REVIEW: Dracula Zone/Surf Eidolon (4-in-1 Volume 5)
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Story Brief: "In the territory of Eidolon, a group of cannibalism monsters willfully attack the ships and the people. So nobody have the courage to play on the beach. Though many people come forward to beat these monsters. But no one can go back. Lolo, the Princess of Eidolon kingdom inherits all special quality. She makes decisions to beat these monsters for the sake of all kingdom."
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The Timetop Gameking is infamous for the peculiar English translations of its 'story briefs'. Yet there is a consistent inconsistency to its use of language that begins to identify itself once you've waded through enough of these. While we are pretty sure that the Timetop verb 'interlard' doesn't actually exist in our reality, the frequently occuring noun 'Eidolon' does actually have some real world context, being a slightly archaic term for a ghost or spirit.
Of course none of this explains why this game is called 'Dracula Zone' on the box and 'Surf Eidolon' on the title screen, but there's a kind of weird logic to the story if you interpret 'cannibalism monsters' as 'vampires' and the reference to people being afraid to go to the beach as an explanation as to why Lolo the Princess bears more of a resemblance to Marvel's Silver Surfer than she does Princess Peach.
Of course none of this explains why this game is called 'Dracula Zone' on the box and 'Surf Eidolon' on the title screen, but there's a kind of weird logic to the story if you interpret 'cannibalism monsters' as 'vampires' and the reference to people being afraid to go to the beach as an explanation as to why Lolo the Princess bears more of a resemblance to Marvel's Silver Surfer than she does Princess Peach.
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The game itself is a horizontally scrolling shooter where your squat little surfer girl rides her surfboard seemingly underwater, blasting ducks, rogue clams and other sealife while trying to make it through each of the three 'cols' (or levels as sensible people call them).
The game opens with the usual well animated intro of the surfer blasting a shark to smithereens and drops you straight in at the deep end (pun intended) as you are instantly under attack from wave after wave of enemies.
In fact, until you pick up the first power-up, the game can be brutally ruthless, with fast flying sharks zipping across the screen and removing one of your three lives before you've even had a chance to figure out what is going on.
In your defence you have two forms of attack: a regular pea-shooter with infinite bullets and a limited number of 'ion cannons' (the number of which remaining can be viewed by pressing select). Firing the Ion Cannon will unleash a volley of powerful bullets for a five second interval that more or less leaves the princess invulnerable and is extremely useful for wiping out a cluster of bad guys. These smart bomb style weapons can also be restocked and collected as powerups as can extra lives and a defensive shield that encircles the player.
The game opens with the usual well animated intro of the surfer blasting a shark to smithereens and drops you straight in at the deep end (pun intended) as you are instantly under attack from wave after wave of enemies.
In fact, until you pick up the first power-up, the game can be brutally ruthless, with fast flying sharks zipping across the screen and removing one of your three lives before you've even had a chance to figure out what is going on.
In your defence you have two forms of attack: a regular pea-shooter with infinite bullets and a limited number of 'ion cannons' (the number of which remaining can be viewed by pressing select). Firing the Ion Cannon will unleash a volley of powerful bullets for a five second interval that more or less leaves the princess invulnerable and is extremely useful for wiping out a cluster of bad guys. These smart bomb style weapons can also be restocked and collected as powerups as can extra lives and a defensive shield that encircles the player.
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Visually the game looks pleasant with nicely different looking enemies, a unique looking main sprite and larger end of level bosses moving about amid the underwater scenery. On the Gameking III the game also has a nice looking colour palette with green and blue tinged backdrops complimenting the aquatic theme and not distracting from the red tinged main sprite and enemies. Unfortunately, as with most shooters on the system, the GKIII's display does make for a more jerky looking movement and the game therefore feels and plays much smoother on monochrome Game King hardware.
Sound-wise the game pumps out a couple of decent tunes and the sound effects are generally ear pleasing and satisfying. Unlike many Game King shooters, it's also no walk in the park and with no continue option available it will take some time to conquer all 3 of its stages. This difficulty can be frustrating at times, especially when a fast moving enemy or the cumbersome size of the main sprite leads to what feels like a cheap death, yet, despite this, the game can still drag you back for one more turn.
Dracula Zone/Surf Eidolon is a decent GK shmup that can be commended for its original look and feel on a system filled to bursting with vertical space shooters. It may not feature the legendary vampire himself but it will occasionally drag you back for another go on it's riptide.
That's our attempt at a surfing reference.
Whatever.... At least we didn't say 'interlard' again.
Sound-wise the game pumps out a couple of decent tunes and the sound effects are generally ear pleasing and satisfying. Unlike many Game King shooters, it's also no walk in the park and with no continue option available it will take some time to conquer all 3 of its stages. This difficulty can be frustrating at times, especially when a fast moving enemy or the cumbersome size of the main sprite leads to what feels like a cheap death, yet, despite this, the game can still drag you back for one more turn.
Dracula Zone/Surf Eidolon is a decent GK shmup that can be commended for its original look and feel on a system filled to bursting with vertical space shooters. It may not feature the legendary vampire himself but it will occasionally drag you back for another go on it's riptide.
That's our attempt at a surfing reference.
Whatever.... At least we didn't say 'interlard' again.
Score 7/10
