Under Defeat was originally a title developed by G.Rev, famous for developing iconic shoot ’em ups (or shmups) such as Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours and Yurukill: The Calumniation Games, and having a hand in legendary titles such as Gradius V and Ikaruga. With a resume like that, if you know your shmups you know that this team knows the genre well. After a long-delayed release on Dreamcast and then a troublesome HD port late in the life of the PS3, the third time could be the charm for this title to make a wider splash in the genre.
Rally The Troops
Under Defeat features a frankly troubling story. Despite being based on fictional countries it feels like a different take on World War II where you play from the perspective of the Germans, so I’m not going to go further into what that might imply. Weirdly, despite the rather bold story narrative the developers didn’t go much of anywhere with it, as outside of the intro there isn’t any story to contextualize this. It’s puzzling as to why they would choose to tackle this particularly sensitive subject but not actually do much with it, feeling somewhat like it was for shock value and nothing else, at least to me.
Shmup But Not As You Know It
Troublesome story aside, it’s a shmup, and we don’t pop credits to see dialogue and narrative unless it’s the aforementioned Yurukill. We are here for flying ships, dodging bullets, dropping bombs, exploding stuff, and raising high scores, and you can bet that last credit that Under Defeat HD has all that and then some.
First of all, I’ll discuss the unique controls of Under Defeat HD. It’s a vertical shooter in the traditional sense, but the way you shoot has quite the quirk to it: every time you press the shot button your helicopter (which you can choose from 4 options) will stick in place and shoot at that angle. This adds an incredible range of strategies to planning your shots and positioning. It can take quite a bit of time to get used to, especially when the player’s helicopter has quite a large model. Fortunately, as is common with the genre, your actual hitbox is the much smaller axle on your blades and not the whole body of the helicopter, though this too can take getting used to.
In an act of sheer brilliance, the HD release of Under Defeat features a twin-stick control scheme allowing you to shoot and adjust your craft using the right stick. Let me tell you, this was the game changer for me. Initially, I didn’t mind the game, but it felt a little too awkward to control. However, the second I turned that twin-stick shooter scheme on I absolutely fell in love with the game. I went from fighting with the controls to feeling like one with the helicopter, and this allowed me to really get into this cult title.
Another unique aspect of Under Defeat HD is the “options” craft, which are little crafts that assist you. You get a choice of three variations in this title: one that fires machine guns, one that fires missiles, and one that fires a rocket with a giant area of effect. While common to the genre, the difference here is they only appear when you charge them by not shooting which means if you are constantly holding down the fire button and raining down lead, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage as you won’t spawn your “option”.
Modes, Modes, Modes
Outside of the unique control scheme and the “options”, the game is very much a traditional shmup. It has 5 stages, each with a boss fight at the end, and 3 difficulty settings that are Easy, Normal, and Hard. You have various scoring factors such as how many buildings and “essential troops” are destroyed which provides you with a “contribution percentage” at the end of the stage. Should you range in the 95% sector, you can get a second loop of the stages that are mirrored and feature a different color pallet. This gives avid shmuppers something to shoot for alongside that highly coveted one-credit (1CC) clear.
One of the more puzzling aspects of the scoring is that there is no way to gain any extra lives (or “extends” as they’re often called). This means that you are stuck with the stock amount of lives to get through the game. The more you play it, the more credits you unlock if you want to brute force the game with continues, but if you want to do it on one credit without continues, you’ll have to be locked in 110% of the time.
In terms of modes available, you have the Arcade version of the game complete with everything that was included in the arcade release of the game, including a credit-eating difficulty. Under Defeat HD also has a unique arrange mode called New Order that makes use of a widescreen aspect ratio. You have more enemies to factor in the wider play area, and if that isn’t enough you have an arranged version of the New Order mode that mixes up the enemy placement and bullet patterns just to keep gamers on their toes and credits well and truly stolen.
To help players on their way to the 1CC Valhalla, there are practice modes for each mode that allow you to choose what ship you use, what section you start at, and what difficulty you do it at. This allows you to chip away at particularly tough sections or just learn those boss bullet patterns. I always appreciate a good practice mode and this one knocks it out of the park.
There is a gallery mode for you to pick through illustrations and models of the ships and enemies, plus online rankings for the score leaderboards if you want to channel your inner score chaser and top that score mountain. Finally, the game has all the DLC that was previously locked behind a paywall on the Playstation 3, making this the definitive version of Under Defeat. The only thing it’s lacking is online multiplayer, but if you happen to have a shmup-loving buddy locally you can couch co-op your way to victory.
Performing As Dreamed
Talking of this being the “definitive” version of this game, anyone who played the PS3 version of the game like myself will remember the agonizing levels of slowdown that version of the game had. I’m beyond happy to report that this version is completely void of the slow down and feels so good to be rid of it. You can just slap the twin-stick shooter controls on and dive in to see why this game has a cult following.
The Next Gen Shmup
The HD in the title isn’t a lie by any stretch. This is a fantastic-looking shmup using polygons instead of sprites, which isn’t my usual cup of tea but here it just looks amazing and so crisp I couldn’t help but feel drawn to it. Thematically it nails the World War II theme, with stages looking like actual battlefields and quite down to earth and grounded rather than wacky and colorful.
The game really has that Dreamcast era look to it while having been cleaned up respectfully. Everything is clear and bullets don’t blend into the backgrounds or the many explosions so it doesn’t detract from the gameplay like some more visually violent shmups do.
Keep Your Radio Clear
Sound effects are crystal clear; you can hear when your option is ready which is essential as you don’t need to monitor the status bar which can keep your sight away from oncoming bullets. Explosions are crunchy and shot sound effects are clear, but the real star of the show in the aural department is the soundtracks.
There are 4 different soundtracks on offer: the original arcade, the New Order, and “Arranged” ones, plus the new “Boosted” soundtrack. The original version was composed by the masterful Shinji Hosoe, known for everything from Street Fighter EX to Fate/Extra. Later versions feature additional contributions from composers who have worked at his SuperSweep sound studio, most notably by Yosuke Yasui who is known for his work on games like Super Dragon Ball Z and Megaman Network Transmission. Boosted in particular is a departure from the others with a more upbeat dance style to it but is well worth checking out. No matter which one you go for you’ll be tapping and humming along without a doubt.
Verdict
Under Defeat is a fine example of how when a good port is produced it can make a world of difference. I had this game on PS3 and it made such a little impression that I was apprehensive to cover it, but I am so glad I did. Clear River Games have absolutely knocked this game out of the park with all the available content and the clean-up job they have done, turning what was originally a “meh” game in my eyes into a top-tier shmup.
It’s a hardcore shmup through and through, but with various control schemes, outstanding soundtracks, and various ways to play it through I’m absolutely in love with this title and would feverishly suggest that any fans of the genre pick this version up. It’s not only the definitive way to play the game but in my mind, the only way the game should be played. Bravo Clear River Games and City Connection for bringing this once dull gem out as a blinding diamond in the shmup genre.
UNDER DEFEAT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
If you would like to see more Shooters, you may be interested in our review of DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou.
Many thanks go to Clear River Games for a Nintendo Switch review code for this title.
Pride of utopia & greatest thing ever, I found the One Piece, Collected the Dragon Balls & won the Mortal Kombat Tournament in one night, it was quiet for me that night! Follow me on Twitter @powahdunk
