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Somehow, I can imagine Shienryu
being mentioned in an episode of The (enter huge cash payoff
here) Dollar Pyramid. I can just see it
now...
DICK CLARK: "It's the final
round, folks! This one's for the ten thousand
dollars! Are you ready? And... go!"
LONG-FORGOTTEN PSEUDO-CELEBRITY:
"OK... um, Aero Fighters. Shienryu. Every
vertically scrolling shooter made between 1991 and
1995..."
THICK-HEADED CONTESTANT:
"Things that are average. Things that are bland.
Things that lack inspiration..."
CELEBRITY: "No, no... uh, early
90's shooters. Shienryu... Shienryu..."
CONTESTANT: "Things you
pull out of your ass for a quick buck. Things that put
you to sleep. Games that desperately want to be
Raiden-"
DICK CLARK: "YOU GOT IT FOR
TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!"
DONNY OSMOND: "Hey, I
thought I was hosting this show now!"
DICK CLARK: "Quiet,
you!"
 Yes, like
many shooters released at the time, Shienryu wants very badly
to be Raiden... or more accurately, Raiden II. It
quickly becomes clear that its many similarities are more than
just concidental. Large enemies explode in a shower of
debris that eventually settles to the ground, just like in
Raiden II. You have a selection of three different
generic but effective weapons, including a spread shot and
homing laser, just like in Raiden II. Finally, the game
offers little in the way of innovation and plays just like
every other shooter released in the early 90's... just like
Raiden II! Even the setting is unsettlingly similar,
with your ship battling enemies on Earth before eventually
taking the fight to outer space.
All of this may sound like a
blessing to Saturn owners who were cheated out of an official
version of Raiden II... but then again, it might not matter so
much to them, because they've got far more original and
innovative shooters to play, like the king of the genre
Radiant Silvergun. Nevertheless, Shienryu is (if nothing
else) competantly designed. It looks nice (especially in
arcade mode, where the big, bright graphics really stand out),
it plays well, and the less intense difficulty coupled with
the uncomplicated gameplay could be just the thing for players
who felt overwhelmed by more brutal shooters like
Dodonpachi. |
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Shienryu
Warashi
Vertically
Scrolling Shooter
 
Shienryu was released in the
United States as the Playstation game Geki-Oh: Shooting
King. You may want to consider buying that instead, as
it offers exclusive features not available in the Saturn
version. It's also less expensive... it was selling for
less than ten bucks near the end of the Playstation's
life.
It's 99.9% English, with a teeny
bit of kanji used for decoration in the title
screen.
It's lightning fast! You'll
wait only a couple of seconds between each stage, and after
the disc boots.
Ten years after Shienryu was
released, Warashi is still active in the video game
industry. Their most recent release was Break 'Em All, a
budget-priced Breakout derivitive for the Nintendo
DS.
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