Syvalion, for SNES

Rating: 4.0/10; Below Average

Not recommended.

Syvalion is a 2D side view shoot em up. The screen does not auto scroll and you are expected to move in all directions to get through maze like levels. Navigation is not difficult because an arrow tells you where to go. Getting the piece of crap dragon you pilot to go where you want without dying is another story.

You control the head of the dragon, which can only move in the direction it is facing. The D pad controls direction but if you want to go in a different direction than the head is currently facing, you will have to wait for it to rotate before you can move. Forget about being able to strafe or do any kind of evasive manoeuvres; by the time you see a threat it is most likely already too late. On top of this the dragon's snake like body trails behind the head following the exact path that the head takes and if any part of the dragon is hit your hp goes down. This all makes the dragon a ridiculously cumbersome thing to operate that is in no way fit for combat. Might as well be driving a Command and Conquer harvester.

It does have a weapon in the way of a flame breath. Charge is limited and recharges when you move. The breath can also be used to block projectiles and knock back some enemies and bosses. Does not sound too bad? Think again because the level design is atrocious. Narrow confines with platforming style traps that are immune to damage, enemies that spawn in on top of you to the point where it is often impossible to not take damage and a time limit that forces you to rush. Most enemies can also pass through the walls (why can't we be piloting one of those?), the view distance leaves very little margin of error pretty much requiring pre emptive shooting (especially when going up because the UI obstructs the screen there) and only the early bosses are knocked back by the flame. All bosses try to rush you to do contact damage. They not only have more health than you but are also faster and more manoeuvrable.

The entire game is a frustrating mess that would be literally unplayable if not for infinite continues that allow you to pick up right where you died, even as far as despawning nearby enemies and remembering damage done to bosses.