Cyvern Game Sample - Arcade
15Cyvern is the pretty (if you aren't disgusted by 2D shooters in 1998 or afterwards), action-packed cyber-dragon shooter that I did not know I wanted...but sci-fi and DRAGONS? A sort of BABY between the two? Thinking on it now, I definitely wanted this...but besides the concept, did Kaneko actually make it good? Actually, Kaneko SCORED with this one, which is a shame, because the game, even with emulation and the like, is not very well known. Cyvern *did* see release outside of Japan, but it must've been in limited supply (never seen any in "the wild").
Being a SHMUP, Cyvern is pretty light on story, but the general gist of things (based on the arcade flyer) is that humanity is desperate and through research, find a way to turn ancient beasts...in this case, dragons, into bio-weapons. Being dubbed "Man-made weapons", the dragons are sent out to fight a decisive battle where the outcome can be only salvation or catastrophe.
Now, Kaneko was in the business for quite a while...the company flew under the radar, most of the time, so it is surprising that the company managed to exist for over 25 years (1980 - 2007). One of my earliest encounters with anything published and/or developed by Kaneko was an old Sega Genesis game (which was a port of an arcade game) called "Air Buster". Air Buster wasn't bad...but as a kid, I wasn't as crazy about shooters as I was about JRPGs and action-platformers. I didn't really appreciate it all that much, and I was excited about games that were also around the time I played Air Buster (Super Mario World, etc...I didn't play AB when it first launched).
Revisiting my past and learning about the world of gaming and doing Gaming Sanctuary, I started becoming a lot more familiar with "obscure" games and companies. I dug into Kaneko more, experiencing strange titles like "Sen Know", "Gals Panic" (maybe not-so-arguably Kaneko's "golden egg" series), and DJ Boy, among other things...I can confidently say as an adult that Kaneko has hit a bit of a soft spot with me, and I can't quite explain why. While their game catalog is kinda "out there", Cyvern is one of their games that really makes me feel bad that they are now defunct.
Cy (for short, from now on) is a game that does everything "right", as far as I see it. It looks good, sounds good (a nice mixture of fantasy and war themes), and plays REALLY good. It's moderately challenging, has secrets, is good for people who push themselves to get the highest score possible, and has some good variety, in a small, sweet package. To put it in another way, Cy is a decent blend of quality games of yesteryear and "today" --- Raiden games, Cave shooters, those kinds of quality games.
You can choose from one of three dragons (that have different colors and names for Player 2, though they function the same as the standard three dragons) that have their own specialties (wide shot, laser, straight shot, etc.) and their specialties basically serve as strengths or weaknesses, depending on your level of stage memorization or preferences. Each dragon can power-up their standard shot, but also, they each have cool attacks known as "BANISH" attacks, that are activated when you hold down the shot button. The BANISH attacks are very powerful and destroying ground targets with them yield medals (think bonus points) and the more you collect, the higher your score (the point bonuses also increase when you keep destroying ground enemies and collecting medals).
As you attack/destroy enemies, you refill your "BANISH Meter", and you also have your typical "bomb stock", that can destroy enemies bullet spreads and give you a second to breathe. There is a caveat to the BANISH attack --- when you use it, you cannot use your normal shot. Basically, to get the most out of it, it helps to know when to unleash your BANISH attack and when to fall back and destroy fodder to refill the BANISH meter.
If you like SHMUPS, Cy is definitely a game you will want to try at least once. As far as I know, the game has not been ported to anything, unfortunately.
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