Wing Commander, Tie Fighter, Colony Wars, all of these games are bound to be mentioned when talking about Project Sylpheed for they are the cream of the crop, beloved and enduring. There are more titles that hold rank with them, mostly on PC, but there have been some decent entries released on home consoles as well, including Starlancer, Chris Roberts' last release in the genre, but there is one thing that all of these games have in common: they are better than Project Sylpheed.
The only thing Tie Fighter and Project Sylpheed share is that they are set in space. Larry Holland would spin in his office chair if he read some of the haphazard comparisons out there. And with good reason, because about the only thing Project Sylpheed manages to do is overawe the senses by drenching the player with cutscenes and explosions, the action often feeling forced and on rails. In many ways it feels like it should be an entry into the Starblade series.
Regardless of whether or not you know about Starblade, the Sega CD Sylpheed, or any of the Totally Games titles, you will immediately feel at home here. The story is a familiar one with an evil empire (Terrans), breakaway rebels (ADAN), and a group of suspiciously young looking pilots that include the steadfast protagonist with his love interest and on-the-outs best friend. I’m pretty indifferent to the story – vanilla Star Wars is fine by me, after all – but I do wish it didn’t lend itself to so many “Katanaaaaa!” moments; and yes, the main character’s name is (please be just be a call sign) Katana. The story does allow for some pretty cutscenes though, which are present in abundance. In most missions there are at least two accompanying rendered sequences. These are filled with the exploits of the White Griffons, the squadron Katana belongs to, and the politics that revolve around their capital ship the Acropolis. Expect plenty of explosions, cool smoke trails, and large weapons to go along with the hokey dialogue.
Katanaaaa!
What’s it like to pilot a spaceship? A whole lot like a dragon, apparently. Despite there being plenty of purchasable weapons in the Acropolis’ arsenal that are unlocked along the way, few of them are actually needed. Since there are enemy fighters buzzing around all over the place and many are of the multi-purpose sort, a multi-lock homing missile is often essential armament. These operate in a similar manner as fighting in Panzer Dragoon: a large targeting reticule is dragged over the screen, auto locking onto targets, and then a salvo is unleashed once the firing button is released. For the larger almost universally unimpressive capital ships, the other weapons come in handy when used in conjunction with two of the game’s three special features, firing all weapons at once and slowing down time. A few combinations of each is all that’s needed for all but the largest ships; though having to charge them means that the middle useless power that speeds the ship up is often accidentally unleashed, resulting in direct head-on collision with the enemy. Note: Ramming into the enemy is not a good idea. Since the special abilities come at the expense of the ship’s shield, their effective usage does require some setup.
If things get too hairy, shooting the shield-draining afterburners to get to safety is often the soundest choice. Once away from danger the ship’s shield will gradually recharge. This is often necessary because the fighters that are supposed to be under your command are both ineffectual and negligent of the chain of command. If a run was particularly bad, certain vessels, often in the rear, are available to replenish ammo and armor.
If there ever was a neutered space sim, Project Sylpheed is it. The only real tactics come in how to approach an enemy craft, either by shooting its weapons, shields, or go all out. Unfortunately, the wonky targeting system, using the proprietary At Whim system of aiming, means it’s often necessary to simply pound away until an enemy explodes. There are no extended abilities or features to speak of, such as segmented shields or energy management. The missions are often played out in such a way that it is simply trial and error. I beat the game with a Flight Time under 5 hours, but the time I actually played the game was much, much higher. The enemy often comes in predictable patterns that require memorizing to actually defeat. Not learning when and what to attack will mean repeating the same portions over and over.
The freedom offered by having outer space as the setting is negated by such an approach. But the game has to be played this way because the developers implemented a ridiculous time limit. The time limit isn’t told to the player; oh no, like the sub objectives that are the bulk of the achievements, the time limit is unknown until the warning flashes that there are 3 minutes left. These warnings come at the same time, so it’s often necessary to play through a mission twice with the first being more reconnaissance to find out when the enemy attacks, with what, and when time will run out. In one of the most brain-dead moves the developers could have made, there is also no in-mission saving. Each mission is broken up into two or three parts, with each ‘restart’ recharging the shields and refilling the ammo, but these restarts can extend missions up to and beyond the half-hour mark. I had to replay hours of the game simply because I had to quit when I was in nearing the end of the final section, which meant that I was required to replay the entire mission when I returned. I apologize to the developers for having to put the controller down for a while, but I have other things to do in life besides play your game.
I’m of the opinion that the timer and lack of saves is because the game would be extremely short otherwise. At 16 missions, the game could be beaten in a weekend rental had the player been given the time and space to play the game as if it was, you know, made with some regard for the player and standard practice. A small concession is that the ability to skip a mission is granted if it is failed three times, but I’m pretty sure the team realized that gamers wouldn’t want to skip because they would need the credits to purchase the weapons the level might unlock, beyond simply wanting to get the most out of their time and money.
The few missions of note are often visually spectacular but not terribly exhilarating. There are a few times when Katana will find himself in the middle of the capital ships duking it out, though these undeniably cool scenarios are accompanied by slowdown and confusion. Since everything leaves a long trail – smoke, laser, debris, etc. – the screen can be so chaotic that it’s often difficult to make out what’s even going on. Sometimes the frenzy spurs a moment or two of ace piloting, but it’s mainly silently cursed because the rambling about is eating away into the precious allotment of minutes for that portion. Then again, it’s hard to be an ace when the design doesn’t require or want one.
Overall: 4.5/10
Project Sylpheed is a largely forgettable entry into a genre that is woefully underrepresented. It’s a shame that its name won’t bring to mind epic space battles and narrow victories but instead lackluster lengthening elements that managed to do no more than accentuate and extend the more maddening aspects. Space combat fans hard up for a fix will still find it lacking, though anime fans will dig the aesthetics and general approach. I’d certainly still love a quality combat space title on the 360. Anyone else interested in giving it a shot?
