Chain Crusher (XBLIG): "A Simple Yet Quite Challenging Shmup"

I've been very fortunate lately to get the support of several developers from the XBLIG, and XBLA community. Micky G. Albert (Mindware Corp./Japan) was one of the few developers that actually sought me out for reviews. I feel honored to have such talented developers contact me, wanting me to review their games. It must mean I'm doing something right. Mindware Corp. (Micky G. Albert) recently released their XBLIG title 'Chain Crusher'. They had contacted me earlier this month letting me know about the new shmup they were going to release. Being the shmup fan that I am I was anxious to see what it was all about ...

Before I ever played 'Chain Crusher' I had been watching Micky's (Minware Corp.) trailers via youtube. I noticed that it had sort of a puzzle looking element involved. When I actually began playing the game I found that it wasn't really a puzzle element at all although the concept did favor that of a Tetris fail (When all the blocks fill up & you lose). Chain Crusher is a fairly straightforward shump that definitely requires some serious skill. I could see most players being turned off by the fact that you are only given 1hit/1 life before a gameover, but I'm all for the challenge. You'll find that instead of just spraying/dodging bullets you must actually make each shot count. Getting 'chains' (destroying enemy ships in groups) is the only way you'll survive long enough to get a respectful high score. Shooting shots in the game causes your ship to thrust backwards, and spamming them too much will end up making you crash your ship. It is imperative that you do not let the ships build up too much behind you, because eventually they will fill the screen causing a gameover.

There are definitely a few quick ways to die in this game. You can run into an enemy ship, and that will definitely cut your run short. You can run into the edge of the screen which will cause you to meet your untimely demise, or you can let the ships fill up the screen with the same result as I mentioned previously. When you make it past a certain wave of enemy ships you will encounter a boss ship that launches more enemies. Defeating it requires creating a chain with the smaller enemy ships directly on the boss. The bosses in the game will give you more points than regular chains, so beating bosses definitely helps out.

I can offer you a few tips if you decide to pick up this unique shmup. One tip is that waiting to fire at just the right moment is the key to scoring longer chains. The other tip is that there are solid colored ships that will cause a slowdown when shot. This definitely helps when trying to manage the constant waves of enemies that are coming towards your ship. Taking out the rectangle boss ships will also score you some major points. The controls in the game are simple, so you should be able to focus most of your attention on the enemy ships that are heading in your direction. You'll use the 'Left Thumbstick' for movement, and the 'A' button for shooting.

I honestly think That Mindware Corp. (Micky G. Albert) did a great job in making this unique shmup shooter. I've said it many times before, that I think it's awesome when developers redefine or make something new in a video game genre. Chain Crusher is definitely not a clone. I did find the game challenging as most gamers probably will, but this in no way makes Chain Crusher a bad game. If your looking for a good challenge in the shmup genre, and something unique as well then Chain Crusher is definitely that game.

Mindware Corp. Interview

Japanese Gaming Magazine Containing Micky G. Albert's Article "Why Shmup Are Down In The Game Market" (Amazon/Jun. 30, 2011 Magazine Publication)