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Shortly after Natsume finished work on Tokkyu Shirei Solbrain, an edited version of their masterpiece
Shatterhand,
they were contracted by Bandai subsidiary Angel (Solbrain's publisher) to create another game based on the
world of Toei's Japanese superheroes -- this time intentionally. Unfortunately, Choujin Sentai (Birdman Squadron)
Jetman is a far, far cry from the quality of Shatterhand, though still reasonably entertaining,
even if only for a few hours.
Much like Natsume's previous Famicom titles Dragon Fighter, Kage and Solbrain, Jetman
is an arcade-inspired side-view
action game where the player fights with a mixture of short-range and projectile attacks. Before each stage
(which are selected manually as in Rockman) you'll choose one of the five Jetmen each of whom employs one of two distinct
attack styles. At the end of each stage you're summoned by a giant robot to do battle with kaiju,
replacing typical boss battles with one-on-one brawls in a manner reminiscent of many boxing games of the time.
By almost every measure, Choujin Sentai Jetman is the definition of no-frills. Unlike Shatterhand,
Power Blade 2 (Captain Saver) and similar late-generation Famicom action games, there are no
distinguishing features to the control of your character. Depending on the Jetman picked, you'll
get either a melee weapon or a gun, a kick, and a screen-clearing special attack. The gun characters
are more fun to play as, since the kick move (done with up plus attack) has the same properties as the
other characters' melee weapons, and their lower stamina won't be an issue for most players given the low
level of challenge. The special attack, while useful, is a poor replacement for an interesting sub-weapon or
power-up system. At least it can be said that everything (running, jumping, crouching, attacking)
controls exactly like it should.
In spite of the banality of the movelist there could still be hope for Jetman if the stage layouts were
stimulating enough, but they are equally mundane. Instead of Shatterhand's twisting structures filled with all kinds
of obstacles, Jetman has literally straightforward stages without any kind of real platforming.
The layouts are comparable to Green Beret (Rush 'n Attack), Spartan X (Kung Fu),
and The Ninja Warriors;
just move right and hit things. The last potential saving grace is the enemy design, which is actually somewhat
decent, but by the third stage there's a definite want of either more variety or more numerous enemies. Also,
because of the straight-line stages, you could simply jump over or run under most of the enemies in the game if you
really wanted to.
During boss fights you take command of the super robot Great Icarus as the game switches to something akin
to a side-view Punchout. In this mode you have a punch combo, a block, a jump (useless), and a special
projectile move which changes depending on how full its gauge is. These fights look good and feel good, but
every boss employs essentially the same pattern, making every stage after the first anti-climactic. Yet another
missed opportunity.
One area where the game manages to be sufficient is the presentation. The larger graphics used for the
cutscenes and boss fights are top-of-the-line 8-bit style. The other visuals, while not to the level of
Shatterhand, are
still appealing. Special mention goes to Iku Mizutani for creating yet another excellent soundtrack full of
heroic anthems worthy of becoming opening themes for any number of Japanese superhero shows. The only thing
missing is the Hironobu Kageyama vocal treatment.
Small development time or publisher interference; who knows what accounts for this uncharacteristically
average effort from Natsume. But like I said, the fundamentals are all there, so it'll still be possible
to derive some enjoyment from this game for a few hours. If you try out the unlockable
difficulties (A + B + Start at the title screen), or are bent on beating the game without getting hit, you
might just be able to extend the longevity to a weekend. But not much longer.
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