Game:

Cybernator (1992)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 53:31

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Here is the full playthrough of Cybernator done live on IGTV

Follow me on instagram @CabinSNES_fever to join me live or via my reviews and uploads to witness me take down all the games currently in my SNES colleciton, following on from having already beaten all 234 licenced UK releases for the NES. I only use original carts, no cheats & no save states.

REVIEW:
-It's rare you'll hear me criticise Konami and unsurprisingly that wont be the case today either! It's fair to label this 'hidden gem' material, given that of all Konami's excellent 16-bit output, its one of their lesser spoken of titles. That speaks more for the sheer quality of their library than reflecting any negativity on this one! Even if this was only published by Konami not programmed, Cybernator is effortlessly one of the best Mech 'run'n'guns you'll encounter on early console, overshadowed only by the absolute elite such as Konami's classic; Super Probotector(granted only Mechs in the PAL region).

For a shooter, the depth in both the story and the control is impressive and while the plot delves no deeper than the usual helpings of saving the earth from tyrannical evil, how its told is fresh and engaging with a creative delivery from NPCs, good and bad, lending real character to the storytelling. The inclusion of a couple of failable mission objectives, resulting in multiple good or bad endings is also a neat touch.

Control of the Mech is another high point. Boasting 16 way directional fire, which once realising you have the ability to lock a direction using left shoulder button (something that required a 2nd playthrough to learn, after much vocal obscenities), delivers a high level of satisfaction when mastered. Though there are only 4 weapons available (that I found); each sports 3 upgrades, obtained via collecting Power Chips, the subsequent levels offer a fresh feel to each weapon, effectively providing the illusion of more variety.

While some of the level design is rather bland, the enemies provide the variety in detail that stops the gameplay becoming stale. The cast of enemy Mechs is fun as is the nice inclusion of tiny soldiers escaping the broken Mechs once you've incinerated them, giving the game tone a rather comical PG friendly "A-team" vibe.

The only criticism I have is that the game offers no difficulty settings. Tho only granted 3 additional lives, it shouldn't take many gamers more than a handful of tries to finish the game seeing as most bosses, while impressive visually, are very easy to dispatch with the right firepower.

Easy it maybe, but excellent it is also!

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