1997 · Alfa System · Light gun shooter · Light-gun shooter

Elemental Gearbolt

PlayStation exclusive

Elemental Gearbolt is your typical "save the world from the evil lunatic who wishes to destroy all of mankind for his own tyrannical reasons" story. In this case, a power hungry prince is plotting this scenario by using the Neural Network Computer, which happens to keep the world in balance. He wishes to destroy this machine, which feeds on volunteers, or Elementals. Once you die, your soul is fed to this machine which makes you an Elemental.

Released: 11 December 1997
Platforms: PlayStation
Genres: Light gun shooter Light-gun shooter Shooter
Developers: Alfa System
Publishers: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Science fiction Historical
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB T

About

Elemental Gearbolt (幻世虚構精霊機導弾, Genseikyokō Seireikidōdan) is a light gun shooter video game developed by Alfa System and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in December 1997 and North America in August 1998 by Working Designs.

Elemental Gearbolt received positive reviews due to its science fantasy setting, which is uncommon in light gun shooters, along with its incorporation of RPG elements, and particularly the artistry of its presentation. It features an orchestral soundtrack, and animated cutscenes directed by renowned anime director Rintaro.

Keywords

anime
medieval
based on - anime
polygonal 3d
cartoon cutscene

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

As is the norm with light gun shooters, the action in Elemental Gearbolt takes place from a first-person perspective, and the pace of the game and rate of enemy occurrence is completely preset. The player is only required to aim and shoot with the light gun. Most light gun games require the player to reload as ammunition is expended, but Elemental Gearbolt does not, since both the player characters and their weapons are magical. Instead, the game limits the speed at which the player can fire. The player can switch freely between three types of attacks—Blaze Phoenix, a basic, high powered shot; Thunder Tiger, a spread shot; and Water Snake, a rapid shot.

At the conclusion of each stage the player has the opportunity to select percentages of the score for the stage to allocate towards bonus points or experience. As in an RPG, the player characters gain levels by accruing experience, and thus grow more powerful and are better able to take damage. Score determines rank, and in the year following the game's North American release it was used to participate in contests sponsored by Working Designs.

Story

The events of the game are framed through Tagami, a mysterious figure who travels to the world in order to investigate what caused its destruction.

The world was home to two races, Audo and Sulunkan. The Sulunkan, descendants of a fallen magical empire, were oppressed by the Audo. There are resistance groups, but none strong enough to challenge the Audo ruling class. Nell and Seana, the Sugiku (half breed) daughters of a resistance leader, meet Bel Cain, the Sugiku son of the selfish King Jabugal.

Reception

According to Famitsu, Elemental Gearbolt sold approximately 16,348 copies during its lifetime in Japan. The game received "generally favorable" reviews, holding a rating of 79.71% based on seven reviews according to review aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings. GamePro's Four-Eyed Dragon considered it a "strong and enjoyable light-gun shooter with an unusual RPG flair", but saw the pixelated polygonal graphics and short duration as negative points. In retrospectives, Elemental Gearbolt has been listed among the best light-gun games on the PlayStation by Retro Gamer, Time Extension, and GamesRadar+.