Game Republic has quickly become one of the most prolific developers on the PlayStation 3 platform. That's not always a good thing, though. While recently we've seen quality titles like FolkLore, the company's earlier Genji 2 didn't really do much to help establish the young PS3 lineup (well, excluding Japan, where without it we would've been forced to play the Gundam game).
We'd place the company's latest PSN title, Dark Mist, closer to the FolkLore side as far as the fun is concerned. Available exclusively for download via the PlayStation Network, Dark Mist combines overhead shooting with room-by-room dungeon exploring, and covers it all with that trademark Game Republic visual flare.
Playing as a young girl out to restore light to the world, your goal in each enemy-filled dungeon is to track down colored keys and eventually access all rooms. The dungeons grow more complex as the game progresses, although you always have a map to help you keep track of where you are and what rooms you've yet to reach. Based on our play time, once you've cleared three floors of one stage, you're taken to a boss encounter.
You have a hefty arsenal of weapons with which to take out your foes. In addition to a standard, unlimited shot, each of your three weapon forms, selectable with the shoulder buttons, has a limited number of screen-clearing bombs, and a special attack. These special attacks can be fired in succession until you've run out of charge. You then have to wait for the weapon to recharge before firing again. By collecting power-ups from defeated enemies, you can build up more and more capacity until you're able to string five special attacks together.
One of the pitfalls of these free-roaming overhead shooters is that it can be hard to concentrate your fire in one location while moving around. Not so in Dark Mist. The game includes a controller option where you use the left analogue stick to move around and the right stick to fire. This allows for precise directional fire independent of your direction of movement. Those who want to use buttons for firing have access to a more traditional scheme, with one shoulder button used to lock your character into facing one direction and another used to fix your character's position so that you can send out fire in 360 degrees.
The "dark mist" of the title refers to the dark mist that covers some areas of the dungeon. It's impossible to see enemies or the ground through this mist. You can walk through it without incurring damage, but when you do, the entire screen gets dark, making it difficult to see where you're going. If you're not careful, you might end up walking off a ledge.
Clearing out the mist isn't required, but it can help. In some rooms, taking out a tough enemy or striking a special crystal will fill the room with light and clear out the mist. You can also use one of your limited bombs to lighten up an entire room. Aside from that, you can shake the SIXAXIS to make your character clear small areas of the mist from her surroundings. This takes a bit of effort, something that I presume was intentional to make sure you don't just run around the room clearing all the mist out.
The inclusion of the dark mist adds a bit of depth to what would otherwise be just a mindless shooter. In later stages, as the enemy patterns get more complex and you end up being chased by bullet fire from multiple enemies, the presence of the mist will make you think twice about your movements as you attempt to avoid attacks.
The only real annoyance I've found with the gameplay is that there's no save feature. You can chose to stop playing, but when you restart the story mode, you have to start from the first dungeon all over again. A pause feature would have been nice, since sitting around blasting through dungeons can be fun, but only in short bursts. The game does make past stages selectable for a time attack mode which features online rankings; unlocking all the stages will require that you play through the single player mode in one go, though.
In Japan, Dark Mist is an 800 yen download, or just about $7.00. It does feel like a low budget title, with a lack of multiplayer, an all-text introduction, and the standard PS3 system prompts for tasks like saving your game (this is particularly annoying, as the game prompts you a couple of times every time you start play!). Technically, this isn't an impressive title, but Game Republic once again shows its talents in visual arts, with unique character designs and an almost dreamy color and lighting scheme.
The credits have a section thanking members of Sony Computer Entertainment America and Europe, so we presume an international release is on the way. If the price is as attractive in your part of the world, don't hesitate in making the download.
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