Galactic Crusader
System: NES
Release Date: 1990
Developer: Joy Van
Publisher: Bunch Games
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
Joy Van is back with another vertical scrolling shooter with Galactic Crusader! I dunno, you’re a giant butterfly star ship or something and you get smaller when you’re hit. You need to kill a bunch of enemy formations for some reason or another. Just shoot stuff for six levels and get on with it.
You’re metamorphic butterfly space ship can power up with four different weapons. The plain red capsule gives you a laser weapon. The blue capsule gives you a plasma looking weapon. The yellow capsule gives you a weapon that shoots in a screw pattern. The red capsule with a yellow insignia on it gives you a shock wave weapon. These can all be upgraded two times. Capsules appear when you kill certain enemies or a certain number of enemies, I’m not sure which. Flashing capsules grant you temporary immunity like a star man.
There are certain large enemies that drop an option when killed. This option can exist on its own, lagging shortly behind your own ship, or it can be attached to the front or back by running into it or with a press of the B Button, shooting as an extra attachment. This can be powered up by collecting more attachments.
Waves of enemies come on screen and must be destroyed or avoided long enough to leave the screen. I found it’s much more dangerous to get in the mix and kill them, as opposed to letting many of them leave on their own power. This is because certain enemies explode on death and inevitably catch you with their shrapnel. Getting hit knocks down the size of your vessel and causes you to lose a level of your weapon. The option allows you to take many extra projectile hits, but if you collide with an enemy, it is lost and your ship suffers damage.
At the end of each level is a boss. These can be rather difficult, or relatively easy, depending on the weapon you have equipped. The final boss, for example, is practically unbeatable with the screw gun that I had equipped. A long play search showed me you need the shock wave weapon to beat him. Good to know.
Graphics: 1.0
It’s barren space with the occasional background tile. Enemies don’t look good and there’s tons of slowdown in places because it’s trying to do too much.
Sound: 1.0
Music is grating and all of the firing sound effects are boring and overpowered.
Gameplay: 1.0
Hope you fire at the right time to kill the baddies. There’s not much helping you out here.
Difficulty: 0.5
Some of the enemy waves require such precision that it’s totally garbage. I save stated at the beginning of each level and at the boss and it was still ridiculous.
Fun Factor: 0.5
There must have been a moment or two where I wasn’t feeling open content for this game, but it was a fleeting feeling.
Overall Rating: 0.8
Galactic Crusader earns a D. This shoot ‘em up probably would have fared better in 1988, but we’re in 1990, where more is expected from this genre.