Somewhere in the periphery sits Operation Logic Bomb, a Jaleco game about interdimensional robot crabs that have taken over a research facility. Your mission is to destroy the crabs, their anomaly-producing generators, and literally anything that isn't immune to bullets. This "ultimate search & destroy" isn't the sort where you can just run around with your gun all a-blazing. For starters, you play as a cyber-soldier who can't dash, side-step, run, or dodge-roll. He shoots and maybe he strafes. Rushing towards enemies is just going to drain that big beefy health meter of his. If you want to save the day, then you'll have to be methodical. Use cover or find places to stand where enemy fire can't reach. If you can shoot them from around a corner, then that's even better. New weapons are obtained at set-points, allowing more ways to deal with problems without exposing oneself to danger. Players who utilize the environment and logic to decimate their foes will get far.
I can't think about this game for more than five minutes without the words "Survival Horror" popping into view. True, there's not much in the way of horror. Killer robots tend to appear where there's crystalline hexagonal subspace, ruling out any potential jump-scares. Also, since progression mostly revolves around going from room-to-room clearing everything in sight, the only tension is going to come from having a low amount of health and no idea when the next recovery station will appear. By the way, stations can only be used once, so at least there's a survival element to work with. Although I don't think it'll matter too much for the average gamer. Most of the challenge is crammed into the last third, as that's when stations are really hard to come by. Oh, and I guess it's hard to do Survival-anything when the ammunition is unlimited.
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| Pictured: The story |
It sounds like I'm just throwing shit at the wall, doesn't it? Yeah. This is what happens when I cram 75% of the review into the first paragraph. In all seriousness, the reason I keep wandering back to Survival Horror is because I have this strange belief that Operation Logic Bomb could've been an all-timer if it had released during the genre's boom period. There's already a framework. Cyber-soldier enters a lab that's about to be crushed by the crustacean dimension. Keep the minimalist storytelling, create some dark atmospheric lighting, and put more of an emphasis on solving problems instead of just clearing the immediate area of robots. I'd also like to see a bunch of science guys getting - oh I don't know - pulled apart by claws. Maybe lean further into the interdimensional stuff. I think I would be sufficiently freaked out by sudden wormholes that spewed out killer robots. Better yet, let's get a few giant crabs with big pincers reaching through time and space just to crush the hero.
Those are just some random ideas. I'm afraid I didn't put any thought towards how the game would actually play. Adapting various guns that can rebound off of walls or shoot around corners probably doesn't gel with a Resident Evil-esque perspective. Maybe I'm just not imaginative enough. Better to discuss the game that exists while large rusty hooks attempt to drag my head out of the clouds. Jaleco skillfully made the most of the limited variety of enemies. Pacing is solid throughout, with the only sticking point being that the destination isn't always 100% clear. It's impossible to get stuck, but one could waste a few minutes jumping between floors.
The one other potentially significant issue is the second boss. It's the hardest part of the game. Unless every one of your actions is perfect, you're likely to enter the arena with half health. Then again, a full healthbar likely won't fare much better, as there are a limited number of workable strategies. The one I settled on involves using the rebound laser and some cover that blocks a lot of the giant lobster-thing's bullets. I probably shouldn't give so much info away, as dying to a difficulty spike four times in a row and having to start over helps build character...or something. Then there's the final boss. Not quite the easiest part of the game, as its lightning will erase life in milliseconds, but anyone who survived the first 45 minutes is going to solve this last predicament with little trouble.
So... yep. Operation Logic Bomb. It's a decent little game. A bit lacking in replay-value, but solid as concrete hell. This atypical shootemup is unique enough to warrant a playthrough. Unfortunately for myself, I'll never be satisfied until it's transformed into a Playstation 2 game that plays like Dino Crisis, but with less tank controls and more crabs.
I am in total idea guy mode, and it sucks.
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