Panorama Cotton | PS4 Review

Through the joint efforts of ININ Games and Ratalaika Games "Panorama Cotton" makes it's way to modern consoles in a faithful port with some added bonus features. This 1994 rail shooter which originated on the Sega Mega Drive as a Japanese exclusive title is now available on American PS4s. A game which had previously not been seen on Western gaming consoles. It was originally published by Sunsoft, and developed by a studio known as Success. Fans of the original will be glad to know that this port is a more direct port in that it retains it's Japanese language as well as the original graphic design. New to the mix though are two modes of play. Including a Standard mode for a more leisurely playthrough, and Challenge for that intended challenge. Standard mode comes with a rewind feature, save state option, and cheats that can be unlocked and used by beating the game's original mode. In Challenge, however, the original rule set applies and as it implies is challenging.

Staying true to the Cotton series Cotton, the wacky candy loving witch, and her tag along pixie partner Silk return on a shoot 'em up adventure that sees them collecting color changing crystals for bonus points, and utilizing spells gained from them to clear oncoming waves of enemies. Different to the traditional side-scrolling Cotton shmup though is the 3D rail shooter visual design which has you looking forward from behind the broom riding Cotton as she flies forth. Moving in all directions as you shoot your basic shot, and collected spells. Spells of course come from color changing gems that change color when shot. A gimmick that past Cotton games included. By pressing CIRCLE you will unleash a timed spell from a icon listing of spells that are made available in the order they were collected. Spells are mostly elemental in nature with their own unique animations.

New to the given Cotton formula is an added speed function which changes the speed at which Cotton flies forward. There are three speed settings indicated by color coded Cotton icons on the game's HUD that can be changed and cycled through by pressing SQUARE. Alongside that the EXP gauge returns to change the shot damage, and alter the spells into a more powerful form. By killing enemies, and capitalizing on the colored crystals Cotton's EXP gauge will fill up. Increasing in number value as it does so. 

Stages in Panorama Cotton are transitional in nature, but include the usual waves of enemies and a last boss. There are also obstacles to dodge along the way, and bonus star orbs that can be collected through a triggered bonus phase that will reward even more points to the overall player score. Score is kept on a local leaderboard.

When it comes to options you can set the rewind speed for Standard mode, turn on or off detailed CRT scanline settings, and toggle on or off the bullet overheating feature. Standard mode additionally offers cheats that can only be applied after the player has completed the Challenge mode. Worth noting is the fact that Challenge Mode is the only mode in which you can earn PSN trophies. You can even change the screen size for both modes from 4:3 to PERFECT, or Fullscreen. The fullscreen setting does stretch the onscreen images though, and distorts them in a noticeable manner.

The Verdict ...

It's always nice to see Japanese exclusives make their way over here, and in that regard I am glad Panorama Cotton wasn't left out in Cotton's Western revival. Having not played Cotton games until the reboot I was impressed by what I had missed out on, and was excited to see what this take on the series was like. I was not too disappointed. Hopefully gamers support this game, because it means more Japanese exclusives could reach the Western gaming scene. It shows an interest in what would otherwise be pricey imports. As far as a verdict goes I liked Panorama Cotton, but did miss the English translation. Not knowing what the story was about was a little disappointing. That aside it was a fun rail shooter. Perhaps a little rough when it comes to the aiming, but mostly fun.