{"id":124522,"date":"2022-05-04T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-130748"},"modified":"2022-05-04T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T13:00:00","slug":"review-toaplan-arcade-garage-hishou-same-same-same-m2-delivers-two-seminal-sharky-shmups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/05\/04\/review-toaplan-arcade-garage-hishou-same-same-same-m2-delivers-two-seminal-sharky-shmups\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Toaplan Arcade Garage: Hishou Same! Same! Same! – M2 Delivers Two Seminal Sharky Shmups"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Toaplan
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

M2\u2019s ShotTriggers series has been an ongoing pilgrimage of preservation for some of the greatest shoot-em-up\u2019s in arcade history. Hishou Same! Same! Same!<\/a> combines an early Toaplan series of two: Hishouzame<\/strong> and Same! Same! Same!<\/strong>, known in the West as Flying Shark<\/strong> and Fire Shark<\/strong>, respectively. Both original arcade titles are presented here with a variety of modes, correctly maintained aspect ratios, screen settings, and a library of bonus features and options to tinker with. Regional variations are also present, since they have slight alterations in overall difficulty. After an initially long load, the opening menu screen blasts you like a Van Halen power ballad with a terrific arrange of Flying Shark\u2019s \u2018Against The Attack\u2019 \u2014 regrettably unavailable as an in-game audio option.<\/p>\n

Flying Shark (1987) and its sequel, Fire Shark (1989), are quasi-World War themed shoot-em-ups, sending up biplanes with hefty ordnance against futuristic, cannon-bristled tanks, battleship-patrolled seas, enemy bases and muted mountain ranges. Graphically, these titles are a product of their time, and all the more endearing for it, peppered with land-based details like runway strip airmen pointing you to glory, or the trailing plane that crashes on take-off, its pilot lying inert in a smouldering pit.<\/p>\n

\"Toaplan
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Toaplan sought to broaden their shoot-em-up horizons with a faster, more expansive experience in the Shark titles, ploughed with secrets, bonuses and layered scoring elements. Anyone who assumes that the modern bullet hell format is the summit of shoot-em-up difficulty doesn\u2019t understand the broadness of the genre. In bullet hell, 90% of fire is pure periphery, obsfucating paths through tiny hit-boxes. Conversely, Flying Shark and Fire Shark are absolute destroyers of worlds, with singular aimed bullets zipping in from every direction. To ease the pain, M2 provides a finger-sparing auto-fire button \u2014 something the original arcade release didn\u2019t have by default. Unfortunately, it\u2019s locked at 10hz speed, which is about double what it should be, and as a result there is some break-up in the rate of fire.<\/p>\n

Like most shoot-em-ups, powering-up is a matter of urgency, and doing so requires you to know the opening stages in detail. Flying Shark is the easier game, with just five stages in a loop, and more limited weapon options and strategies. It\u2019s similar in feel to Tiger-Heli<\/a>, though less punishing, and some may prefer its brevity and relative simplicity. More straightforwardly structured, you swat biplane formations and accrue power-ups until you\u2019re laying out a formidable barrage. It\u2019s an extremely enjoyable learning process, and getting through even the first 15-minute loop is incredibly gratifying thanks to its incremental nature and awesome, driving soundtrack.<\/p>\n

Fire Shark, comparatively, is a long, 10-stage stint that\u2019s soul-crushingly tough from its opening gambit to its snowy final third. At the same time, this was a revolutionary shoot-em-up release, not just for Toaplan\u2019s output, but for the genre entire. It plays faster and looser but no less exactingly, requiring razor-sharp reflex and heroic resolve. It established many modern idiosyncrasies that continue to echo in today\u2019s vertical scrollers, and is considered a highly influential work. At the same time, it\u2019s unashamedly brutal, with bewildering bullet speeds in its latter half. That said, the second-player ship has a much easier ride, privy to both slightly slower bullets and far more extra lives, and is a widely preferred alternative among even seasoned shoot-em-up enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

\"Toaplan
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The problem is, selecting the second player ship, while doable, is ridiculously convoluted, unlike the PS4 version where it\u2019s simply a case of a quick option-screen adjustment. We don\u2019t know why this is, and it\u2019s essentially impossible to do in handheld mode, making it a rare quality lapse from the usually reliable M2.<\/p>\n

In both games, coloured icons bounce around the screen, some providing power-ups to your weapon meter, additional bombs, or upping your ship\u2019s speed. Fire Shark offers three weapon types, including the dreaded green laser: a powerful but ineffectively narrow shot type that usually has you avoiding its circling icons in addition to a hail of bullets. But, build the blue spread shot or the ultimately dwarfing red laser flamethrower, and you\u2019re instantly more in control. It\u2019s great fun in both titles to get your early power-up routines down-pat: the first milestone on a road to many potential victories. But, knowing when to hug the bottom edge of the screen to demolish incoming gunboats before they can fire on you, or those tight horizontal shots that soar dangerously across your plane\u2019s nose, is of the utmost importance.<\/p>\n

\"Toaplan
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the difficulty level across both games is steep, it\u2019s also an art-form. You are unkempt metal, pitted and warped, like that from the wing of a battle-worn Spitfire, and the conflict will temper you over days, weeks, months or years, until you\u2019re factory-curved and polished to a shine. Dedicating yourself to learning either of the compilation\u2019s titles is to commit to mastery. You need to remember what\u2019s coming and when; how to deal with specific formations on the fly, and sudden curveballs in the form of a measured quantity of RNG. Either way, you can expect to be pipped out of existence thousands of times, stripped of power and sent back remorselessly to the last restart point until you learn to turn the tide. Fighting your way through tens of increasingly difficult loops is akin to wrestling an actual shark \u2014 if that shark were buttons and directional inputs \u2014 but there\u2019s genuine elation in overcoming the challenge.<\/p>\n

For those who drill down into the core, there are plenty of scoring tricks and secrets to mine, too. Differently coloured enemy planes come in waves, seemingly dependent on your performance, and, while there are a lot of random elements in Toaplan\u2019s early games \u2014 and it\u2019s still not clear exactly what produces the white 1up-carrying biplanes \u2014 there is still some method to the madness. To help break this down, the now familiar M2 gadgets, which provide information on what\u2019s happening beneath the game\u2019s surface, offer a mini-map and display panes detailing bullet speed, weapon levels, and even the colour of upcoming formations.<\/p>\n

In the event it all gets too much, a Super Easy Mode offers a welcome, casual diversion. Featuring auto-bombing and lots of extra lives, it\u2019s both an exciting and relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Elsewhere, Custom Mode and Arcade Challenge \u2014 the latter a practice area where you can can get granular with game parameters \u2014 offer alternative time-sinks.<\/p>\n

\"Toaplan
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several home ports of the games are also on board, but sadly locked behind DLC barriers. Realistically, we think they should have been included, at this price, in the base game \u2014 but if you can only buy one, make it Fire Shark\u2019s superb Mega Drive port. It offers a console-friendly take on the arcade game, cracking audio, and a more reasonable difficulty curve, making it both encouraging to clear and a blast to try and master. And, should you find yourself in a fit of gnawing rage and done (temporarily) with shooting things, Toaplan\u2019s Wardner<\/strong>, a fun side-scrolling fantasy platform game, is also available as a (somewhat random) DLC extra.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Toaplan Arcade Garage: Hishou Same! Same! Same! is wonderful, historical stuff, conserving two beautifully designed roadmaps for the future succession of the genre. Antique, yet savagely modern in their viciousness, there are few titles that brew with as much energy beneath a late-’80s vintage aesthetic, driven intrepidly by Tatsuya Uemura and Masahiro Yuge\u2019s incredible soundtracks.<\/p>\n

Despite this, it would be misleading to cite the package as something for everyone. It\u2019s a perfect addition for people collecting M2\u2019s series, and for those with an interest in the preservation and best possible representation of notable arcade titles. As shoot-em-ups, Flying Shark and Fire Shark require a specific approach and methodology, and won\u2019t necessarily be to all tastes. If you revel in the thrill of old-school hardcore gaming, it\u2019s a duo that potentially offer years of service. For everyone else they may feel a bit samey, samey, samey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked) M2\u2019s ShotTriggers series has been an ongoing pilgrimage of preservation for some of the greatest shoot-em-up\u2019s in arcade history. Hishou Same! Same! Same! combines an early Toaplan series of two: Hishouzame and Same! Same! Same!, known in the West as Flying Shark and Fire Shark, respectively. Both original arcade titles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}