In motion, this game looks much better. This level has an amazing multi-layered parallax effect
When in phoenix mode, annihilate all you can
It often helps to pound bosses with smart bombs
Here try to pass without touching the flames
CrisisForce is a graphical behemoth
The last level has lots of mid-level bosses
There is some minor slowdown when the screen gets too crowded
The last boss. I edited the screenshot with photoshop. Wanna see the real thing? Go play the game then!!
Review-There are always some games that seem to come out of nowhere especially when you think you have seen it all!
CrisisForce has come to me as a total surprise. I was unaware that it ever existed before I bumped into it on the ever-present ebay…
Imagine just this:
- it has been developed by Konami and it is unrelated to any other Konami shmups series
- it is a Famicom exclusive as CrisisForce never saw the light on the NES or on any other system
- it uses dedicated chips built into the cart to make the Famicom do things it was never supposed to be ever doing.
Now honestly, how could I have passed on a game like this?! Anyways, now again I am going to repeat myself and I will say something I have been saying an awful lot lately but CrisisForce delivers some insane graphics that I would have never in a million years thought the Famicom could have ever hoped to produce.
Take level 1 for example. It starts out like a pretty ordinary 2D shooter but mid-way through the level, a totally amazing parallax effect unfolds underneath your ship, very much like the groundbreaking Canyon in Musha Aleste! But we are talking 8bit technology here! And this is not even it, as when you hit enemy ships, they will beautifully zoom back in the precipice they came from. At one point, you'll be shot at by spectacular laser beams that will leave huge crates across the level, almost remodelling it!
There are about 7 levels and 3 continues and on normal mode, the game is fairly challenging and very enjoyable. The weapons selections may seem a bit limited but you can switch type of ship while playing (there are 3 ships and each ship has its own weapons). Also, you'll have a very handy smart bomb at your disposal and by collecting a certain number of blue icons, you will temporarily transform into some kind of invincible flaming phoenix which will let you literally tear through big portions of the levels!
Interestingly, CrisisForce offers a cool 2 players (simultaneous) mode with a twist: when you transform into the phoenix, one player controls the ship and the other fires (like a madman I might add).
To conclude, this game has been designed and engineered specifically for the Famicom and it pushes it to unfathomable extremes of technical extravaganza and pure fun.
Bottom line: For the shmups maniacs out there: you would be crazy to miss this one! 10/10
from retro to modern gaming 
