So what happens when “That Final Fantasy Company” decides to diversify their portfolio of games, and try their hand at the Shoot-em'-up genre, literally, the last genre you would expect to see from Squaresoft. The answer is the PlayStation’s most popular, and mainstream recognized Shooter in Einhander.
Their tenure on the PlayStation 1 really saw Squaresoft experimenting and expanding into new intellectual properties in new genres in both the games they developed and published. Outside of putting up, arguably, their strongest lineup of traditional RPGs ever, they also expanded into publishing games like Tobal Number 1, Bushido Blade 1 and 2, and Ehrgeiz. Games like Einhander and Chocobo racing also showed that Square had started to dip their toes into other genres as well. While NES fans will remember games like Rad Racer and 3D world runner as non RPG Squarsoft games, Square had pretty much been that RPG company since their release of Final Fantasy, and Einhander is a testament to the time when Square started to branch out more and experiment with new genres.
Einhander, aside from being the first polygonal shooter I personally played , is easily the most popular shooter of it's type on the PS1, making it's way on multiple demo disks in it's time, and getting full-page spreads in magazines like Gamepro Magazine. It seems as if this was an attempt on Squaresoft's part to break the under-reperesnted, in the mainstream flow of gaming that is, Shoot-em'-up into mainstream popularity. An extremely niche genre that had, and in many ways always has been relegated to hardcore niche-gamers, and genre zealots alike.
Many of those same genre-zealots will be the fist to tell you they consider Einhander to be one of the most overrated Shooters of all time. As the most mainstream-popular shoot-em'-up on the PlayStation, their stance is understandable, as some people consider this to be the greatest shoot-em'-up of all time. Seeing as this is a niche genre with so many incredible underrated offerings over the decades, It is understandable as to why some genre-fans don't like this game very much, as, even in the PS1's incredibly underrated library of Shooters, I wouldn't pick Einhander as my favorite either. That being said, this game still has a lot going for it, and is still a great attempt by Squaresoft to break shoot-em'-ups into the mainstream market. Chances are, if you played no other games in this genre when you had a PlayStation, you probably at least played the demo of this one.
If Einhander is still your favorite Shoot-em'up of all time, you chose well. You should never let genre snobs (something that the shoot-em'-up genre has an overwhelmingly high percentage of from my experience) make you feel bad for liking any game you like, and this game still has a lot going for it . Einhander still retains that trademarked tough-as-nails, but very intense shoot-em'-up genre gameplay.
At it's core, the gameplay seems pretty basic when compared to other shooters. No big screen-clearing bombs, No multiple options, or even an in-game upgrade purchase menu like in Gradius, Einhander is you, your ship, and whatever gunpods you collect off your foes along the way. In Einhander, the core gameplay revolves around collecting an using the various gunpods you collect off of fallen enemies mixed with using whichever ship-type you choose to play through the game with.
Throughout the game, various enemies drop different guns for the player to equip and use, these gunpods have a finite amount of ammo, so it is up to the player's discretion on how and when to use them. On top of the gunpods, each ship-type comes equiped with your standard infinite ammo machine-gun, and various gunpod abilities depending on which ship you choose. For example, out of the three default ships (there are two unlockable types as well); the first just has two gunpod slots, one of which replaces your default machine gun, this type uses the gunpods until they run out of ammo, and discards them, and is the hardest ship to play thorough the game with; the second type has only one extra gunpod slot, but can store up to three pods at once, allowing the player to swap between each pod on the fly, making for a customized type of strategy, using the right pod at the right time instead of just expending the pods at random and trying to hunt for a new one; The last one has dual machine guns, simplified controls, and can carry one gunpod making it the ideal craft for beginners to use, and it does more damage with it's basic machine gun. Choosing the right craft, and the right gunpod for the job is essential to your success in this game.
Einhander has a good variety of gunpods to use, some are really cool, but some aren't effective in every situation, for example, the grenade launcher, and the hedgehog are devastating against the bosses, but almost useless when being swarmed. You can also earn new gunpods throughout the game to equip on your fighter from the beginning of the game, which are reequipped on your fighter after every death, meaning, you won't have to start with just the basic machine guns after you die. Another cool feature in the game, is that bosses and some regular enemies blow apart in sectional portions, so players can go for a larger score, and whittle the bosses down to their final state, or just go the the kill, attacking each boss' main damage point.
The game also has some cool visual aesthetics that go along with it being a fully polygonal shooter verses a sprite-based one. Nice explosion and colored lighting effects, dynamic camera angle switches that ad a cinematic flare to the game, the big bosses sport imaginative designs, and are well animated, and the early polygonal graphics hold up nicer to modern eyes than many other PS1 offering will. The only graphical problem I have with the game is a common problem I find in many polygonal shooters, and that it is sometimes hard, in the colored lighting, explosion effects, and waves of enemies to spot incoming enemy fire leading to sometimes frustrating deaths from projectiles you didn't see coming.
The game controls perfectly and has no issues, even in bouts of slowdown that occur. Swapping gun pods is a cinch, and speeding your ship up or down are also simple to do which is a plus in the midst of the action. Some fighters may seem more complicated to use in the midst of battle, but that's a practice issue for the player, not a control issue. The music is also well done, but what would you expect coming from Squaresoft.
As for any any complaints I may have against the game, I really can't think of any, outside of my own lack of skill at games in this genre. The entire game is solid, and has the average learning curve when it comes to shoot em' ups. Learning the quirks of the gun-pods and their best uses, and memorizing the level and boss patterns are an integral part of Einhander, as it is all Shoot-em'-ups. Honestly, this game plays well, looks good, controls well, has all the needed intensity for this genre, and is, overall a very solid showing in the genre, even though, I would agree, there are better shooters out there.
All that being said, for being a well made, well playing, solid shooter, and an admirable attempt to break this niche genre out into mainstream success, and to break out past just being an RPG company on Squaresoft's part, Einhander earns Station Geek's game of the month for September 2018. Love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in the middle, this is. Easily, the PlayStation's most mainstream-recognizable Shoot-em'-up
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