No,
it’s not some new kind of music. Biometal is a somewhat creative
yet mediocre shooter from the camp of Athena. Since there is a lack
of shooters produced on the SNES system, Biometal could be a welcome
addition for someone who needs a shmup fix on the SNES system, but
when compared to the other classics on a multi-system level, BM
falls short, offering only a unique play control system but not
much more.
Take
your basic side scrolling formula shooter, but add on a secondary
weapon that has some unique properties, and you’ve got Biometal.
At the bottom of the screen, there is a charge bar, which starts
out full and gradually goes down when you use the secondary weapon.
Keeping it turned off recharges it, which is a good plan to follow
if you want to get anywhere in this game. When activated, blue orbs
circle around the ship, acting as a shield that can absorb bullets.
Once the shield is up, you can leave it in a defensive position,
or choose between two offensive tactics: shoot the orbs off in a
straight line, then have them return like a boomerang, or expand
the radius of the circle and have it destroy all bullets and enemies
in close to medium range. Needless to say, this secondary weapon
is the coolest part of Biometal, but sadly the game doesn’t do much
for me after that. There are about three regular weapons to choose
from, none of which are very interesting.
Bosses
in BM all have a similar look to them, and it’s one that I don’t
like too much. Ulgy rainy-day brown is the best way to describe
it. Gameplay is very fast, and the screen quickly gets filled with
bullets from every direction (which is not a problem for those who
understand the shield weapon.) Overall the game is pretty short,
which may be a good thing in this case, with the last boss being
a huge pain. Though I’m not very impressed with Biometal, give it
a try for the shield system, which can be kinda fun to use after
getting the hang of it. Think of this as a pre-cursor to Gigawing.
Biometal
- Athena
