![D-Return [ディー・リターン] Game Sample - X68000](/images/yt/tj/d-return-game-sample-x68000-b4c1w.jpg)
D-Return [ディー・リターン] Game Sample - X68000
15Return to D! May the force be with you! Yeah!!!
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Japan is certainly weird... D-Return is a horizontal scrolling shooter released for Sharp X68000 (1989) and FM Towns Marty (1990) that, by all accounts, is a rather mediocre game with a neat soundtrack that is noteworthy for a few reasons. For starters, here's some food for thought.
Developed by "Nippon Computer Club Renmei Kikaku" (Nichikonren Kikaku), a collective of Japanese University students specializing in creating computer programs and isolating technical issues and virus research, they had a small division designated to the creation of consumer PC software and ran from the late eighties to late nineties and released games exclusively for the Sharp X68000 and Fujitsu FM Towns. With Takao Yamamoto as the chairman, the club prospered until a shift in focus and curriculum weakened the computer club and eventually caused it to dissolve. As such, they had a very small budget, making most of their games exceedingly rare collectors items (even if they're not very good) and D-Return is one of their first (and most common) games. Nippon Computer Club Renmei Kikaku was one of several clubs back then spun off from students and graduates of Japan's illustrious Kobe University.
As amateur programmers (with main programming by Norihiro "NOP" Akasaka), the quality of this game isn't too bad, all things considered, but it is a little odd. The game is completely in English, and has more than its share of Engrish and bizarre colloquialisms. With a plot about "World War III" in the year 2178, two groups, the Allied Powers and Pact Powers, have been denuclearized and at war for over twenty years, but with no super weapons at their disposal (known as "clinchers", to clinch victory), it becomes a never-ending stalemate... at least until the Pact Powers get fed up. It's discovered that they have been developing a secret weapon, a deadly orbital battle satellite called "Disastrous Disaster" on the base of the moon, putting the Allied Powers at a major disadvantage. To counter this, they develop "Illieus", an advanced fighter plane to destroy the satellite, and they're running out of time as it becomes operational. "Unebi and Satmi" (which is properly spelled as "Satomi" in the credits) take Illieus to the skys to return the balance of powers to the world. Renmei Kikaku may have also been fans of "Star Wars", as the game likes to say "May the force be with you" on several occasions, lol.
The gameplay is simple; players fly at a decent speed shooting anything that moves either with their primary gun or with air-to-ground missiles. Power-up pods will sometimes fly on screen which can be shot open to drop upgrades that help you recover from damage, increase your damage capacity, improve your missiles, or give points. Depending how high the pods are in the air, they will bounce for a short period off the ground until they disappear, losing potency with every bounce, so you have to grab them quickly. There are also hidden power-ups that can be grabbed from the ground if you hit certain spots with a missile, which usually revolve around large point gains. Some levels make it difficult to grab them as they can't fall on the ground even once (due to pit, water, etc.) and the pods have to be opened while you're extremely close.
The game is also notable for its completely variable options and large number of unused BGMs which can be accessed from the game's "Juke Box". The game's difficulty is completely configurable from speed to health, weapon loadout and more, though you won't get the game's true ending without playing on the highest difficulty. All in all, the game is okay, even if it's not impressive by Sharp standards. Copies typically go for $100-$200 when it pops up (which is about the norm these days), but if you think that's rough, try finding some of their other games like the FM Towns version of this game or other works like "Planetary Campaign 68K", "Cannon Sight" and "Loop Eraser" (which was inspired by their "Virus Research" unit). This is a simple video of the game in action. Enjoy.
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