Ginga Force (PS4)

Coming at you like the hot take of a 90's anime saga, Ginga Force introduces the players to two aspiring and experienced pilots, the criminal task force they serve, and the world that they live in. Those pilots being Alex Heatburn, and Margarette Whitetail. A dynamic duo in leagues with an organization known as MSS, or Mitsurugi Security Service which calls an AI governed world known as Seventia home. Much like our people, and our world the once migratory residents of Seventia realized that over population was an issue. So much so that they made their way to new planets, colonized said planets, and did so until they no longer prioritized the birthing efforts of old. Adopting new technology, and engaging in new AI innovations including that of an AI governance system Specia the people of Seventia grew accustom to a new lifestyle. Not of colonization, but more so of building upon the utopia they've become a part of. Harnessing new power sources, and policing those that would step out of their way to disrupt civility. 

As a shmup port coming from it's former Xbox 360 home Ginga Force does well in translation to modern gaming consoles. Keeping intact original Japanese voice-over talent as well as adding in the English subtitles, and maintaining the overall original design as it was years ago. Vibrantly depicted, and visually dynamic in nature the story of Alex and Margaret that is told through the span of 10 story missions that each include their own unique multi-wave criminal pursuits against criminal targets of all kinds unfolds. Utilizing a special ship that houses a base weapon, secondary weapon, special weapon, speed focused engine, and mechanics modifiers known as special items the daring duo is tasked with not only surviving the onslaught of lesser bots, and ships, but also taking down their MSS assigned target. 

Mechanics-wise Ginga Force is simple yet complex by design. At base level you have two different shot types that change as you purchase them using division credits which you earn in each playthrough. Some shots are more traditional, and straightforward while others offer a more strategic, and situational use. Things like lasers, wide-shots, spread shots, and even shotgun blasts can be used to take down certain enemy ship types easier. The catch is that these shots run on fuel, and to keep them at full power you will need to down as many enemy ships as possible, and collect the fuel power-ups that are left behind. Along with the dual shot types that can actually be fired simultaneously you have a special weapon that more or less acts as a shield against bullet hell. Special weapons, like the primary and secondary type can be bought at the game's shop menu for a certain amount of credits once they become available. Like the primary, and secondary shots the special weapon also runs on a refillable gauge that ties in with the power-ups.

Taking a different approach to the age old dodging formula Ginga Force introduces engines that can be bought, and equipped to add up to three different speeds that are switchable during play. The lower the speed the slower the ship moves, and vice-versa. Some engines include all three speed variations while others are single or dual speed. In conjunction with all of the above are special items, or buffs that can be added to the ship. These include everything from extra time on the timed take down phases of each stage as well as extra lives, and less energy/fuel consumption. At any given time there can only be three of these special item modifiers equipped, so equipping them strategically depending on the stage, and it's hazards is crucial for gaining the top score and highest lettered rank. In the way of color customization you can also pay a certain amount of division credits for different color palettes. 

Story & Score Attack Modes ...

Story, and Score Attack modes within Ginga Force harbor fairly much the same narrative driven content with back and forth radio banter between the two main pilots, and key characters. In the story mode in particular though you will play in order, until you die all of your lives, through 10 stages. Each stage starts off with a first encounter with the stage's criminal, and the following wave by wave pursuit that ensues. Ending with a score tally, credits awarded, and a lettered rank based on overall performance. S being the best ranking, and E the worst. Waves in each given stage are broken up into the usual lesser ship encounters, and multiple timed mini-fights against the main antagonist. These mini-fights, or sub-boss encounters allows you to bank big points if you are able to knock off one of the enemy ship's parts before they escape, and the pursuit continues. Eventually after weaving in and out of dynamically changing perspectives that range from traditional top-down to a third-person perspective in 3D you will encounter a final boss fight against the criminal you've pursued all along. In the final fight you can, for bonus points, shoot off all remaining parts before whittling away the remainder of the ship's health bar or you can go for the main weak point, and finish the boss off quickly. Blasting off parts though will make the battle trickier as the criminal's ship will transform shooting even more bullet hell at you than before. Outside of the 10 stages of EASY, NORMAL, and HARD difficulties lies the X and Y training stages. These stages are wave based, and stationary testing how long you can survive the increasing number of enemies as well as the inclusion of more hard to defeat enemy types. They to come with a score tally, credits, and ranking like all of the other previously mentioned modes.

Slightly different from the main story mode the mode that is score attack is a single stage affair that allows the player the choice of stage and difficulty as well as one of three ship selections that each house there own primary, secondary, and special weapons. All three mode types including score attack are leaderboard inclusive taking in account the players completion time, top score, stage, letter ranking, and difficulty. Scores can be uploaded to the main server, and replays can be saved in-game allowing the player to play through a digital recording of their run. This is available for all modes

Extras ...

Ginga Force is not without it's extras. It includes a character, term, and background library detailing key information not fully disclosed in the gameplay portions of the game. There's also a gallery that houses video clips, intros, and trailers that you can unlock through gameplay milestones. Everything from newly introduced video content to the original videos. 

The Verdict ...

As bad as this might be for those with visual impairments I personally found Ginga Force to be a better than average shmup, and definitely fitting of the Rising Star Games publisher label. Each stage is super long, and you get five more stages than the average shmup experience. In the way of mechanics it does something innovative. Not necessarily new, but innovative. The engines that allow for the shifting of speed, and the special weapons that double as shields against bullet hell make the challenge at hand doable. I will go on record to say that this is no easy shmup, regardless. No matter how simple I may make it sound. You've gotta learn the waves, and patterns while utilizing the mechanics efficiently. For some the dynamic camera changes will no doubt be jarring at first as well, but once you get used to them it adds some spice to the formula. With all things accounted for I can easily recommend this shmup as a buy worthy experience. If you are a fan of shmups or high scoring games, and can tolerate colorful/flashy visuals I think you'll enjoy it. Just stay away from it if you are prone to having seizures.