Cotton 100% | PS4 Review

You know you're in for a treat when the first thing you hear at a game's title screen is one of the best parts of Beethoven's 9th Symphony done in bit tune. That is the case with "Cotton 100%", and it's Western port from ININ Games. Originally developed by Success for the Super Famicom, and published by Datam Polystar in 1994 this retro Cotton themed shmup in all it's original glory delivers the experience in a more digestible and modernized form. More basic than previous entries, but staying true to the base mechanics we've witnessed up to this point. In it we find Cotton, and her fairy sidekick Silk once again in hot pursuit of willow candies. That and trying to save the world from the peril of monsters. Whether or not they come out victorious, and with willow in hand is up to you, the player.

If you've read my previous review of "Panorama Cotton" the menu features pretty much mirror that updated, and upgraded release. With it comes two modes of play including Standard, and Challenge. Standard offers an easier playthrough at the cost of trophy earnings. You gain access to a game save state, a rewind feature, and cheats that can only be accessed after completing Challenge mode. With Challenge mode you get the game the way it was originally. No hand holding. A strict limited life and continue playthrough. In addition to these features comes optional control mapping, and video screen filter options that change the visual and functional content of the game. You get four different screen sizes with the visual filters including 1:1 Para, 4:3, PERFECT, and Fullscreen. Each effecting the height, and width of the display. There's also a detailed CRT filter that can be toggled on or off. It too comes with a list of options that have numerical values which can be tweaked to do things such as add an arcade style curvature to the screen or amplify/decrease the intensity of the CRT scanline effects. 

Gameplay in 'Cotton 100%' changes the side-scrolling wave based shoot 'em up experience ever so slightly. You'll still be facing the waves of enemies, and a final boss in each given stage as you fly on your broomstick from left to right. The difference this time being the tools with which Cotton has to deal with the enemy threats that come before her. In this entry she has immediate access to three different spells that can be cast by pressing CIRCLE. Spells are limited though and can only be used so long as you have collected the magic orb power-ups necessary to cast them. These power-ups are usually hidden within the stages' environments, and must be shot out of hiding. Cycling through the three spells is also an option, and can be done by pressing TRIANGLE. Before you start each playthrough you will be prompted to choose from four different spell setups/loadouts. These are very much like the shot types in Gradius style games. There are a total of about four different spells including Fire Dragon, Thunder, Twinkle Star, and Barrier. Across the four loadout choices these spells are mixed and matched with differing fairy orientations. Fairies being the satellites of the game that offer up helpful firepower or added defense. In conjunction with spells you have your basic shots which can be upgraded through gained experience, and a new bomb mechanic which is basically a small bomb that is unlimited in number. A secondary shot type which can be used to drop mini bombs on floor bound enemies. Bombs are assigned to the 'X' button, initially.

Returning alongside the shot, bomb, and spell mechanics are the colored gems which seem to change color, but inefficiently so for some reason. These are strictly point and EXP meter bonuses. They do not play into the spell mechanics. In regards to the EXP meter gems fill it up, and in doing so power up Cotton's base shots. Fairies do return alongside Silk as previously mentioned, and tie-in with with the game's initial loadout selection. Along with the trio of spells comes specific fairy orientations. Orientations including backward/forward facing formations or orbiting formations that circle around Cotton as they fire projectiles. Fairies, in effect, act as following and orbiting satellites which offer offensive and defensive options. They can be obtained from certain flying red enemies that are scattered throughout the stages.

The Verdict ...

As with "Panorama Cotton", "Cotton 100%" gifts the gamers willing to adopt it a proper look into a shmup that hasn't been seen before on the Western Gaming front. For those lucky enough to have had played it back in 1994 it's a proper trip down memory lane with quality enhancements for the modern console experience. Worth noting is it's affordable price tag which places it at the $15 mark. Something that would be way more costly for the actual import. In my personal opinion this is truly one of my favorites among the recent Cotton re-releases. Perhaps even more so than "Panorama Cotton". If you like shmups or cute 'em ups then this is a no brainer. Pick it up, play it, and enjoy the heck out of it!