MUSHA
System: Genesis
Release Date: February 1991
Developer: Compile
Publisher: Seismic
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
Put an end to an evil AI hellbent on taking over the solar system in MUSHA! In a last ditch attempt at saving life as we know it, It’s up to the Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor squad to roll out and take this sentient computer down. You’re a member of a team of five soldiers who… wait… they’re all dead! I guess you’re going to have to take this on alone.
This shoot ‘em up is of the vertical scrolling variety. Get your guns blazing by pressing or holding the C Button. There will be little chip carrying ships that when you shoot them drop powerups. For every four that you collect, you gain an option. Two of them can be helping you out at once and you can stock more. Unlike options in other games, these can be destroyed, so stocking as many as you can is best. You can change the formation of the options by pressing the A Button. I tended to use the Free attack where the options chase enemies down. The Reverse also got some good use when attacking some bosses.
There are some powerful secondary weapons that you can collect and power up. These are shot by pressing the B Button. The green Blazing Beam is a strong laser beam that shoots through enemies to deal a lot of damage. The red Vanishing Buster drops powerful bombs on enemies. The blue Defensive Detonator is a nice barrier that circles around you. These all level up as you collect the same color drops. It’s good to have a secondary weapon because it gives you an extra hit point. You keep the level as long as you’re alive, but if you lose a life, you drop back to level 0.
There are mini bosses and level bosses that will get in your way. These guys are tough. Even if you learn their patterns, you need to have a full number of lives. Some of the attacks I faced, I couldn’t figure out how to avoid. So I basically hoped that I could blow them away with volume attacks before they pushed me to a game over. Luckily continues are infinite!
Graphics: 3.0
There’s a lot of neat sprites and backgrounds in this frantic moving game.
Sound: 3.0
There are a lot of weapon noises that aren’t incredibly annoying and pretty decent chugging Genesis music.
Gameplay: 3.0
You get more than enough options for your attack on your enemies. It’s frantic, but doable.
Difficulty: 3.0
There’s a huge amount of difficulty in getting through each stage, but you get infinite continues, so you can keep plugging at it until you learn the layout.
Fun Factor: 3.0
This is the kind of shoot ‘em up that I very much enjoy. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun.
Overall Rating: 3.0
MUSHA earns a B. This is a solid game that anyone can enjoy. Pick it up and enjoy the ride!