Assault Suit Leynos Game Sample - PS4
21When the suits come to assault you, what's a guy to do? "Assault Suit Leynos" is a remake of Masaya's inaugural 90s action game of the same name (released outside Japan as "Target Earth" for the Gen/MD) which was developed courtesy of "Dracue Software" for the PS4 and PCs between 2015 & 2016. Published by "Rising Star Games" and "extreme Co.,Ltd", the core experience is similar to what you'll remember if you played the game back in the day with a couple minor twists on some levels, but for those who haven't (I'd wager quite a few), the game was a fairly dynamic spin on your usual side-scrolling action game. The game puts you in control of a mech affiliated with the Earth Defense League as you fight for Earth and humanities survival and defend them from a wave of interstellar outcasts with an axe to grind. While there isn't too much to the plot (which is expanded from the original game), there is a surprising amount of dialogue interspersed here and there, multiple branching paths based on the actions you take, and one or two minor plot twists along the way.
Perhaps the thing most people who've played the original (including myself) will remember is the game's difficulty: while this version is easier to manage than the original game (mainly because of the upgrade to the shield loadout and unlimited continues), it's still a challenge, especially if you lose and resume from certain areas. While this is a side-scrolling action game, if you play it like your normal action game, you will lose almost immediately -- most enemies are smart, relentless, and only need to land a few shots to turn you to scrap. To compensate, you will need to make use of your allied forces and play strategically, retreating when necessary to get a breather (this is the only way to regenerate from damage taken, although if you lose a whole armor unit, the damage is too severe to recover it). At the start of each of the game's eight stages, you can choose six tools for your loadouts (most which have a finite use) and can also use duplicates if you choose so. You earn new weapons as you clear stages or based on certain objectives, and this is further incentivized in this remake due to various achievements you can earn as well as a player "rank" which unlocks a variety of features as it increases from little cosmetic additions to game mode modifiers, concept art and illustrations, and more!
Visually, it's an obvious upgrade from the 16-bit game released back in 1990, but it could've probably used a liiittle bit more polish in some minor regards (for one, the aliasing on text, which may or may not be an issue in the PC version, or the backgrounds which could've been a little more dynamic). As a budget remake though, it's certainly not bad to look at -- it's better in motion than in screenshots, which is part of the reason for a video like this after all. The soundtrack is also a minor arrangement of the themes from the original Gen/MD game and aren't anything spectacular but they are appropriate and set the mood for the action entirely. Frankly, the Gen/MD music has more "punch" to it whereas the arranged music is softer in tone, but you can choose either soundtrack, which is appreciated. The game now features more characters with fully voiced dialogue (in Japanese) and it's a small but welcome addition to flesh out the game slightly and add another modern touch.
While games like this have since come and gone, ASL's variety of weapons which encourage experimentation and mastery, varying levels, branching paths and strong replayability is something that modern gamers can appreciate and that will never go out of style. It's also still a little unique to this day due to how it sprinkles in squad-based cooperation during most of its stages as well. As an oldie but goodie, it is worth a play even if it was eclipsed by most of the games in the series that came after it (like "Cybernator" or most other Suits/Valken titles). As remakes go, it's greater than the sum of its parts. As a competitor for games on the current market, it will come across as a little rigid and archaic -- games have made amazing strides since this game's heyday (especially in the indie sector), but this isn't meant as a criticism. In reality, it's amazing just how playable this game still is today and I would recommend it to fans of action titles or mechas.
This is a video of the game in action illustrating different things. Enjoy.
- ADDITION -
Like Us On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegamingsanctuary/
Follow Us On Twitter: https://twitter.com/GS_Vyse_and_Bel
Visit Us At: http://www.gamingsanctuary.com