Forgotten Worlds
System: Genesis
Release Date: December 1989
Developer: Sega R&D2
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
I’m two in a row with a Capcom arcade release ported to a non-Nintendo system, this time with Forgotten Worlds. Coming off of a poor game in Sidearms, I was much less disappointed here. It’s the far future and you are a Nameless One, looking to destroy a bunch of bad guys and free the planet. You’re equipped with a jetpack and a satellite that rotates around you and shoots.
The satellite is the novel aspect of this game. The B Button is your firing button. Your A and C Buttons rotate your character to shoot all 360 degrees and circles your satellite around you. If you press A or C while you’re firing, the player and satellite spin in a circle. It’s becoming proficient in spinning your satellite that will lead to your victory.
The satellite is upgraded throughout the game be visiting shops and spending your hard earned Zenny. These upgrades can be very expensive, so I was only able to play with the missiles, which shoot heat seekers at enemies on screen. The All Direction Shooter shoots in 8 directions, but isn’t very strong. Most of my playthrough relied on the Burner, which is a flame thrower that fires constantly and has a somewhat decent range. I would have liked to try the other weapons, but it wasn’t to be. This is because money is very limited in drops and quite difficult to come by. If you buy things early on, you’re locking yourself out of upgrades in later levels.
You can buy a resurrection potion on occasion from the store and when playing a single-player game, you want to make sure you have one of these. There are no continues available for the player, but you get unlimited revivals in two-player, as long as one is alive at any time. Boss weaknesses can be learned by buying information from stores. Bonuses are also available if you beat the levels quick enough. It took me a few tries to beat the final boss, but once I decided to just go for it and attack without dodging, he went down rather quickly.
Graphics: 2.5
Graphics are decent, but you’re not going to be able to concentrate on them thanks to the frantic action.
Sound: 1.0
The music and sound effects are more bad than good.
Gameplay: 2.5
Getting used to the rotating mechanic is the whole game. Once you get that down, you’ll be thankful for some slowdown late in the game.
Difficulty: 2.5
It’s kind of easy to get through the game overall, which is nice, but the lack of lives or continues is kind of weird.
Fun Factor: 2.5
I had an alright time with this one. It’s not on a list of my favorites, but it wasn’t bad.
Overall Grade: 2.2
Forgotten Worlds earns a C+. This isn’t the greatest game I’ve ever played, but it was decent. It won’t chart on your ten best shoot ‘em ups, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a shot.