For those of you who listen to The Bender, you may have heard me grumbling about having to wait for my import copy of Mushihimesama Futari to arrive. Well, I cease grumbling now, because it’s finally here, and (to use a hackneyed and clichéd phrase) it was worth the wait.  Seriously, it was.

I’m a huge fan of 2D-shooters (shoot ‘em ups, or shmups for those of you in the know), so when I saw that Cave was releasing Mushihimesama Futari Ver. 1.5, their latest arcade port, onto the 360 AND it would be region-free, I immediately preordered myself a copy. I bought the standard edition, which cost me $75 w/ shipping. The limited edition, which was rare before you could even place a preorder on it, was well over $90. But shmup fans should know this is standard fare.

You may be asking yourself, “Why the hell should I pay such ridiculous prices for a shmup?” And if you’re even asking yourself that question, then this game isn’t for you.

Basically, this review is speaking to those people who already love shmups or arcade-style games. If you’ve no interest, then there’s really nothing in this review that’s going to change your mind about this type of game.

Now that that’s out of the way, read on to see why this game deserves your attention and money.

Having played only one Cave shooter before hand, DoDonPachi, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The only thing I could go by was internet hearsay and pixilated, poor-quality Youtube gameplay footage. The praise for the game was big, though, so I felt confident in dropping import prices on this one. When I actually played the game, I knew instantly that it was a good decision.

The insect-themed Mushihimesama Futari (literally translated: “Together with the Bug Princess;” it sounds much cooler in Japanese) lets you choose either of two characters: Reco, the cute, purple-haired girl, or Palm, the little, dragon boy. Both characters play pretty much the same except for the fact that their movement types are opposite depending on whether you choose the Normal or Abnormal shot type.

The first thing I noticed when I actually started playing was how tight the controls were. Gliding through the air and dodging enemy fire just feels so right. The thing that separates the great shooters from the rest of the pack is how well-designed the patterns are. In MushiFutari even though things may look daunting at first, continued play will reveal safe passage ways designed in the patterns. There is always a way to make it through alive. It just takes some trial and error.

There’s only two buttons in gameplay: shoot and bomb. However, if you tap the shot button you get a spread shot that covers the screen; if you hold shot you get a concentrated laser. Depending on which character you choose to play as and which play style you select, holding down the shot button will either make your player slow down or speed up when you tap the button.

Shooting down enemies earns you gems of varying colors that can be collected to increase your score. Choosing the right time to use the appropriate attack will yield more gems and larger-sized gems.

One nifty feature included allows you to choose from the get go whether you want to play with the arcade visuals or the overhauled 360 visuals. While it adds appeal for those who played the arcade version, there’s really no reason not to play the 360 version of the game. Although, I am glad they included the option just for the hell of it.

In terms of visuals, the game is downright gorgeous. When I first started playing, I sometimes got distracted by the beautiful background scenery and animations. Bullets come in the flavor of bright purple projectiles, so there’s no way you won’t be able to tell when you’ve been hit.

The music is also a high point. Sure it’s standard Japanese techno-pop, but damn if it isn’t catchy as hell. And it definitely has that old-school flavor.

The reason this game is so worth the money is also due to the number of modes available. To begin with, there are two modes to play: 1.5 and Arrange (Black Label is also on the main menu, but I’ll get to that later).

1.5, like the other modes, offers 3 challenges: Original, Maniac, and Ultra, but these aren’t just difficulty levels. Each mode offers a new scoring method and way of playing the game. In Original, how well you do in each stage will increase your rank, which will determine the speed and density of bullet patterns in later stages. Maniac offers a counter that tracks your multiplier and affects how many gems enemies will drop depending on how high the number is. Ultra mode scores the same way as Original, but the rain of death coming down on you is immense. Before you start this mode, a warning comes up on screen asking you if you’re okay with being murdered every second. Of course, you’ll want to choose “yes.”

Arrange mode offers a unique twist on the original game. In this mode, you control both Reco and Palm. One character acts as a shield while the other is used for offense. When you tap the shot button, the bullets will slow down around your characters, and when you hold down shot the bullets will deflect back at enemies. The more bullets you “collect” by tapping shot will determine the number and size of the gems that you can grab after the bullets are deflected. You’ll need to strategically switch between characters to recharge your shields. (For in-depth info on each mode and the respective scoring system for each, check out this NeoGAF thread.)

This brings us to Black Label, which is my only gripe with the game. The problem? It’s on-disc DLC. Now, maybe Cave isn’t done with it yet, but the fact that the option is on the main menu, and when you click on it, it takes you to Xbox Live and offers a download leads me to believe that what we’re paying for is just a download code to unlock the mode.

Wait a minute, I just dropped 75 bucks to play this game. It’s a freaking shmup! The file size for this thing can’t be more than a few hundred megs! And now they want me to pony up more cash to play an extra mode? Ludicrous! Ridiculous! Outrag- Oh, who the fuck am I kidding? Of course I’m going to pay for it.

On a side note, first-press copies of the game came with a DLC code (I got mine, suckers!) that lets you download Ver. 1.01, which is a tweaked version of the very first arcade version of the game. It offers a pretty good challenge, since it came before the more manageable Ver. 1.5.

Don’t get me wrong, though. This game is tough no matter what mode you’re playing on. Even the Novice mode that slows down the bullets can get pretty difficult. But that’s the fun of these games. Playing over and over, memorizing patterns, feeling accomplished when you finally 1CC Original and then move on to higher difficulties.

If all of this gets your blood pumping, then what are you waiting for? Import this thing before it goes out of print.  It’s one of the best shmups out there, perfectly designed, meticulously detailed, nail-bitingly difficult, and completely absorbing.

It’s the best shoot-em-up since Ikaruga. There, I said it. We had a perfect shmup to start the decade and a perfect one to end it. Now, get out there and play this.

And start praying to all things holy that Cave releases Espgaluda 2 region-free.

Popularity: 3% [?]