Like the arcade game, the beginning transformation animation and music is soooo good, but I couldn't connect with the arcade game's mechanic of making it hard to discern when enemies are on the grounds vs coming up vs parallel with me. I miss when shmups weren't obsessed with that antic. But I suppose people wanted something new (I like the same thing over and over for the rest of my life, but that's just me haha)

This version/sequel-esque has great music in the level, and the gameplay is great for an NES shmup. Tho I dunno why they had to include the see-up-skirt animation in the good ending (it's at least hidden behind a secret tho.. and I suppose they had a shirtless masc character in the Japanese version too, so I shouldn't judge too harshly).

Unfortunately, the graphics in this Japanese version are pretty terrible. Even for 1989