That intro is very cool and very well drawn, so I'm glad it's in there... but yes, it's very odd when a game makes a long, insane story for what is essentially a fairly simple arcade-style game. The whole presentation from top to bottom is very cute and very nice looking. The bar will keep being raised for Famicom graphics up until just a few years before it is done.
I like to think that this shows how ahead of its time Zanac is, given that it was made about 4 years earlier and plays a lot like this one. This one might be difficult to get on cartridge, but it is at least common on clone systems so whoever makes those at least has some taste 😉
One of my top 3 shmups on the system. I played through it plenty of times back in the day. Compile rarely disappointed back then. (also, I think the shinto priestess turns into the pilot and only summons the ship herself, based on the text... because cute 'em up) This game is just really fun all around. Also, what a good streak with a few really good games close to each other!
@@fellipecarneiro4161 Parodius and Recca; Life Force/Gradius are 'very' close too. There are also some other really good ones, like Over Horizon... I really like Guardian Legend too. There's more, like Abadox; the ones I mentioned are my favourites overall.
My top 3 are Recca, Crisis Force, Gun-Nac. And runner ups Dragon Spirit, Over Horizon, and TwinBee 3. And of course, Gradius! I like Parodius Da, but I always play the Super Famicom version of that instead.
huh did not know this was a 'cute-em-up' also never seen a game like this have a 'speed/graphics' priority option, they really thought of everything! one way or the other going to have to add this to my collection, as I never got around to it originally.
I’ve seen a lot more of those sort of settings in modern (eg PS5) games where you can prioritise graphics or performance but nothing like it on a retro console. Compile really was forward thinking
I just tried this game and figured out what the "Bullet Ricochet" setting does: It doesn't make the bullets actually bounce, but it does make it so that every time you destroy something, it fires a projectile back at you.
This game looks really cool, I'll have to give it a try sometime this week. Always love to try out Compile games, well maybe not all them but the good ones I mean.
Marius is absolutely right. I'd say it is the best Famicom shmup. Well, there's also a decent but dragging transformersesque shooter game in 91 (or 92), impressive in terms of both graphics and price "carnival" game in 92 and technically The Guardian Legend is a shmup but after all Gun Nac still beats them :)
I think this game is unbelievably good and after Super Aleste and MUSHA, it might just be my favourite Compile game. They were so unbelievably good in the late '80s and early '90s.
I miss owning this on NES, now it's into the hundreds which is a crock of... I feel I should grab it again on this format, at least it's not in the 10000 yes/100 dollar + club yet.
Love Gun-Nac! I feel like the American version is easier. On the American version, I stuck with the homing weapon (#3) for just about the entire game, and felt like it was almost too easy. I played the Japanese game once and felt like it matched your description more closely.
That intro is very cool and very well drawn, so I'm glad it's in there... but yes, it's very odd when a game makes a long, insane story for what is essentially a fairly simple arcade-style game.
The whole presentation from top to bottom is very cute and very nice looking. The bar will keep being raised for Famicom graphics up until just a few years before it is done.
I like to think that this shows how ahead of its time Zanac is, given that it was made about 4 years earlier and plays a lot like this one. This one might be difficult to get on cartridge, but it is at least common on clone systems so whoever makes those at least has some taste 😉
One of my top 3 shmups on the system. I played through it plenty of times back in the day. Compile rarely disappointed back then. (also, I think the shinto priestess turns into the pilot and only summons the ship herself, based on the text... because cute 'em up) This game is just really fun all around. Also, what a good streak with a few really good games close to each other!
what are the other two games on your top 3?
@@fellipecarneiro4161 Parodius and Recca; Life Force/Gradius are 'very' close too. There are also some other really good ones, like Over Horizon... I really like Guardian Legend too. There's more, like Abadox; the ones I mentioned are my favourites overall.
Over Horizon, Gan Nac, and Recca are basically the big three of Famicom shoot-'em-ups.
My top 3 are Recca, Crisis Force, Gun-Nac. And runner ups Dragon Spirit, Over Horizon, and TwinBee 3. And of course, Gradius! I like Parodius Da, but I always play the Super Famicom version of that instead.
I'd go with Gun Nac, Crisis Force and Over Horizon, in that order.
Really surprised this got a NA release. It might just be the best shmup I've never played before!
huh did not know this was a 'cute-em-up' also never seen a game like this have a 'speed/graphics' priority option, they really thought of everything! one way or the other going to have to add this to my collection, as I never got around to it originally.
I’ve seen a lot more of those sort of settings in modern (eg PS5) games where you can prioritise graphics or performance but nothing like it on a retro console. Compile really was forward thinking
I just tried this game and figured out what the "Bullet Ricochet" setting does:
It doesn't make the bullets actually bounce, but it does make it so that every time you destroy something, it fires a projectile back at you.
This game looks really cool, I'll have to give it a try sometime this week. Always love to try out Compile games, well maybe not all them but the good ones I mean.
Marius is absolutely right. I'd say it is the best Famicom shmup.
Well, there's also a decent but dragging transformersesque shooter game in 91 (or 92), impressive in terms of both graphics and price "carnival" game in 92 and technically The Guardian Legend is a shmup but after all Gun Nac still beats them :)
I think this game is unbelievably good and after Super Aleste and MUSHA, it might just be my favourite Compile game. They were so unbelievably good in the late '80s and early '90s.
I literally just turned off a Compile game from one of their best series that I was recording footage from for an upcoming video.
@@RndStranger Cool, I'll look forward it! 😄
Choosing between performance and graphics in a console game in 1990? Compile is even more ahead of its time than we though
I miss owning this on NES, now it's into the hundreds which is a crock of... I feel I should grab it again on this format, at least it's not in the 10000 yes/100 dollar + club yet.
Love Gun-Nac! I feel like the American version is easier. On the American version, I stuck with the homing weapon (#3) for just about the entire game, and felt like it was almost too easy. I played the Japanese game once and felt like it matched your description more closely.