Arrow Flash
System: Genesis
Release Date: January 1991
Developer: I.T.L.
Publisher: Renovation Products
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
Save the Earth from a group of extraterrestrial Viking terrorists in Arrow Flash! Wouldn’t you know it, a flying vehicle that can transform into robot form is the ultimate weapon you can pilot in order to save the day! So get ready to shoot tons of enemy fighters as you weave through their bullets and rescue the planet from peril.
We’ve got a side scrolling shoot ‘em up in front of us. As you defeat enemies, capsules can come on screen granting you powerups. The ones you hope for right away are a speed increase and the options. You can have two options and they behave differently between ship and robot modes. The options will follow the movement of the ship, as you snake it in and out of harms way. In robot mode, they set up shop behind you and are fixed in relation to your ship.
There are a few other powerups, such as three different weapons that can be upgraded a few times. They weren’t anything special, but they were slightly more powerful. You can come across a shield which gives you a couple hit points, rather than instant death. There are also missiles that angle up before shooting out. If you can get totally powered up, you are quite a force to be reckoned with. But one bad move can take it all away.
The gimmick in this game is the titular Arrow Flash. Outside of your regular weapon capabilities, you can press the C Button to use a stocked special attack. When in ship mode, this creates a powerful wide shot that shoots ahead. This is one of those situations where if you don’t use it, you do indeed lose it, so don’t be shy to activate your Arrow Flash when you want. If you die, they’re gone anyway. The robot’s version of the attack makes it an invincible weapon for a moment. Using the robot’s Arrow Flash against bosses seemed to be the way to go in most instances, as it drained their health quickly.
As mentioned, the bosses are kind of a pushover if you have some Arrow Flashes stored and are in robot mode. You can just move into their weak point and they die pretty fast. There are a couple bosses that this doesn’t work on, so I realize it as a legitimate tactic. There is an option to turn the Arrow Flash from a stocked attack to a charged attack. I tried that, but didn’t enjoy it as much, so I can’t recommend it.
Graphics: 2.0
Graphics are standard from what I expect from the Genesis. It looks good enough, but didn’t really impress me.
Sound: 2.0
Again, the music and sounds are standard. Nothing that stuck with me.
Gameplay: 3.0
Gameplay is solid, you just have to take it smart.
Difficulty: 2.5
Levels are mostly fair, but there are your typical BS portions of levels that you have to die a lot to learn.
Fun Factor: 2.5
I enjoyed this one enough, but I’ve played a lot more fun shoot ‘em ups.
Overall Rating: 2.4
Arrow Flash earns a C+. This is a fine game to play for the time it will take to get through it. I don’t think it’s something I’d keep coming back to, though.