Play Hellfire (GEN) - Reviews | Sega Genesis

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Hellfire Reviews

Overall 8.4 Graphics 8 Sound 9 Addictive 8 Story 6 Depth 6 Difficulty 8

8.8

Up there with the best AdMan
Ah, Hellfire. This is one of my favorite arcade games, via MAME. That's right, Hellfire was an arcade title in 1989 before it was ported to the Genesis. I could compare it to the arcade version, which wins in every category, but that's not really fair. So I'll review this obscure but awesome sidecrolling shmup in its own right, as a Genesis game.

Gameplay:

Gameplay here is unique. I believe this game innovated the idea of being able to change the direction of your shots, a mechanic Thunderforce III expanded on. In Hellfire you have 4 different directions: forward, backward, vertical, 4-way diagonal. This adds a very strategic element to the game, because without quick reflexes and memorization on where to shoot at what time, you'll never make it past the first level.

Outside of this Hellfire is a standard side-scroller. It's slow pace/high difficulty is reminiscent of R-Type, though Hellfire manages not to look like an R-Type clone. One annoying thing, however, is that play area is taller than the screen, which means there can be hidden enemies above or below you. This is incredibly annoying, and an odd decision for a side-scroller. (The arcade original had a fixed screen which is SO much better).

Music:

The sound is decent, but the music is where this game excels. Toaplan made some of the best musical tracks ever, and Hellfire is a great example of it. Especially the first level. Like Thunderforce III, Hellfire also has an incredibly catchy "game over" tune. On occasion I will kill myself just to hear the "game over" play.

Graphics:

For Genesis the graphics are nice, with some shading to give a slightly more realistic look than many other similar games. However, the lack of parallax scrolling is both graphically unimpressive and actually annoying during gameplay. Most of the backgrounds scroll at the same speed as the foreground, which is slightly disorienting. I know that sounds surprising, but notice how parallax scrolling doesn't divert your eyes away from the game either. It begins to feel normal. And Thunderforce III had tons of parallax. The developers cut corners here.

Verdict:

Overall, the faults are far outweighed by the merits. Hellfire is a killer difficult, awesomely fun shooter. I would say it's even harder than TFIII. Already obscure, Hellfire would probably be entirely forgotten if not for its Toaplan heritage. But it deserves to be remembered. It was the first of two sidescrollers Toaplan developed, the second being the infamous Zero Wing, and Hellfire is definitely the better of the two. Play it here or pick it up online, where it's pretty affordable.
Graphics 8 Sound 9 Addictive 8 Story 6 Depth 6 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 3/5 Submitted: 09-16-12 Review Replies: 4