Whip Rush
System: Genesis
Release Date: October 1990
Developer: Vic Tokai
Publisher: Renovations Products
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
More aliens are attacking Earth in Whip Rush! Mankind has done what mankind does and has drained the entire solar system of resources. What to do… what to do… how about send some spaceships to the nearest star system and have them set up shop so we pillage those planets, too! Unfortunately, contact was lost, leading us to give up on the colonizers. Until one day, a fleet of aliens appeared, hell bent on taking the Earth for their benefit.
All that’s left has been dumped into the creation of an unstoppable jet fighter, the Whip Rush! The Whip Rush has customizable controls, but at default, the B Button shoots your currently equipped weapon to the right of the ship. While most levels scroll to the right, sections within may move in any direction, taking away your ability to hit enemies. In an attempt to give you an advantage, the speed of your ship can be altered with the A Button. There are 8 settings, but I didn’t find much use outside of the faster speeds.
There are some item pods and the occasional enemy that can be destroyed to reveal powerups. They alternate among Laser, Missile, Fireball, and Power Claw. You can collect two Power Claws and they are rotated around your ship with a press of the C Button. If you press the C Button while firing, you launch your Power Claws out in the direction they’re facing, causing damage to enemies they touch. I pretty much held B and C down the whole time.
The other three powerups upgrade the weapons you and the Power Claws are equipped with. The Laser shoots forward and is kind of weak, but shoots really rapidly, which can make up for it. The more L icons you collect, the more lasers you shoot. The Missiles shoot forward, more powerful versions also shoot backward, and the Power Claws even home in on enemies a bit. My least favorite weapon is the Fireball, which shoots in the opposite direction you are moving. I NEVER understand why this weapon is offered in shoot ‘em ups. I feel like I’m always moving to the plane of the enemy, not running away from them.
Levels can get pretty frantic with lots of enemies that take many hits to destroy. Getting hit when you have a weapon upgrade leaves you alive, but with the default weapon. Get hit with the default weapon equipped and you’re dead. A new ship flies on screen, but without any Power Claws. While item pods aren’t too prevalent, there does seem to be enough to not kill you because of no powerups. Bosses can all be killed by shooting to the right, but may take a lot longer than if you were fully upgraded. Not all bosses give feedback that you’re hurting them, but if you keep firing away, they should go down and you can be the hero of the solar system.
Graphics: 2.5
Backgrounds are cool. Sprites are fairly small and simple. There is slowdown if too many enemies and projectiles are on screen at once.
Sound: 1.5
Music is average at best, but the shooting sound effects are annoying!
Gameplay: 2.5
Rotating the options and launching them to kill enemies works as intended.
Difficulty: 2.5
Lots of lives earned through points and five continues are enough to get good.
Fun Factor: 2.5
There are some frustrating bits, but everything seems to have a solution, which I appreciate.
Overall Rating: 2.3
Whip Rush earns a C+. Another run of the mill shoot ‘em up. It has it’s strengths and weaknesses, but you can gain some fun out of it.