Cloud Cutter

I want to take you back to the exact moment in 1993 when I saw the game Silpheed running on the Sega CD for the first time. After years of looking at simple 8- and 16-bit shooters with repetitive pixel backgrounds, my eyes couldn't believe the detail and movement on display in Silpheed. I was convinced that as technology became more advanced, shooters would continue to look better and more realistic. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. While there have certainly been gorgeous shooters throughout the years that have used the more advanced hardware to push the genre, we've largely seen a shift back to the 8- and 16-bit roots. The new game Cloud Cutter is the kind of shooter I was picturing in my head back in the mid-1990s. It's an explosive action game where we zip over stunningly realized stages filled with so much eye-popping detail that you may just lose track of the enemy fire. But does Cloud Cutter have more going for it than amazing graphics? Let's find out.

Think of Cloud Cutter as a modern day take on the 194X series. This is an intense overhead shoot 'em up where we jump into a fighter jet and shoot down hundreds (if not thousands) of enemies in hopes of stopping a nuclear war. At least, I think that's what's going on. With no setup or story, it's not real clear who you're fighting for or what led up to this war. All you need to know is that there is a whole enemy army looking to shoot down you're plane, and it's up to us to make sure that doesn't happen.

If you can't tell from the paper-thin setup, Cloud Cutter has been inspired by the great arcade shooters of the 1980s and 90s. Don't let the gorgeously detailed backgrounds and cool lighting effects fool you, because this is a classic shooter through and through. It's the kind of game where we anticipate enemy flying patterns, dodge tons of bullets and fight off massive bosses that take up the entire screen. You've seen this formula many times before, but it's rare to see it look this good.

It helps that the background isn't just some static image you're flying over. There are enemy trucks, trains and tanks below that are just as dangerous as the fighter jets in the sky. Every stage forces you to comb the background for bad guys to shoot and explosive barrels to blow-up. It's oh so satisfying watching the trees bend and sway at the destructive chain reaction caused by just a few well-placed shots. But don't get too comfortable, because you'll still need to dodge the bullets and missiles screaming at our jet at all times.

There are thirteen increasingly challenging stages in all, featuring everything from raids on tropical islands to assaults on oil refineries. No matter if you're flying over the icy tundra or the bright blue ocean, every stage looks incredible. I especially like how we'll suddenly start flying closer to the ground for a portion of the level or even switch to a third-person perspective that is reminiscent of After Burner. There are also stages where all you do is take down a massive boss vehicle with all kinds of moving parts to blow up. And with optional bonus missions for all thirteen stages, you'll have more than enough reason to go back and replay every part of the game.

With so much going on both in the sky and on the ground, you might expect this game to be another one of those bullet hell shooters that is built for the hardest of hardcore fans of the genre. I was surprised (and maybe even a little relieved) to see that Cloud Cutter is a lot more accessible than many throwback shoot 'em ups. That's not to say that it's easy, because the harder difficulty levels are going to kick your butt. But with a health bar, useful items, a leveling system and plenty of health pick-ups, this is a game that somehow manages to be balanced in a way that will appeal to the hardcore players and still be welcoming enough to people inexperienced with the genre.

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A lot of this is because of the leveling system, which does something small (yet important) that I wish more shooters would copy. When the player picks up the power item, the plane gets a little stronger and more capable of taking out the enemy forces. This is nothing new. However, instead of losing it when you die or hitting a limit after a few pick-ups, the jet in this game just keeps getting more and more powerful. It starts multiplying shots, adding drones, shooting out homing missiles and even employing a laser that targets the ground. And, best of all, you never lose this. You just keep getting stronger and stronger as the thirteen stages play out. By the end of the game, I felt like I was a seasoned pilot taking control of an over-powered jet. That nuclear missile-loving enemy didn't stand a chance against my advanced firepower, which is an extremely satisfying feeling to have in a shoot 'em up.

One thing I'm less sure of are my feelings on the game's speed. Maybe it's because I'm used to playing blistering fast shooters, but this one crawls along at a snail's pace. In some ways it breaks the illusion of piloting the world's most powerful jet when it limps through the level at around 10 miles per hour. There are even times when you'll come to a complete stop and just hover in place, as is the case when you're going up against the game's far-too-easy final boss, which leaves the game on a bit of a sour note. Good thing the rest of the game is so awesome that you'll have no problem forgiving a few of its minor imperfections.

While it may not reinvent the shoot 'em up genre, Cloud Cutter has enough fresh ideas to hold your attention through thirteen intense stages. This is a gorgeous looking action game with so much detail going on that you'll want to replay the levels multiple times just to see it all. This is a game that uses the more advanced hardware to create a shooter that looks modern, something you don't see a lot of in a genre swimming in retro throwbacks. The downside is that the speed is a bit on the slow side and the final boss is a total pushover, but both hardcore fans of shoot 'em ups and newcomers will find a lot to like in Cloud Cutter. I want to see more shooters with this level of fidelity.