Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi Extra (2010)

Note: Grouvee only has the PS3 release of this game on the site. I'm gonna talk about the PS4 version, known as Deathtiny. It is fantastic and I reccomend it to all.

I'm going to open by saying this is the best game I played in 2019, and it's not even particularly close. And I'd say 2019 is probably one of the strongest years of game releases in some time. And I was barely even looking forward to this - I ordered it off some skeevy site where people buy figurines to cum on essentially on a whim after playing the also great Battle Garegga Rev. 2016, also ported by M2 in their Shottriggers series.

I didn't expect it to be as amazing as it is, and honeslty, why I find it so good has been hard for me to put my finger on. As Cave's games go, it has some of the most conventional visuals - with it's realistic-ish military aesthetic seeming initially a bit dull compared to later releases such as Mushihemesama and Muchi Muchi Pork, for instance. It's a 20 minute long shmup where you go and and blow up a big military compound, big deal, there's many like it.

With the aim of not making this review a million characters long, It boils down to all the game's elements coming together to make something bigger than the sum of it's parts - and those parts are fantastic in the first place. Ketsui has some of the best stage design out of all of the Cave games i've played, particularly in stages 1, 4 and 5. The music is exceptional, using great use of motifs throughout, whilst also carrying a half melancholic, half upbeat tone that works well with the other elements of the game. The excellent sound design in general is worth noting - even after hearing the beep of the lock on laser thousands of times, I never tire of it.

On top of that, you've got some excellent bosses, a scoring system that an average player can actually make sense of within a few credits yet still has the depth of Daioujou, and despite the military aesthetics maybe not being for everyone - the quality of Cave's digitized sprites is undeniable, and large enemies in particular look fantastic.

Now, this so far is pretty standard for Cave. Honestly, maybe a bit bland. But where Ketsui really comes together is in it's combination of a 'Narrative' and all these pre-existing pieces, along with a sprinkle of meta. Forgive me if this sounds dumb and philosophical.

So, spoilers, but Ketsui is about a suicide mission. The pilots in the game know they're bound to die as the game starts, and the whole game is essentially about determination in the face of certain death - Ketsui even literally means "Determination". That's nothing particularly special, and frankly going into ketsui, with its lack of an english translation, you probably wont even know it.

Yet at the same time, it's a theme that runs through the game, from it's music to it's mechanics. The game is undeniably brutal - for the average consumer they will be lucky to make it to stage 2 their first time out. Yet at the same time, there's an element of motivation there. Listen to the Stage 1 theme and you may see what i'm getting at.

This tone of determination in the face of certain death and extreme difficulty is something that works to the game's favour massively, and is pretty much the sole reason why I rate it as my favourite shmup over Daioujou and Mushihemesama Futari. That Melancholic tone, the idea of a suicide, impossible mission - that's something the pilots share with that average player who puts in the credit. You're not going to make it on your first go. But at the same time, it will definetly feel possible.

And as much as the game kicks you down and makes you feel like it's a herculean task, the little design decisions give you a leg up at the same time, even if you don't notice them. Bombs are ludicrously powerful throught, giving you a good few seconds invincibility every time, and since the average player can also easily access at least 3 free extra lives through score or shooting down certain enemies, it's actually nowhere near as hard as it feels. It's still brutal, but it's not evil. In the first loop there's no bullshit patterns, there's no bullets that come at the speed of light, it's really a very fair shmup as they go.

This 'Determination', for my money, is what sets Ketsui apart. As sad as it is, it's a game that's been directed to encourage you to keep going, keep trying, and reward those who learn it's mechanics, stages and even scoring. At the same time, it presents a pretty compelling narrative and one of the best directed 20 minutes of game you'll ever play.

Worth noting, the PS4 port of this game from M2 is absolutely fantastic. The emulation is close to perfect, there's a huge variety of modes, soundtracks variations and little features, and whilst I can understand that the £50 price tag would put people off, i'd say it's well worth it, even for non-shmup players.

So yeah, that's my Ketsui gush. I hope i've been able to convey why i think this game is so special. For a dumb, 20 minute long game where you just dodge bullets and shoot back, there's some je ne sais quois to this game I hope i've been able to put into words, and that I hope you'll try out for yourself - whether it's from the M2 port or just Mame - if you give it 20 minutes of your time, I guarantee it will not waste them.

(A 2-all from a player way better than me)