Image Fight
System: NES
Release Date: June 1990
Developer: Lenar
Publisher: Irem
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
The moon has exploded in Image Fight. Aliens from the Boondoggle Galaxy… stupid name… are looking to take over the Earth. Nations around the globe unite and the top scientists look for a way to defend mankind. They create the OF-1 fightership and need to train the best of the best to pilot them.
This is your typical vertical scrolling shooter. The A Button toggles your speed from one of four options. The B Button fires your weapons. It can be held for continuous fire, though tapping the button is quicker. I kind of wish I had a turbo controller to play this one. Scattered around each level are POW cases which hold powerups. More often than not, they are pods, which alternate between red and blue.
Blue pods shoot forward. Red pods shoot in the opposite direction of your last movement. At first I tried to stick to blue pods, but then realized that red was the way to go, as enemies come at you from all directions. If you pick up three pods, the fourth you choose will turn them all to that color. At that point, you can press the A and B Buttons simultaneously to throw your pods forward for a special attack.
There are also upgrades to the ship’s weapon. You can only hold one at a time and don’t replace it if you try to pick up another. You must lose the powerup by having it destroyed before you can pick up another. The Seeking Laser and Seeking Missile were the best of them in my opinion.
The first five stages are simulations. You need to score an average of 90% to pass them and move on to the final three stages. I don’t know what the percentages are based on, but I assume you want to kill as many enemies as possible. Bosses at the end of the level can be easily killed if you have the right load out. Continues are infinite, so beating this one is a matter of attrition. You’ll run into problems if you die, though, as there are a couple of mean spots to put checkpoints.
Graphics: 2.0
Nothing looks great, but I thought everything was detailed enough to work.
Sound: 0.5
The sound direction was by far the worst part of Image Fight. Just awful.
Gameplay: 2.0
Choosing your mixture of red and blue turrets allows you to customize to your play style.
Difficulty: 1.5
Dying and not being able to gain the powerups you want is very irritating.
Fun Factor: 2.0
It’s an average vertical scrolling shoot ‘em up. I enjoyed it.
Overall Grade: 1.6
Image Fight earns a C-. The horrible sound really hurts what would otherwise be a pretty decent game.