Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted

Genre: Bullet Hell Shmup

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Batsugun, originally released in arcades in 1993, is often cited as the first example of a Bullet Hell Shmup. The game was followed up in 1994 by a remixed “Special Version” that originally never saw an official release, but both the original and special versions of the game were later packaged together in 1996 in a Japanese release on Sega Saturn. In 2023, this release has now been updated with additional features and brought to modern platforms, releasing on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Despite its age, I found myself liking Batsugun far more than I expected. While not nearly as fine-tuned as some of the best modern Bullet Hell games, you can still see a lot of the hallmarks of the genre here, and the core gameplay is well-crafted and enjoyable, if a bit simple, with a pretty rudimentary power-up system and no unusual gimmicks or inventive gameplay mechanics. The presentation has aged remarkably well too, with some nicely-detailed 2D pixel art graphics that still look great today, backed by a decent synthesized soundtrack.

As far as added features in this port, you have various display, difficulty, and button assignment options, as well as a really nice slow-motion feature, a rewind feature, and save states, and of course the ability to select either the original game or special version.

Overall, I really like this as a package, which makes it such a shame how absurdly overpriced it is. We are talking about a game that is over 30 years old, and to charge $30 for it is simply outrageous. That’s twice the price of Ikaruga, the flagship of the genre.

I really wish I could end this review on a high note, but it’s just hard to get past that price tag. A game this old simply should not be so expensive. If you can find Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted on sale for a good price, I do highly recommend it, as it is not only an important historical milestone for the genre, but it’s also one that still plays great. But at its standard price, this just isn’t worth it.

tl;dr – Batsugun is arguably the first Bullet Hell Shmup, and it is one that has aged remarkably well. This is a pretty good port of the game too, including its “Special” remixed version. Unfortunately, the $30 price is absurdly high for a game that is over 30 years old, and while I do recommend picking up this game when it goes on sale at a better price, at its standard price it just isn’t worth it.

Grade: B-

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