MAGICAL CHASE
PALSOFT/QUEST - PC ENGINE
Reviewed by Malc

This is a proper quickshot review... because I only had a quick shot of the game. What 'Quickshot' was supposed to be in the first place, but you know what it's like when you start, you'll need someone to drag you away by the goolies with crocodile clips before you'll finally stop playing.

It always gets to me that cute shooters are seen to be the province of children. And they make them just as rock hard as the 'serious' ones. Maybe I don't give kids enough credit, but I really can't see yer average 6 year old being able to complete this in in a couple of hours. There seems to be three difficulty settings (it's in Japanese so I'm just assuming), and you can only get to the later levels by using a harder setting. I know a few people who hate this, because the want to skiff through it to the end without trying very hard. These are the people who adore infinite continues.

But personally I think it's a great idea, as harder difficulty often means the appearance of new enemies, and different boss patterns, as in Gate of Thunder. It's not novel: Raiden DX and BioHazard Battle don't let you get to the end on 'easy', they also reward in this way for trying harder.

The upshot of all this is the fact that Magical Chase only lets you do three levels on easy mode, and being a wimp tonight Malky chose it - hence the dearth of pics!

MC is cute, but just stops short of barfness. Instead, it's amusing and fun, with lots of the expected tinkly catchy music that the Cute Manifesto demands. Your character is a witch, a la Cotton, and your muliples are floaty cute stars. Not exactly Nemesis eh? Oh damn I've run out of ciggies. I'm cutting this short as I'm away to try it again on a harder level and find out what clever funny bits are in later levels.

Score 8/10

Level one has an assortment of imaginative enemies, like sticky men on unicycles and fluffy unicorns. End of level baddie, if we can call this skinny monkey a baddie, hides behind a Wizard of Oz extra. Yes, I know the fairy is asleep, but that's what happens when you pause it. You don't think I'm going to take grabs on the fly do you?

Standard shooter fare. Flying through a foggy forest knocking blue hedgehogs off floating bricks. You'd think that fairy would get fat with all those cakes around. That would be great if she got really obese in later levels.

Shops pop up during the levels, where you can trade your accrued cash for powerups and health. The weapons seem to be exactly what you need in that level, and each shop has different items for sale. Shame about the stupid looking shopkeeper though.

Level 3 end boss, after a long trip through these wooden poles, which constantly try to trap you as they oscillate. This gangly rabbit in a green puffball jumps out in an ineffective attempt to scare you. Worryingly, there's a few evil skulls around too. Maybe it gets darker later on, with pustulous sores on the fluffy chicks and bunnies with rotting flesh and protruding bones... hmmm, maybe not.