Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

Let's Play Silhouette Mirage
Spanning a twisted universe where all of humanity has mutated into manifestations of two attributes, Silhouette Mirage is a virtual surrealistic wonderland, and played a great role in shaping my taste in bizarre fictional media.

Developed by Treasure, the game forged a new path through its genre with polarizing gameplay. Long before Ikaruga or Outlands, you find yourself with the equally awe-inspiring and underwhelming ability to negate enemy attacks with a literal turn of your cheek. While simply red and blue shots in practice, the attributes you toy with allow for some thoroughly creative enemy encounters, though nothing quite as hectic as what you may be thinking. The game relies heavily on its characters as a vehicle for design, and they're all strange in their own way, which leaves little room for “standard” levels or excessively difficult combat situations. Indeed, boasting 20+ boss battles in just under 3 hours, it places variety and personality before all else.

However, idiosyncrasy can be a blessing and curse. The game can often become too absorbed in its personality to provide challenge, which ensues that when a genuine threat does appear, it's an awkward whiplash. This is made twice as apparent by the sub-par localization efforts of Working Designs. Not only does the American release feature new exclusive, broken game mechanics, it also proudly sports a sub-par translation rife with awkward self-parody and confused dialogue. Make no mistake, this release is a derivative, thoroughly hosed up re-imagining of the original design. Then again, the English voice acting is fantastic, so there's that.

Silhouette Mirage is certainly unique, and it deserves its time to shine. This version may be a little more “unique” than the others in a few questionable ways, but nothing is perfect. Let's get this started. And please, no spoilers.

Videos

File 1: System Boot


File 2: Homicidal Flying Fish


File 3: Boiling Blood


File 4: Big City Dreams


File 5: Mettle


File 6: Shackles


File 7: Final Judgment

GamesAreSupernice fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Sep 8, 2018

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

BioEnchanted
Aug 9, 2011

He plays for the dreamers that forgot how to dream, and the lovers that forgot how to love.
This is certainly interesting looking, but do they do much to prevent it getting repetitive?

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

BioEnchanted posted:

This is certainly interesting looking, but do they do much to prevent it getting repetitive?

i wouldn't call Silhouette Mirage repetitive, given that it's only around an hour long and has 20 unique bosses

Ben Kasack
Dec 27, 2010
Oh my god! I've seen the opening movie of this game before, but have never player it myself. You can tell this is a Treasure game just by style and tone of the game, but what gets me is that Working Design is the publisher. They were THE company back in the 90s who translated and brought to the US SOOOOO many anime looking games it isn't funny. Most of my game collection from back then was from them. I could make a list, but it is long and so I better not. Either way, I will be following this and wanting to see how the game plays. Despite the semi-repetative/grindy nature, it still looks fun. Kind of like an early Ikaruga, just as a side-scrolling/platforming shooter rather than a bullet hell SHMUP.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

Ben Kasack posted:

Oh my god! I've seen the opening movie of this game before, but have never player it myself. You can tell this is a Treasure game just by style and tone of the game, but what gets me is that Working Design is the publisher. They were THE company back in the 90s who translated and brought to the US SOOOOO many anime looking games it isn't funny. Most of my game collection from back then was from them. I could make a list, but it is long and so I better not. Either way, I will be following this and wanting to see how the game plays. Despite the semi-repetative/grindy nature, it still looks fun. Kind of like an early Ikaruga, just as a side-scrolling/platforming shooter rather than a bullet hell SHMUP.

It really isn't repetitive at all after the initial grinding. The game is one of the most varied I've ever played, but I guess the first stage could give people the impression that it's more bland than it is.

Head Hit Keyboard
Oct 9, 2012

It must be fate that has brought us together after all these years.
Working Designs? Changing a game to make it artificially harder? Possibly to the point of making the game bad? That would never happen. :v: :negative:

You also seem to have glossed over the fact that enemies in the NA version generally take a lot more to kill than in the JP version. It's hard to notice with these level 6 weapons though.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

Head Hit Keyboard posted:

Working Designs? Changing a game to make it artificially harder? Possibly to the point of making the game bad? That would never happen. :v: :negative:

You also seem to have glossed over the fact that enemies in the NA version generally take a lot more to kill than in the JP version. It's hard to notice with these level 6 weapons though.

There's a lot wrong with the NA version so I either forget or don't bother to list some of the issues.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!
File 2: Homicidal Flying Fish


This level, like most, is a boss rush of insane over-the-top characters

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
I remember watching a very old LP of this game when it was still going on, and hearing that Guardian Angel theme. I really liked it, but at the time it was really hard to find the game's music, and the track I found on YT was kind of wonky.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

Zanzibar Ham posted:

I remember watching a very old LP of this game when it was still going on, and hearing that Guardian Angel theme. I really liked it, but at the time it was really hard to find the game's music, and the track I found on YT was kind of wonky.

Yeah, the tracks on youtube were really low quality for some years

KeiraWalker
Sep 5, 2011

Me? Don't worry about me...
Grimey Drawer
Was this on the original Playstation? I feel like it was on the original Playstation, just from looking at it.

Head Hit Keyboard
Oct 9, 2012

It must be fate that has brought us together after all these years.

KieranWalker posted:

Was this on the original Playstation? I feel like it was on the original Playstation, just from looking at it.

Originally made for the Sega Saturn and then ported to the PS1.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!
the playstation version has an extra boss battle, which is worth mentioning

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!
File 3: Boiling Blood


watch as Working Designs masterfully fucks up the translation by getting names and contexts incorrect

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!
File 4: Big City Dreams


It's a Hello Kitty reference.

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
Wow, Silhouettes really go crazy for soup, huh?

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

Zanzibar Ham posted:

Wow, Silhouettes really go crazy for soup, huh?

They can smell soup from miles away.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
I think Malak was referring to the fact that Specters, the basic Silhouette enemies, were helping you by holding the platform during the battle since they are the followers of Megido meaning he ordered them to do so.

Megido and his Specters are directly opposing Hal along with his Guardian Angels and his army of Polly Peepers, the basic Mirage enemies, so Megido wanting to help us would make sense.

Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Aug 16, 2018

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

Chimera-gui posted:

I think Malak was referring to the fact that Specters, the basic Silhouette enemies, were helping you by holding the platform during the battle since they are the followers of Megido meaning he ordered them to do so.

i don't think the silhouettes follow megido

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014

Description of the Specters posted:

The soldiers of the Silhouette army. They're also none too powerful, but will follow Megido's orders to the end.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

doesn't dialogue in the game contradict that sentiment? maybe i'm misremembering, but i thought Megido preferred the lone wolf approach

maybe the specters are an exception

Venuz Patrol
Mar 27, 2011
the werewolf that you can de-wolf by knocking over the full moon stage prop in the background is one of my all time favorite boss designs

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
Hah, I didn't notice it at first, but just saw that you can see how much money bosses are holding. And Delia has an insane amount (5000!), that of course you can't get because you can't shake him down for it.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

Zanzibar Ham posted:

Hah, I didn't notice it at first, but just saw that you can see how much money bosses are holding. And Delia has an insane amount (5000!), that of course you can't get because you can't shake him down for it.

I wish I could find a way

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!
File 5: Mettle

NHO
Jun 25, 2013

Yeah, game really hitting the self-parody at the start here.

Can you tell us how the plot of original version differs from this adaptation?

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!

NHO posted:

Yeah, game really hitting the self-parody at the start here.

Can you tell us how the plot of original version differs from this adaptation?

Mostly in the characterization and tone. The original game had its humor, because it is a Treasure game, but it's easy to pick out Victor Ireland's personal taste in jokes after being exposed to it for so long.

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!
File 6: Shackles

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

GamesAreSupernice
Jan 3, 2014

Oh, whoa! Check out the Viewing Globe, shorty!
File 7: Final Judgment

  • Locked thread