Pop'n Twinbee

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The 16-bit era brought about some pretty rad Shoot-Em-Ups. You'll have heard of the likes of R-Type III, Axelay and Gradius III, I'm sure, each of which were pretty great games. However, for me, it's one often-overlooked game which had me, and still has me coming back over and over.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this in the past, but one of my favourite ever games is Pop'n Twinbee , a Cute-'em-Up game released by Konami in 1993 and exclusive to the Snes. It's a vertical shooter which follows Twinbee on his epic quest to stop an evil professor named Dr. Mardock from taking over the world. He was a cool guy, until he took a pole to the head.

The game's graphics are one of the most striking of features which set this game out from the crowd. Instead of adopting a bland Space theme like oh so many other shooters, Twinbee takes place over colourful and lively backdrops which fit the crazy nature of the game. Each level is unique and full to the brim with charm and character, and full of unique enemies which'll likely confuse ya. In what other game might you see this?

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That's right, I'm being attacked by flying grapes. This fruity foe takes a fair amount of hits, since each hit will take out just one grape. The game's full of weird enemy designs like this, such as swarms of flying pandas, giant indestructible watermelons, and turbo water-pigs. Yup, you're lively to find at least one enemy which'll have you giggling like a school boy once more. This game is unbelievably silly.

Anyway, I should talk about how the game actually plays now.
The control layout's simple enough. B shoots, while Y can be used to bomb ground enemies, like turrets or pineapples. Hold Y, and when you release it, Twinbee will punch, not only dealing a hella lot of damage, but deflecting enemy projectiles. Press A to release a swarm of Mini-Bees, useful for if the screen's getting crammed with enemies.
Pretty simple stuff there, but the real key to victory is in the unique upgrade system. When clouds move down the screen, they can be shot to release bells. These bells will have different effects based on colour, which will change as you shoot the bell. For example, blue bells will speed your ship up, while green bells reward you helpful drones, which will multiply your fire power. Pink bells, by far the most useful, will reward you with a shield to protect you against enemies.
On top of this, bells can also change your weapon. Purple bells will give you split-shot, which'll fire in three directions, while silver bells give you laser beams which'll blast right through any weak enemies, killing all in your line of fire.

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I guess you could call it... Panda-monium.

To compliment the upgrade system, the game has also discarded of the generic shooter Lives system, where you're given a certain amount of ships to use. Instead, you're simply given a health bar, which depletes when you're hit. When the bar hits zero, Twinbee lets out a cute lil' yelp (N'aww), before he plummets to his death. A continue is taken, and the level restarted. Simples.
This different system compliments the upgrade system perfectly, since it means you don't lose all your powers instantly when hit. However, it can potentially lead to quicker game-overs if you're not careful. But if you find yourself in a pickle, just make sure to bomb the ground enemies- From time to time they'll drop a heart, which'll raise your health bar a little.

The result of these very well executed systems is that the game is an absolute joy to play, while being not only unique graphically and in design, but unique in how it plays too. And to say it's satisfying is an understatement- Whizzing over cities and mountains, blowing up hippos and shooting down killer ostriches feels fantastic when paired up with the upbeat and lively music, the kawaii shouts of Twinbee as he grabs those bells, that wonderful clang of bullet against metal, that boom as that pineapple explodes- It all just feels great.

Spoiler: Music Taster

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And aye, the game's full of surprises, so your bound to have giggles on your first playthrough. But if you find it's not hardcore enough for you (It's not exactly Gradius III difficulty- In challenge is the only place Twinbee truly falls), switch up the difficulty in the options and play it through again sometime. It wont make many big differences other than increasing enemy health and fire rate, but it should make for some more interesting bullet storms. It's one of those games where once is just not enough, and you'll find yourself coming back over and over, whether you're a shoot-'em-up fan or not. The replay value is also bumped up by its great Multiplayer mode- the game's a hella lot more fun with a friend, who'll fight beside you as a Pink robot named Winbee. You'll even get a new move, whereby you'll be able to lob your partner around the screen, bouncing about like a pinball, while taking out any enemies they might bump into. Wont even take any health points!

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This game, despite it's cutesy graphics, is hilariously fun, a must-play for any and all shoot-em-up fans, and among the finest on the Snes. The graphics are great, the music's great, it plays great, the entire game. It's just great.
In short, why don't you own it yet?

9/10


You can probably grab the game for £10-£20 on ebay or amazon, and believe you me, it's worth every penny and more. Unless you're American. See, the game was never released in North America, so if you're up there, you'll need to ship it over, as well as buying either a Japanese or PAL Snes/Famicom.

Anywho, the easiest route is Emulation (of course).