Gleylancer | PS4 Review

Originally published in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive, and developed by Masaya Games "Gleylancer" makes a bold return to modern consoles. A revival done right with all the options one could hope for in an updated, and upgraded port. Along with all those options the game's story returns in original context focusing on a future space battle between a Navy fleet, and alien invaders much like a lot of the shumps released in the 90's did. As fate would have it the game's female protagonist Lucia Cabrock finds that her father was warped elsewhere, and that the Navy is unable to send out search and rescue. In desperation, and with the aid of a friend she steals and pilots a new prototype fighter. Heading out to find her father, and save him from the alien threat.

With this newfound fighter prototype Lucia is more than equipped to handle the alien craft that foolishly crosses her path. By collecting what is essentially two orbiting satellites with guns she fires both from the ship itself, and the satellites that surround said ship towards locked on alien craft. The catch being that how the satellites operate is a choice made at the beginning, and kept until the end. Choosing one of several options including NORMAL, REVERSE, SEARCH, MULTI, MULTI-R, SHADOW, and ROLL Lucia can change how she approaches the fight and flight at hand. Normal offers 16 directions for orbiting satellites to shoot. Controlled easily by tilting the right thumbstick (left thumbstick in vintage mode) in any direction. Using the left thumbstick (right thumbstick in vintage mode) to steer the ship. Alternate options such as Reverse does as it's name implies. Keeping the satellite's focus on the rear end of the forward facing ship. Search, on the other hand, allows for limited automatic tracking while Multi/Multi-R allows for 3-way shots to the front or back, respectively. Leaving roll to move in an orbit around the ship while it fires constantly.

Satellites aren't the only means of destruction though, and different shot types do come into play through the satellite power-ups you can pick up. You also gain access to a speed up and slowdown option via the back shoulder buttons. That and speed increases for better mobility. These gimmicks, and mechanics aside you'll find that the gameplay setup offered prior to the engagement that is a stage by stage playthrough is a top of the line all inclusive menu system. Effecting everything from language translations to base modes, speed, difficulty settings, screen size options, and CRT screen filters. As far as base modes go you can set the game to a more modern English friendly visual design or you can go Vintage with the original Japanese port. Sacrificing trophies, and reverting controls to the original Japanese setting which is basically a reversal of English/Modern controls. There's even a Cheaters mode with cheat to options that also void trophy earnings. Ship speed, a crucial part to gameplay, can also be increased in the options menu alongside ship stock (lives). You can even change the difficulty setting which starts you off on Hard. When it comes to screen size you can get the 4:3 tube TV ratio, a Perfect in between, and a fullscreen which literally fills a widescreen television without distorting the graphics. The filters which are only CRT inclusive do have several sub-options that pertain to scanline intensity, and things like screen curvature. Giving the game that true to arcade appearance. Let me not forget to mention the one border for the lesser screen sizes as well.

Progress, as with most shmups, is done in a stage by stage manner. Starting from left, and going right. The action is horizontal, and side scrolling. Leaving you to deal with hazards, and enemy ships that come in the form of lesser waves, intermediate sized ships, and bigger bosses. Each with their own bullet type, and attack patterns. It is a challenge even on Normal difficulty, and will test even the most veteran of shmup enthusiasts. Of course scoring is the name of the game, and as you shoot down attacking ships your score will increase. More so for full waves cleared. In the more traditional scoring sense. Landing your high score on the leaderboards is your only bragging right though as global leaderboards do not come with this package deal.

The Verdict ...

For the ridiculously low price of $5.99-$6.99 you are getting a hell of a deal with this upgrade. This is by far more well done than some of the more pricey shmup ports I've seen released. It's a big effort update to a solid, and fairly unique shmup. I think Gleylancer more than earns it's place amongst must buy shmups. It's a steal of a deal!!!