A great shoot em' up!

User Rating: 8.3 | Mushihimesama PS2
Cave has been busting Shoot em' ups since the 90's and in all their games they always have something in common - being difficult and of course fun!

At the start of the game you can choose between three different shot types. These shot types affect the type of shots you fire and also the movement speed of your character. The shot types are as follows, W Shot - which gives you a wide shot but slow movement, S Shot - a narrow shot and quick movement and lastly, M Shot - which has balance mid-shot and movement.

Mushihime is played out vertically and pits you against tons of enemies and their gunfire. As you play the game, you will find power-ups that will make your shots stronger and bigger. There are also other power-ups called "Trance" - focus fire and "Formation" - wider shot, which are basically options that will aid you when you shoot. These power-ups scatter as you kill your enemies and they will float about. If you wait to long these power-ups will gradually change according to what to what type it is. So, if it was a W Shot Power-up it will change to a different one. You can sometimes accidentally pick up these power-ups and it can really mess you up sometimes because your shot-type does play a role in the game.

The game is great throw back to old-school gaming because it doesn't involve any type of gimmick or some complex system. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. The scoring system is very similar to Dodonpachi, which was another Cave game. As you hit your enemies with your shot a counter will rise and if you keep it up, the more points you get. Though, it's simple it definitely works. The game is definitely on the short side with only 5 stages in all.

There are two different modes, labeled Arcade mode and Arrange Mode. Arcade mode is a straight port of the Arcade version. Arrange mode plays quite differently. You start off with max options and whenever you are hit, you will automatically use a bomb. However, the game is set at a higher difficulty then arcade mode. Your shot type can also be changed at the press of a button. I find myself playing Arrange mode more because I actually find myself surviving longer, plus the ability to change your shot type at any moment is great.

The world of Mushihime is colorful and vibrant. The 2D graphics are done well and the bosses are huge and animate great. Though, it isn't amazing it still has its charm. The backgrounds are nice and are varied; you will be going through forests, plains and an underground lake. The game does include Tate, which allows you to play in a vertical aspect. You can also Tate Right and even Left, which is kind of neat. Music is standard fare in this game, which uses pop. It's decent and it works. However, stage 3 background music is one of my favorites because of how it stands out from the rest of the soundtrack.

Mushihime was ported by Taito and they did an okay job. The game really lacks in the extras department though with only a Gallery, Arcade and Arrange mode and different difficulties. However, a person will most likely play it for score and practice to get good anyways.

Sure, Mushihime doesn't have some type of innovation that we see in Shoot em' ups today but the game is very accessible to anyone, just watch out for the crazy difficulty and you will be set with an entertaining game.