Overview – Originally developed by Masaya with porting handled by Ratalaika Games and Shinyuden, Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero is the fourth and final entry in the series, originally released on Super Famicom. A new enemy threatens the world again, with only one hero that can save the world, Shockman. This title is currently available on all console platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank PR Hound for providing the copy of Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I have previously covered the other entries in the Shockman series, which you can find my thoughts on (HERE).
Story – Dr. Gotokuji has invented a new engine, which has been stolen by a mysterious and evil gang called the B.B. Dan group. When committing this theft, they also invaded the city with their cybernetic henchmen causing chaos. The man behind this and leader of the group is mad scientist, Professor Jinguji. To save the world, the heroes needed to save the world are Raita and Azuki, who must use their powers to stop the B.B. gang as Cyber Superhero Shockman.
Gameplay – this entry in the Shockman series follows the same core premise of the other games, featuring side scrolling platform action across multiple locations. The player can control one of the two characters, with Raita as player 1 and Azuki as player 2. Unlike the other games, players cannot select the character they want at the start. Players will need to use a second controller if they want to play as the other character, as both characters are unique from each other.
This title has one very distinct difference to the others in the series. In this entry, the game has a side scrolling brawler style to the combat, with the characters having combo attacks that can be used. This changes the way that the action plays out, as enemies in the previous games could be defeated in one or two attacks. The characters also have special attacks that can be used, with an energy ball that can be charged, sweep attacks and jumping attacks.
The player one character has a shorter reach, using boxing gloves giving him a brawling fighting style, along with a dragon punch style special attack. In contrast, the player two character has a sword and longer reach, this gives her a hack and slash style, with a air dash sword strike special. They two player characters can land multiple attacks on enemies, allowing for a combo to be done for a lot of damage. This is useful against the stronger enemies that appear.
There are 8 stages in total for this game, with each stage made up of multiple areas, filled with enemies and hazards to overcome. The stages will have enemies roaming them, alongside various pitfalls and environmental hazards that can harm the player. at set points in stages, there will be boss battles involving the player and large opponents that need a lot of damage. There is also a series of rival battles, with each one becoming more challenging.
When regular enemies are defeated, they will drop items for players to pick up and offer a couple different effects. The first is point items, which provide bonuses as low as 100 points, but can go as high as 2000, which are added to the player score, along with points from defeating enemies. The items that can be collected are themed after the first area that the stage starts in, with game cartridges, clay statues and uranium fuel to name a few items.
The point system is key to the success of the player, as there is a light RPG system to the game with players leveling up at set point miles stones. When the player increases their level, they will earn an extra hit point allowing players to take more hits. At the start of the game, the player is limited to only 4 hit points, taking 1 point of damage from enemies and hazards. Item drops can replenish health, with red batteries giving 1 point and black ones fully healing the player.
If the player loses all of their hit points, they will need to continue and be able to just jump right back into the action. When all continues are used up, a game over will occur and players will need to start over from the beginning. The number of continues that players get normally is limited to 3, but there is a special cheat that will grant the player 9 continues. This can allow players to get all the way to the end of the game, reducing the difficulty in easy mode.
As this is an emulated port, there are many quality of life changes and improvements that have been made. These include the addition of rewind features, cheats and save/load states that give players more chances to enjoy and get through the game. There is also the inclusion of special features that can be accessed, including a debug mode that lets players mess around with things. More secrets are included, but I won’t spoil that surprise.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – there is a rather simple control method for this game, with a jump and attack button, as well as extra inputs added for rewind/fast forward. There are also special extra buttons that can be assigned to the controller, using them for the different special features that have been included. All of the inputs can be reassigned and modified, with a turbo button for attacks. This makes for a game that can be enjoyed with a variety of controllers.
Difficulty – the difficulty is a little odd with this title, as there is a slightly higher challenge if the first player character is used, due to the short reach. This is due to the shorter reach of attack, leading to a higher risk of being hit by enemies. Another element of the difficulty for this game is the limited continues, which was the style at the time, but can be lessened with the 9 continue easy mode. The game also has cheats, rewind and save states that can let players breeze through the game.
Presentation – Shockman Zero is a 16-bit title from the Super Famicom, with vibrant environments and colorful sprites that pop on modern screens. The music is done perfectly, that used the full range of the Super Famicom sound chips, alongside digitized voices that are implemented well. As the game was originally Japanese exclusive, there is also an official English translation included. There are additional filters to modify the games look, for those who want a retro look.
Final Thoughts – During my coverage of the previous shock man games I was made aware of this title, so I was waiting patiently for this to be announced. I jumped at the opportunity to cover this, as I enjoyed the other Shockman games and this time is no different. The action is a little different, but retains the same fun that the other games had, with the large bosses and tricky platforming. The anime style cutscenes did not return, but the story was still enjoyable.
I had a lot of fun with this title, playing both of the characters and exploring all of the options that were included. That makes this an easy recommendation for players, as you don’t need to have played the other games to enjoy this. If you have previously played the other Shockman games, it may feel more of the same but there is plenty on offer in this title. This is the last of the Shockman games, ending the series in a relatively satisfying way.
In the end, I give Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero a final score of 4/5. This is the last of the Shockman games, providing a fun change to gameplay with the brawling platformer action. The quality of life changes to the game, with the new translation and extra features make this the definitive way to enjoy this once Japanese exclusive game. If you want to check this release out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
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