it to pieces. It’s mostly techno-ish tunes and they really set the mood for some fights. I find myself pausing the game and just sitting there listening to it!! Although, sometimes you don’t really notice the music, it fits in that well. In case you didn’t know it the music will play in a regular CD player. Heh, they included the soundtrack as well.Gameplay Those looking for some fresh takes on the genre, this game offers plenty of action. The controls are simple to learn, or at least to learn all the moves that are actually important in the game. The important moves include being able to triple jump, shooting with auto aim, grabbing enemies and beating the money out of them, and dashing. That’s all the moves you’ll actually need to beat the game. There are other moves like sliding, and ducking, and doing one big attack that hits everything on screen, but they aren’t necessary, and often make the game harder if you try to use them. It’s simple if you want it to be, and it works better that way. Playing the actual game is a lot of fun. The actual levels are pretty simple, you just fight off a few Silhouettes and Mirages while absorbing some spirit power and beating them for their cash, which brings me to another point. Everyone complains about the increase in the price for weapons, but if you simply drain an enemy of its spirit power, cash bash it, and then kill it, it’s quite easy to save up enough money for anything you want in the game. all right then. Throughout the levels you’ll run into multiple bosses (usually around three a level), and they are what the games all about, duh. At first they’re pretty easy, and stay that way till the end, where things get incredibly tricky. You’ll be dodging all over the place, reflecting attacks like mad, and shooting non stop. It may get incredibly hard at the end of the game, but it’s still fun, and you can save it almost all the time, whenever the game loads a new area it asks if you want to save, which is pretty often. So if you’re having trouble beating someone, just keep trying and you’ll eventually do it. Lasting Appeal The games appeal depends solely on how well you are at the game. If you suck at it like I did at first, you will find the game very long and overdone. Probably cause you suck and loose all the time. But over time, lets say five min after your little cousin is kicking serious booty. You will get the hang of it. Plus, there is a lot to do, there are 5 paths you can open up. You can bet you will be spending some of your time with this baby.Conclusion The challenge factor does make the game slip a bit, but with all the extra neat stuff thrown into an already almost-perfect Treasure game, as well being able to fight an oversized trout with a girl’s head planted on it, should be enough to pique anyone even remotely interested in this game. Try it out; you won’t be disappointed!
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