ESCHATOS | PS4 Review

If ever there was a shmup that gave you more than what you paid for it would be Eschatos for the PlayStation 4. This QUTE Corporation triple package deal includes not one, but three fully realized shoot 'em ups. From classics like M-KAI's Judgement Silversword to their follow-up Cardinal Sins, and finally Eschatos you get to see the evolution of this series in full. While the mechanics might be more straightforward than most shmups in each entry it's the presentation and gameplay gimmicks that really set them apart as a genre pioneer. Never have I seen a simple two shot type, and shield inclusive shmup with the usual power-up gimmicks offer so much in return for dedication. And it is in that hearty content offering that this game truly excels.

Starting up Eschatos you'll be able to immediately access all three games in the collection. Two of the retro ports including Judgement Silversword, and Cardinal Sins come with everything intact plus an online leaderboard for modern point placings. Eschatos, on the other hand, which is the main reason for buying this particular bundle is the bulkiest of the three content-wise. It features three modes of play in and of itself. Those modes being Time Attack, Original, and Advanced. Each with their own slightly varied take on gameplay, and mechanics. Additionally there is a richly detailed settings menu that allows you to do everything from map controls to change screen settings as well as the wallpapers for either side of the playing field. This along with sound, and soundtrack options helps create a personalized gaming experience that can be fine tuned to a players' liking. Worth noting are the several unlocks with the settings menu that are made available for playing Eschatos, and it's trio of modes. If anything it's incentive to grind, and perfect one's approach to reaching that highest score.

Eschatos, much like it's two predecessors, is a game centered around four base mechanics. These mechanics include a wide shot, forward shot, and a shield. That, and a slowdown function for navigating through the onscreen bullet hell patterns. Additionally there is also an items gimmick that differs in the Original and Advanced modes, respectively. Changing up the nature of the power-ups from screen clearing bombs to actual shot power-ups. The most standout of mechanics though is the shield. It can be used to block incoming bullet hell, and even to destroy lesser enemy craft. There's a catch to it though. If you hold down the shield button for too long and incur too much damage to it, it will go away. Only to be useable again when the gauge that powers it refills. This mechanic alone prolongs survivability, and compliments the screen clearing items that drop frequently from the lesser waves of enemy craft. That being said Eschatos is not a walk in the park even with these beneficial defensive mechanisms. It's as hardcore as they get, and even at normal difficulty your shoot 'em up skills will be put to the test. 

Thankfully all three modes of play including Time Attack, Original, and Advanced come with difficulty toggles. Those toggles including Easy, Normal, Hard, Hardest, and even Endless in regards to the Original mode of play. When it comes to ship stock, and continues those are a limited commodity in this game, and are worthy of mentioning as well. You start off with a select number of ships, but earn more through points gained, and 1ups collected. Point earnings are of course done in classic multiplier fashion, and take in account the clearing of waves without getting hit. Supposing you do get hit by an enemy craft, their bullet hell, or a collision with a boss craft it'll be a one and done hit kind of ordeal. That's where reaching various score milestones, and collecting the dropped 1ups will come in handy. If you fancy seeing a playthrough to the end though at the expense of leaderboard placing you can use earned/unlocked continues to keep on playing from where you left off. Once you reach the GAME OVER screen you'll be gifted a few options including the option to enter your initials, save the replay, and even upload the score to the online leaderboards if you have an active PS Plus subscription. The replays get their own separate menu, and can be viewed with the usual replay buttons to do things like fast forward, or enhance the replay. 

When it comes to the two modes outside of the Original you'll find that Time Attack and Advanced are as their titles suggests. Time Attack is a mode for speed runners that increases the countdown timer for every point milestone you reach. Each level starts off with 90 seconds for completion, but can be increased through points gained. In accordance to stage/area layout Time Attack is much akin to the Original mode with dynamically transitional areas that are numbered in sequence ending with a final boss fight, and instant continuation into the next area of play without pause or stop. Same goes for the Advanced mode, but with Advanced comes modernized mechanics. In Advanced you'll find that the item drop functions have changed. That you can get power-ups to power up the two shot types. You'll also gain access to a variation of the Blue F drop that acts as a bullet clearing bomb. The variation seems to refill the shield gauge. Other than that Advanced plays much like the other two modes with a series of areas ending in large scale boss battles.

Judgement Silversword ...

Judgement Silversword is the game from which Eschato's base mechanics originated. It is an arcade era shmup with a similar setup as this latest entry's. You get two shot types, and a shield as well as the item drops. The endgame goal being the same wave clearing premise that ends with boss fights. In comparison to Eschatos though, Judgement Silversword is a more tame, and graphically more retro experience done up in a vertical orientation on a slim section of playable screen. It holds up though, and includes the updated online leaderboards for new players.

Cardinal Sins ...

Like Judgement Silversword, Cardinal Sins comes at us as one of the series' previous oldschool entries. In it there are no game overs, but instead an overall assessment of how you performed through gimmick filled stages aligned with the seven deadly sins. You heard me right. Each stage you play gives you a set stock of ships. Once those stock of ships are exhausted you transition to one of the other seven deadly sin stages that each feature gimmicks as their namesake suggests. Gluttony, for example, is a stage about collecting as many 1ups as possible. Whereas Greed has you collecting golden bars for added score value. At the end of it all each stage will be rated according to your performance, and will give you a collective alphabetical rating in kind. With E being the lowest grade possible, and A/S being the highest. You can even get plus ratings beside each alphabetical grade making the tier of ratings all the more involved.

The Verdict ...

As I mentioned at the start this is the one shmup bundle that gives much more than it asks for. You get three really impressive shmups with a fully fledged version of Eschatos that gives the player the options to play as they see fit in a variety of modes which are each challenging in their own unique ways. While the two classics are basically updated retro ports I find Eschatos, itself, to be the most interesting of the lot. With it we get to see the series evolution of mechanics come to a head, and offer gameplay in a more modernized take. Visually it is a beautiful game with stunning dynamic graphics that playout seamlessly without much interruption. The soundtrack compliments this visual spectacle wonderfully as well. A mixture of synthwave and chiptune. All in all It's space combat at it's finest. Presented in such a way as to make the player feel like they are truly on a mission. Even more so than most shmups tend to achieve. In whole the sum of this bundle's offerings more than adds up as a worthy purchase at the given price point. You get more bang for your buck, and each of the games are worth playing and mastering. If you're up for the challenge, and have the money to spare I'd say go for it! Shoot for the stars with Eschatos!