Review - Cotton originally came out in the arcades courtesy of Sega.

Developed by softco Success, it immediately became popular thanks to its Halloween-esque theme, its funny plot, its quality audio-visuals and its unexpectedly challenging gameplay.

Interestingly, given the “cute” characterization of the graphics, you would expect the game to be easy but in fact, it is far from being the case. Cotton difficulty is actually higher than normal as the little witch you control takes up a considerable chunk of screen meaning that backgrounds sometimes do get in the way while bullets aren't the easiest thing to dodge. Getting to the last level (level 7) with the 3 continues provided will take a bit of practice (although there is a hidden level select option that can be unlocked).

Luckily, controls are tight and responsive and throughout the game, you'll be able to collect fairies which do work as satellites (almost doubling your firepower), helping you cover a wider portion of the screen.

The PCE port of Cotton has been done admirably, as it replicates the original game as closely as the hardware limitations allow. This specific version (North American for the Turbo Grafx ) is very much sought-after because it is the only one that has English cut-scenes (the story is written in a very funny English).

Bottom line: Cotton is a landmark in the realm of “cute” 2D side-scrolling shooters. Play it and you won't regret it! 8/10