Saturn Look - Hissatsu!

The walls are insulated and the air conditioner is running full blast, but don't look out that window unless you want to see the flames. That's right, we're in licensed game hell. Hissatsu! for the Sega Saturn is based on Hissatsu: Shigotonin, the 15 to 30th series in one of Japan's longest running period dramas. Shigotonin chronicles the exploits of Nakamura Mondo and his group of assassins. Hiding in plain sight, they all have normal lives as officers, monks, doctors, etc. If you've got the coin and a desire for justice, then you can put their real expertise to work. Before the night is over, they'll solve a mystery, find (or avenge) a missing person, and eliminate the villains responsible. This 1996 game is the result of a collaboration between Emotion Digital Software and KID Corp. You know KID, right? They've done everything from G.I. Joe to Pepsiman. Putting together a Shinobi-like should be no sweat for such a skilled developer.

For the most part, Hissatsu! accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. At the beginning of each stage, players decide on which two assassins they'll use to infiltrate the enemy's base and eliminate its leader. Mondo is generally a safe pick, as he's great with a sword and can swiftly eliminate tough adversaries with a special slashing attack. Tetsu is a bonesetter who crushes spines like party cups, but don't treat him as a strictly melee fighter. His secret technique is a hadouken that can fly through multiple foes at once. Date prefers to use knives and throwing darts. Exceptionally fast both in and out of combat, this craftsman is also a solid choice for most stages. The shamisen-maker Yuji wields a wire that can strike down faraway adversaries. He's also quite the boss-killer once you get his attack timing down. However, he tends to struggle when faced with enemies that can crouch underneath his attacks. Each assassin has their own health meter, and you can switch between the two you've chosen whenever necessary. Naturally, the game ends if they're both defeated. 

Early on, this game has an almost Tenchu-like quality to it. Enemies don't rush in and attack the instant they appear onscreen. Instead, they stand and wait for one of the assassins to cross their line of sight. While every playable character can block, a successful fight often involves mobility or the environment. To give an example, Date's melee attack is quick but has very short range. You're better off jumping over an enemy and stabbing them repeatedly in the neck than trying a direct approach. Of course, this changes if one of your picks is Mondo. He can out-slash most everyone, especially with that special attack of his. The meter underneath everyone's health drains whenever specials are performed. Replenishing this meter is as simple as walking, and you can take further advantage of the mechanic by with the right setup. Tetsu's fireball costs a ton of meter, so keep him as the backup for whenever a squad of goons comes into view. There are a lot of possibilities here. Players could find assassin combinations that fit their style of play, clear a stage in record time, or devise all sorts of extra challenges. 

Stage 3 is where Hissatsu! really starts to embrace its unique qualities. This stage takes place in a massive cave with multiple paths. There are walls that only Mondo or Tetsu can destroy, adding to the variety of routes. Enemies have also leveled up quite a bit. Instead of tired guards or shmucks with swords, our assassin friends will contend with samurai and ninjas. There are two types of ninjas: those who throw shuriken, and those who swing swords (and clone themselves). Much like the arcade Shinobi game, these masked jerks tend to appear from out of nowhere, forcing players to move methodically or react quickly. Even death isn't enough to end their terror, as they have a chance of leaving behind a caltrop. This is a tough but still very reasonable stage, especially if you obtain the onigiri hidden in its many corners. Healing sources are hard to find, which emphasizes the careful "think two steps ahead" play, thus making for an interesting take on the side-scroller formula.

However, since we're in licensed game hell, stage 4 eschews all the possibilities in favor of ninja-filled hallways. Look, I have nothing against one of the hallmarks of action game design. The Shinobi series is a masterclass at it. With dynamic and varied level-design, battling color-coded cretins never gets old. The problem here is that there is no level-design. For at least half of stage 4, the player can only move from left to right while being bombarded by ninjas and crows. Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention that crows hate the heroic assassin team. Crows! This doesn't sit well with me for multiple reasons. It's already known that pissing off a crow will condemn someone to a lifetime of a turmoil. If I was that someone, I'd have to get out of the killing business. Seriously, how could I do my job when there's a murder following my every step yelling "Look at this motherfucker!"? So, yeah. Half of stage 4 is spent getting beaten half to death by ninjas, samurai, and crows. Freaking obnoxious.

A wall of caltrops. This is gaming.

Stage 4 needed to be split into multiple parts, because the second half is its own tale of woe and brutality. There's some much-needed verticality in that the assassins must climb stairs while fending off enemies. Unfortunately, its detours often lead to ninja ambushes. If you see an onigiri, then it's liable to be guarded by at least five ninjas. Only the most meticulous players can get this far into the stage with a decent amount of remaining health. Everyone else will just have to suffer. Also worth mentioning is that an onigiri adds one and only 1 point of health. You could lose that and potentially more just trying to reach it. Hissatsu! could've been six or se-eight stages long, but the developer opted for five, and crammed far too much into one of them, and for what? To pad out the playtime? 

What kills me is that the following stage, which in all likelihood should've been even worse, is actually quite solid. The level-design is pretty interesting, with a wide gamut of scenarios to deal with. I thought the library full of snakes was neat. The new enemies are hardly a fraction as annoying as the ninjas, even if their numbers border on comical. There's a second half with a more labyrinthian layout. Both halves complement each other well. It's like the game decided to be creative again, but only at the very end (and after whittling its player down to a nub). 

Hissatsu! is a hard game to recommend. I don't have any complaints about the basics. Each assassin controls as fluidly as in any other 2D classic. Utilizing their techniques to dispatch foes is seamless and fun. Some real potential can be seen in a few of the stages. Having multiple characters and routes could create serious replay-value. Then stage 4 hits and it's just a torturous series of life-draining situations. If I want to reach the part where the game gets good again, then I have to memorize every inch of a featureless mansion. Failure to do so leads to death by a thousand ninjas. Maybe this is one of those games that would've "hit differently" if I had stumbled upon it back when I was a semi-fanatical Saturn collector. I might've even referred to it at a hidden and slightly tarnished gem. Sadly, those days ended over 20 years ago. Now I'm just another crank trapped in a hell of my own creation.