Mecha anime is something of an acquired taste. Even among anime fans, it seems like you really have to want to get into a mecha show to really get hooked on the genre. That said, the feeling isn’t always the same in video games. Far more people are willing to accept giant robots shooting each other in a game, despite the continued prevalence of the darker, more serious themes the genre is known for. In the past, one of those games was Valken Assault Suitsa western-bought SNES action game like cybernetic. Now he’s back with Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIEDa proper translation to modern systems, but does the game meet modern standards?
Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIED – Your typical Mecha story
Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIED is a mecha game through and through, with many of the story features of other series. There’s a war going on between earth and its colonies, youngsters are tasked with piloting giant bipedal combat suits in space to win wars, and there’s usually a lot of death and destruction everywhere. You control Jake, one of those young Assault Suit pilots who must complete his missions to keep earth safe and hopefully survive long enough to enjoy it.
Valken Assault Suits is a run and gun action game, in which you take control of the titular Assault Suit. You have a set of weapons and abilities at your disposal, even early on, but as you complete missions, you can find even more weapons and upgrade them to make them more devastating. For starters, you have access to a shield, a Valken pistol, and a dash move, and you’ll need to use them all to blast your way through enemies without dying. Almost as soon as the game starts you are thrown into a level and you can start shooting enemies, but your health will need to last a long time so avoiding damage is incredibly important.
The great feeling of the game Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIED
It feels good to slide across the battlefield tearing enemies to shreds, but you have to keep your shield constantly popping up to be ready. If you don’t, you’ll probably die before you can make that much progress. Healing power-ups can be found but they are quite rare, managing your health can make the game very challenging if you are careless. On the plus side, if you’re into that sort of thing, this modern re-release includes the now-standard feature of a pause/save state function, so you can save the scum on your way through the game if you prefer. to. It’s honestly a good way to learn patterns in preparation for doing full runs if you prefer a smooth start.
The gameplay is pretty great, even by modern gaming standards, but there are some changes to the game as well. Valken Assault Suits which are a welcome sight for anyone who has played the original cybernetic version. A lot of content has been cut or censored from the Western release in the past, including a decent chunk of story, several cutscenes, and the inclusion of character portraits during conversations in missions. All of these omissions have been fixed in this version, making it the definitive version for anyone wondering about cut content.
Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIED It has an amazing soundtrack
Musically and graphically, Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIED it still holds up amazingly well. The music has received a new update, with more orchestral additions available if you fancy it. Of course, if you prefer the old style, that’s available too, at least in the music player. Either way, it’s pretty easy on the eyes and has some very interesting enemy and robot design choices. Things are generally well animated as well, especially the human-sized sprites that run around your feet as you step on levels.
In addition, this re-release includes a host of historical features, from music players from the fantastic soundtrack to scans of the Japanese manuals from the game’s original release, which have been translated for the first time. There is also a collection of high-quality concept art and advertising art, both new and old. That’s not even the end of the extras, with gameplay footage and interviews with the director, Satoshi Nakai. if you ever played cybernetic when you were a child and wanted to know more about where it came from or what it was all about, then this is a release that contains a plethora of answers for you.
The verdict
In general, Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIED it’s a fantastic release. The gameplay is fast and challenging, and the game still looks and sounds amazing even by modern standards, of course, with the fresh coat of paint for the music and resolution helping in that regard. if you ever found yourself cybernetic in your youth or have an interest in mecha games to try, then you should get your hands on this. It is packed with an incredible amount of additional content and is easily the best version of the game to have ever been released.
Tech Raptor revised Valken Assault Suits DECLASSIFIED on Nintendo Switch with a code provided by the publisher.