dinosaurgerms, 1 month ago

"Image Fight" is made by Irem, the studio behind "R-Type", and has a number of similarities to the latter title. Specifically, your ship can attach equipment to to its front which alters its firing type (similar to the iconic "Force" in "R-Type"). You can also collect "pods" which orbit your ship and provide additional firepower (also akin to the "Force").

Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the player flies over a forest landscape while shooting at enemy spaceships. The player spaceship has three small "pods" flying adjacent to it: spherical devices that also shoot at enemy craft as well. The player also has a large, butterfly-like device attach to the front of their ship, which enhances the ship's shots, making them large, expanding circles.

dinosaurgerms, 1 month ago

"Dino, this just sounds like vertically-oriented 'R-Type', sans the former's Giger-esque horror vibe", you say. Well, hold your "Forces" [LOL I'm so funny], this game has its own unique wrinkles. For starters, over half the game is actually a simulation (think Metal Gear VR missions, Star Trek Holodek), where each level tests your aptitude in a specific combat situation

Gif from "Image Fight" (cutscene, 2D pixel graphics). A spaceship is seen in a high-tech hanger, connected to an equally high-tech interface used to simulate combat. Text onscreen appears, reading: "Image projector ok! Cyber connector ok! Control system ok! Go!". The screen then fades to white as the simulation begins.

dinosaurgerms, 1 month ago

For instance, Stage 2 sees you pursuing a giant battleship over an endless cityscape (a fun take on the "giant-ship-as-entire-level" trope), while Stage 3 sees you navigating the cramped confines of a mine deep underground

Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the player flies over an industrial cityscape next to a gigantic spaceship (only a portion of which can be seen onscreen). The player spaceship shoots at the exhaust ports of the gigantic spaceship, damaging them.
Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the player flies inside a mine deep underground. In the background, various mine cart rails and mineshafts can be seen. Meanwhile, the player navigates in a series of cramped, industrial corridors in the foreground.

dinosaurgerms, 1 month ago

As if to drive the point home, Stage 5 takes place in a Giger-ian, 'R-Type'-ian horror landscape! I appreciate that Irem really ran with the "simulation" concept and gave a lot of visual/gameplay variety as a result

Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the player flies over an H.R. Giger-esque horror landscape and battles giant centipede-like enemies which fly across the screen.

dinosaurgerms, 1 month ago

At the end of every stage, the percentage of ships you destroyed is tallied up, and an average is calculated over the stages completed thus far. After completing stage 5, if this average is above 90%, you get to proceed to the "real-world" stages of the game!

Gif from "Image Fight" (cutscene, 2D pixel graphics). A spaceship is seen in a high-tech hanger, connected to an equally high-tech interface used to simulate combat. Text onscreen appears, showing the hit percentages across the five stages of the game thus far completed. At the bottom, an average average percentage also appears.

dinosaurgerms, 1 month ago

If your percentage is below 90%, however, the game gives you "remedial coursework"... which translates to "ridiculously-hard shmup level meant to break your resolve and steal your quarters". Seriously, look at this gauntlet

Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the player through deep space while attempting to destroy roughly a dozen other space ships, each of which fires lots of laser attacks at the player. The stage looks very difficult.

dinosaurgerms, 1 month ago

[Real talk, beating this stage should probably result in you beating the game, with a message to the tune of "You're pretty good" printed to the screen, but I digress]

dinosaurgerms, 29 days ago

At this point, the final three levels of the game take place in "the real world". They're a little underwhelming compared to the prior levels, since they take take place exclusively in space + space station environments. At least you get a cool launch-off cinematic for all your troubles thus far

Gif from "Image Fight" (cinematic, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). Four small spaceships sit at the bottom of a large "launcher", which propels the spaceships into outer space one after the other. The player spaceship is the third to be launched, and upon doings so, blasts off using its rockets once reaching the end of the launcher.

dinosaurgerms, 29 days ago

Well, okay, there's a really cool part where you're flying above a planet in the shadow of the sun, which blots out the star field behind you

Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the player fights other spaceships while flying above a planet in the shadow of the sun. This planet effectively blots out much of the star field in the background.

dinosaurgerms, 29 days ago

The final level takes place in a space station, which features a cool variant on the "infinitely-deep vertical canyon" visual trope that's often seen in shmup games of this era

Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the player flies inside a gigantic space station. In the background, an extremely deep vertical "canyon" by the space station.

dinosaurgerms, 29 days ago

Meanwhile, the final boss is some sort of giant computer-y thing that appears to be covered in some sort of organic plant growth

Gif from "Image Fight" (gameplay, 2D pixel graphics, top-down perspective, vertical scrolling). A small spaceship controlled by the fights a boss that appears as a giant computer-like machine covered in organic plant growth. The "computer" fires countless projectiles on the player, while machines along the walls of the enclosure of the computer attempt to capture the player with "force field"-like weapons.

dinosaurgerms, 29 days ago

In the ending text, you find out that a "weird plant from another planet" (lol) grew in the central computer, and "deranged it" (???)

Wait a minute. This plot sounds weirdly familiar; a computer, subsumed by a nefarious force, out of control. I've heard it before...!!

jake4480, 29 days ago

@dinosaurgerms wow, yeah computers in the 80s just gettin deranged left and right huh hahaha

metin, 29 days ago

@dinosaurgerms Reminds me of

https://letterboxd.com/film/evilspeak/

and

https://letterboxd.com/film/demon-seed/

😈