A late game encounter sees the enemy skip across a bunch of rocks atop a river – aim at the rocks and you see your shots bounce straight off. Another boss hurls its enormous fists your way with unpredictable timing. One mid-boss encounter forces you to partake in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The segments where Cotton flies upward rather than forward recontextualise the action, removing the need to dodge oncoming scenery in order to focus on a pure shooting gallery style gameplay.īoss encounters show similar levels of creativity to play. Indoor locations constantly twist and turn while forcing you to fly around all sorts of floating debris, while at some points Cotton is never afraid to nosedive toward the ground at full speed, before yanking herself upward to realign at the last moment. The dynamism of the ride is impressive and frames the action perfectly. Stage 3 starts with Cotton flying above the night-lit train tracks, before making a sharp dive underground, proceeding in, out, and around an ancient gallery en route to the boss inside it. It’s the level design though that shows original developer Success was still riding a creative wave, moving from the gothic thematics of previous titles to more vivid, illusionary worlds. Replaying levels with the speed setting cranked up to reckless levels adds an extra layer of high score chasing. While this initially seems perfunctory, giving you less time to dispatch enemies and anticipate obstacles, each stage has a best clear time. There’s a satisfying risk-reward system at play here, especially when you must hold back your fire to absorb the crystals.Ĭotton also doesn’t fly at a fixed speed, instead, her flight speed can be adjusted between three states. Shooting crystals cycles them through different colours, at the cost of keeping them in mid-air – distracting you and obscuring your view. Enemies drop crystals, with yellow crystals powering firepower, and other colours granting screen-filling magic. As with the original game there are several aspects to Panorama Cotton that set it apart from other games of the same ilk.įor starters, Panorama Cotton retains the crystal-juggling antics. The effect is so convincingly implemented here that it recalls an alternate future where 3D games would be constructed out of richly detailed sprites.Īs you’d expect then, Panorama Cotton involves flying onward, shooting at things, all the while dodging scenery, enemies, and projectiles. Similar to Space Harrier and Galaxy Force II at the arcade, sprites are constantly manipulated and thrown about, giving the impression of movement and depth. This transforms the game from side-scrolling shooter to an into-the-screen shooter. The game’s terse title tells us everything we need to know, in fact: the camera is now placed right behind broomstick-riding witch Cotton, revealing a panoramic view of the worlds she flies through. Launching in 1994, Panorama Cotton is a seriously impressive Sega Mega Drive title.Ĭotton has, historically, rarely been afraid of reinvention, and Panorama Cotton is no exception. Maybe there is a method to the bidders’ madness. Boxed copies of the original today fetch a whopping 55,000 yen (£350) on Japanese auction sites. This month also marks the first time the game has been reissued since its original Japan-only appearance over 25 years ago. This year’s Cotton series revival shows few signs of slowing, with the SEGA Mega Drive shooter Panorama Cotton re-emerging for release on modern systems.
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