New Game Review! The last CAVE arcade side-shoe, back after 10 years! Review of "Red Sword Makoto" arrives!

Cave is a game maker that has enjoyed tremendous support from shooting fans since the late 1990s.

In the late 1990s, fighting games such as "Street Fighter II" and "Virtua Fighter" were still raging in the arcade arcades, but the company continued to produce hit after hit titles, starting with the 1997 release of "Shuryo Bee," followed by "Pro Gear Storm," "Dodonpachi Daioujou," "Espgaluda," "Mushihimesama," and many others, all during the so-called "winter era. The company has continued to capture the hearts of core shooting game fans by releasing hit titles one after another, even in the shooting game scene, which has been called the "winter era. Naturally, I was one of those whose heart was captured. Whenever I found a Cave shooter in the arcade, I would immediately drop a coin on it, and when a Cave shooter was ported to home hardware, I would immediately buy it and play it without even checking the price or details, living a life of shooting games from sleep to sleep.

It's sad to say that Cave's new arcade shooter releases have all but ceased in the last decade, but the good news is that fans can still keep up with Cave Shoe, as older titles are released regularly on the latest hardware and Steam. Cave Shoe is Not Dead! is a good thing. I really want to keep playing Cave Shoe until I die.

Cave's last arcade side-shooter is back on home hardware for the first time in 10 years!

Now, the original version of "Red Sword Shin," the game I'm introducing here, was a side-scrolling arcade shmup released in 2010. It was Cave's final (as of now) arcade side-shoot, following in the footsteps of "Pro Gear Storm" and "Death Smiles". A home port was released on Xbox 360 the following year in 2011, but has not been re-released on home hardware since then. For this reason, it was one of the games that had been eagerly awaited for release on current hardware.

For me, too, the Xbox 360 I owned was destroyed twice by RRoD (Red Ring of Death), and the Xbox ELITE I bought after that became a black ornament due to the combo of RRoD and the end of manufacturer repair support. The Xbox ELITE I bought after that was also turned into a black figurine due to a combination of RRoD and the manufacturer's failure to repair it, and I was unable to play the "Red Sword Shin" that I owned. I am sure that many shooters felt the same way.

The story of a shooter does not need to be known in advance!　It is better to know it in depth after you fall in love with it.

For those who are just looking to re-buy the latest version of the game, there is no need to explain, but for new shooter fans who are in their teens but still love shooting, or those who made their shooting debut in their 40s, I will explain the appeal of "Red Sword" to you.

The story of "Red Sword" can be explained in a nutshell as a small empire that has gained special powers and conquered the surrounding countries, but some of its internal troops who don't like it start a rebellion and a civil war. I personally think that the story in shoot-em-up games does not require much prior information to play, and that you can go deeper into the game once you like it and want to know more about the game's worldview.

In addition, there are many other elements that will captivate players, such as the Taisho era motif of the world, the design of large battleships, tanks, propeller-driven fighters, and other aircraft that will appeal to military clusters, the characters with their dark aura and charm, and the overall Japanese rock style background music. Don't miss it!

Get out of a pinch by switching to the invincible "Genshinshin" state!

There are three versions of the "Red Sword" in this game. The first is the unmarked "Red Sword". This is the arcade version released in 2010, with a nostalgic 4:3 screen ratio. Since the arcade version can be played as-is, we recommend that you start with the unbranded version. Only after you have played the arcade version from cover to cover will you be able to enjoy the other versions. Next is "Zetsu: Red Sword. This is a reworking of the arcade version with a 16:9 screen ratio. The two games share the same game system, so they can be played in the same style.

The player begins by selecting one of three types of player aircraft (two of the pilots, the Prayer Leader and the Geninin, come as a set with the aircraft). In the normal fighter mode, the player switches between defense mode, in which his ship is fast, and attack mode, in which his ship is slow and it is easy to avoid the barrage. The fighter then acquires prayer items that appear when he defeats enemies to build up his prayer gauge, and then, in a pinch, he shifts to the Genshin state, which nullifies enemy bullets, as he attacks. While in Genshin, the Prayer Gauge decreases, and when the gauge runs out, the player is automatically returned to the fighter state. This system is similar to the "Kakusei" system in "Espgaluda," and requires some practice until you get used to it, so you will have to learn it with enthusiasm, perseverance, and spirit. Learning this system is an essential part of enjoying "Red Sword," so I sincerely hope that you will not give up on it.

Incidentally, prayer items and scoring items scattered on the screen can be collected automatically by pressing the Attack Mode button, which makes collecting items a refreshing experience. A more detailed specification is that when the attack mode button is held down, the collected prayer items are attached to options, and if the item touches an enemy bullet in this state, it will grow. Then, by releasing the button at will and retrieving the item that has grown, you can accumulate more gauge than usual. However, it is difficult to play with that much awareness, so we recommend that you play mainly with automatic collection in the beginning. I think it is fine to grow items only when you start aiming for advanced play.

I have explained the system in detail, but to summarize, "Shoot to avoid, use the attack mode button to automatically collect prayer items needed to become invincible, and switch to invincibility in a pinch. Once you understand this, you are ready to enjoy "Red Sword".

To break invincibility with "True," don't forget to fire the sword to inflict heavy damage on the enemy!

Next is "Red Sword True," which adds a new attack system to the mode. When an enemy is defeated, a steel item appears in addition to the green prayer item, and when acquired, a hagane is attached around the fighter's ship, which can be fired during geninshin to create a katana while eliminating enemy bullets. Furthermore, the katana can be optionally switched to a fighter, which can then be used as a means of attack to inflict heavy damage on the enemy while eliminating enemy bullets. All of these additional features can be used while in Genshin, but the true essence of the "Red Sword Makoto" is that it is invincible and can sometimes be used as a counterattack opportunity. The most interesting part of the game is how you use it, or rather, how you think about where to make it effective, so we hope you will try to reach this high level.

To summarize "Red Sword True," "Shoot to avoid, use the attack mode button to automatically collect the prayer items and steel items necessary for invincibility, switch to invincibility in a pinch, create a sword by hitting an enemy bullet with the hagane while invincible, and release it at will before invincibility expires to fire the sword you created. If you keep this in mind, you will surely enjoy "Red Sword Shin" as well.

In addition, the newly released "Red Sword Shin" has newly arranged music by Daisuke Matsumoto. It is now possible to play the game while playing that newly arranged BGM, so please enjoy switching between the original song and the new one. I would also like to mention that no new elements have been added from the Xbox360 version. I think that is correct for an arcade shooter, and there is no need for strange arrangements or remakes. Just as "Gradius," "Darius," and "Space Harrier" can be played with the same quality as the arcade versions, "Red Sword" will be fine as long as it is released so that it can be played on the latest hardware, even if the hardware generation changes in the future. While congratulating the revival of "Red Sword" for the first time in 10 years, I would be more than happy if new players who find this work attractive appear. I chose the PS4 version of "Red Sword Shin" and will play it with my favorite arcade controller for a long time to come!

(Text by Iona Kaze)

Product Information
Red Sword Shin
Now on sale
Genre: Side-scrolling shooter

・Manufacturer: City Connection
Platform: Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Steam
Players: 1-2 players *Only "Red Sword" mode supports 2 players
Languages: Japanese, English, French, Spanish
Rating: CERO B (for ages 12 and up)
Price: 3,410 yen (tax included) for download version *3,400 yen (tax included) for Xbox One version only
　　　　Package: Normal Edition 4,400 yen (tax included)
　　　　Package / Special Edition 6,600 yen (including tax)