Gleylancer

Genre: Bullet Hell Shmup / 2-Stick Shooter

Players: 1

.

Review:

(Note: This game is included in Gleylancer and Gynoug: Classic Shmups Pack, along with Gynoug.)

Gleylancer is a Shmup first released only in Japan on the Sega Mega Drive (known in the US as the Genesis) in 1992. This release is an updated port of the game, released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2021. It adds a brand-new English localization, new display options, save states and rewind feature, and control options that bring the game closer to a 2-Stick Shooter.

Being a 16-Bit game originally, Gleylancer’s graphics and sound are of course on par with that era, although I would say that this game is one of the better-looking games to have graced the Mega Drive, and even features some (very rough) digitized speech and some nice-looking mostly-static cutscenes. Also, the visual design of the ship, gunfire, and enemies is all interesting, and the backgrounds look fantastic.

Actually, in a way, everything looks a bit too fantastic – it’s far too easy to lose your ship in all the chaos that’s happening. In particular, the added control this game gives the player over their “Gunners” (akin to Gradius’s “Option” power-ups) makes it easier to think of these as your ship when they aren’t, resulting in foolishly driving your own ship into enemy fire you didn’t see or worse, didn’t realize was headed for your ship due to the mistaken identity issue. If the rewind feature didn’t exist, this would make this game extremely frustrating.

This issue aside, I felt that this game was a superb Shmup, and the updates given to this game are wonderful. Beyond the display options and save states, players now have added control to more directly change their speed, and now you can even alter the behavior of their Gunners in mid-combat, something you were previously stuck with after selecting it in the game’s startup menus.

You can also opt to use the right analog stick to control the Gunners directly, which pretty much turns this game into a 2-Stick Shooter. While this feature seems like it could be overpowered (at least, if not for the confusing visuals), it is nevertheless a fantastic addition, and one that purists are free to ignore if they choose to.

I have to admit, I was really surprised by Gleylancer. Not only has Ratalaika Games managed to dig up an overlooked classic Shmup of the 16-Bit era, but they have done a phenomenal job porting it and updating it for modern game platforms. If this is indicative of the level of quality we can expect from them, I’d be thrilled to see them work on bringing more classic games to modern game platforms. If you’re a fan of Shmups or 2-Stick Shooters, and especially if you’re a fan of Shmups from the 16-Bit era, you should absolutely pick up Gleylancer.

tl;dr – Gleylancer is a Shmup originally released on the Sega Mega Drive in Japan in 1992, and this release updates the game in numerous ways, including new control options that bring it closer to a 2-Stick Shooter. The original game is a solid entry in the genre, and the port is fantastic. If you enjoy this style of game, you should absolutely grab Gleylancer.

Grade: B+

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Andy Miller, Exlene, Johannes, u/RamboFox, Ilya Zverev, Connor Armstrong, Eli Goodman, K.H. Kristoffer Wulff, and Stov. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}