Game:

Cloud Master (1988)

Duration: 10:18

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Magical Taruruuto-kun for Game Gear is a decent horizontal shooter that is similar in design to earlier shmups such as Taito's "Chuka Taisen" / "Cloud Master", developed in 1991 by Tsukuda Ideal (who, like Tsukuda Hobby and Tsukuda Original, is/was a subsidiary of Tsukuda Co. Ltd) and based on the manga by Tatsuya Egawa and Shueisha, and the Anime by Toei Animation. In the game, you play as Taruruuto and shoot a variety of strange objects brought to life by magic. As you progress, you can meet Mimora who you can enter like a shop and choose a variety of power-ups or items to help you on your quest. Power-ups can be used indefinitely as long as you don't die, and some examples of these include wide shot, multi shot, homing shot, and power shot. Items are limited but can be carried in conjunction with your power-up and most can be stockpiled without giving up your favorite power-up of choice. Some items include a power scream, sleeping gas, and extra life.

The graphics are simple but serviceable for a GG title of the era. Taru himself sports some decent animations, enemies are fairly large and detailed, Mimora looks cute and is very detailed in shop mode, and bosses are large on a single color screen similarly to Chuka Taisen. Stages become progressively more difficult and provide a decent challenge the first or second time you play as enemies later come from multiple directions and possess more intimidating traits (such as exploding into debris or shooting off their tops, making them tougher to beat), but bosses as a whole are relatively simple and unimpressive. Additionally, Taru can withstand three hits before meeting defeat, make the game more accessible for shooter beginners. The sound is largely upbeat and practical, but isn't anything remarkable. Overall, MTK is a pretty good Japan-only shooter for GG.

This is a video of the game in action. Enjoy.