This three-stage game's insane difficulty is one only masochists could appreciate. All others need not apply.
This is a non-scrolling shooter composed of three sadistic levels. You essentially move from screen to screen, or at least try to, while shooting and avoiding baddies as best you can. The controls aren't the greatest. In order to choose between your other weapons, you must use the select button to cycle through them. There are frequent times where you need to do this while moving, which makes thing extremely difficult and frustrating. This is the only flaw of the controls.
The other major flaw of this game is the difficulty. While you have three to choose from, the game is practically impossible, even using Game Genie codes, this game is tough. There's so many baddies flying around and almost never a clear path through them. It's also frustrating when you die multiple times from respawning. You do have a shield for a brief period of time, but it doesn't help much. For weapons at your disposal you have your standard shot which really doesn't do much in this game. You can get a power up that allows you to also fire out the rear. There's also a mace that will circle you and destroy baddies. It's very useful. Your standard arsenal includes bombs which fire at an angle up or down. You start with a lot of them, but they can be irritating to use, especially while moving. Genocides destroy all baddies on screen and is extremely useful, but you're always out when you need them. Shields will protect you for a brief period of time and is often the only way to progress. Bouncers ricochet across the screen and are only useful for breaking green blocks beneath you. Seekers will home in on big stationary targets. You can pick up weapons from enemy drops, and your arsenal is replenished when you die. Regardless of the options, they will only fail you by the sher number of baddies and awfulness of this game.
The graphics aren't bad. The sound, horrible. Your only background music is this odd low register siren type sound. It's awful and can be maddening. Other than that, your sound effects are your regular shots, big explosions, and your own death. Overall this is one of the most infuriatingly difficult games I've ever played on the NES. Even though it's only three levels, you'll be lucky to get through half of the first stage before throwing this cart across the room, or hating yourself for having spent money on it. Even if you do get through it, cheating or not, the ending won't make you feel you've accomplished anything at tall. This game should be avoided.