PixlBit

It didn't shatter any records, but this action platformer was fun nonetheless

Shatterhand was developed by Natsume, published by Jaleco, and released here in the states in late 1991. Due to the fact that it was a late NES game, it never saw a sequel, which is a shame because it's a great game. The opening introduction alone is pretty cool. A bad guy is firing a gun; then it shows the main character blocking all the bullets. . . with his arm! Then he moves in and punches the bad guy right in the face! 

That's right, in Shatterhand, you don't jump on the bad guys or shoot them, you punch them. In fact, if you can time it right, you can even punch bullets that bad guys shoot at you. I'll get into the gameplay specifics in just a moment. 

                                    "Not the face!" Oh yes, the face!

Shatterhand does have a plot. The game itself doesn't give you any plot whatsoever, but the instruction manual says this: "Set in the year 2030, a group of military renegades known as Metal Command, led by General Gus Grover, are seeking to conquer the world by building an army of cyborg soldiers. Steve Hermann, a young police officer from the Bronx, ends up losing both of his arms during a skirmish with members of Metal Command. After the incident, Hermann is offered two specially developed cybernetic arms developed by the Law and Order Regulatory Division (L.O.R.D.) to replace the ones he lost. Hermann accepts the offer and becomes an agent codenamed Shatterhand, who is now tasked with the mission to defeat Metal Command."

That's cool, right? So you play as Hermann, who has cybernetic arms and loves to punch things. The villain, General Gus, looks very similar to M. Bison from Street Fighter. You fight him as the boss of the first stage and then at the end of the game. Shatterhand takes some cues from Mega Man as, after the first level, you get to choose which level to play next. There are five levels: forest, burning building, submarine, factory, and underwater base. These are each considered missions. Hermann's mission is always the same: get to the end of the level and beat the crap out of the boss! 

The gameplay in Shatterhand is great. You can run, punch, jump, and duck. Containers are scattered throughout each level; you must punch these containers to see what's hidden inside. Sometimes a grenade will be inside and you better get out of the way! Sometimes coins will pop out which will give you more points (similar to Mario Bros); sometimes a bag appears and you punch it as much as you can to get coins before it disappears; and sometimes you will get a letter icon (B or L). Power pads and healing pads are also in each level. If you duck on a power pad, your green vest will change to brown; your punches are now more powerful, but if you get hit three times, your vest will change back to green. Duck on healing pads to be restored to full health. 

There are several kinds of bad guys in the game. Some bad guys run right at you; others have guns, but if they see you coming they run away from you. Seriously? You have a gun, but you're running away? So you chase them down and PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE!!!! Sorry, I get a little excited with the punching. Anyways, other bad guys sit in one spot and shoot at you with a gun. There's also these big robotic dudes that throw exploding capsules at you. I have to commend this game for having a good variety of bad guys. 

                            When you attack, your partner attacks too

The most unique feature of Shatterhand is the partners. The top of the screen will show you three slots. When you get a letter icon, it goes into the first slot. You can punch the icon to change it; B and L are the only two letters (they're actually the Greek letters a and b). Once you get three letter icons, a partner will appear just above your character. His attack will depend on the order of your letters. Suffice to say, there are many different kinds of partners, each with a different attack. One will throw ninja stars; one will attack with a sword; one will blow fire; one will shoot out wispy balls; and there are many more. With the aid of a partner, the game becomes much easier. However, should your partner receive too much damage, he will start to flash orange and soon disappear. There are points in the game when you really need a partner, otherwise it will be nigh impossible to make it past a section (the submarine level comes to mind). Now here's the coolest part: if you have a partner, and you collect three more letter icons of that same partner, Herman and the partner will combine and for 15 seconds you will be invincible. You will be able to shoot flames from your hands! I was able to get this a couple times just before the boss and I demolished the boss in seconds. 

Speaking of the bosses, they're pretty good. Each boss has a distinct pattern, and you'll learn it very quickly. The worst part is that many of the bosses take forever to defeat; eventually they will start flashing red, but even then, they still take awhile to go down. One of the bosses is a complete Star Wars knock-off, complete with flying jetpack and lightsaber. Another boss is a big Arabian guy with a sword who can shoot fire through the floor. But the bosses were good for the most part. The final stage takes cues from Mega Man again as you must face all the bosses again before fighting the final boss. This was a pain in the MM games, and it's a pain in this game too. 

                     The platforming in Shatterhand can be very good

The music in the game is great. Classic NES tunes right here, composed by Iku Mizutani (Shadow of the Ninja, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers). You never get tired or annoyed from hearing the themes play while you punch bad guys in the face. 

Shatterhand is not a terribly difficult game. If you die, you'll start off at the last check point. If you have a Game Over, you have unlimited continues to try again. The hardest part of the game is definitely the last level; if you get close to the end of the level and die, you will have to start at the beginning. This is frustrating because you'll have to face all the bosses again. Without a partner, don't expect to even make it to the final boss. 

             "Mission Accomplished! For some reason, my arm hurts."

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

Shatterhand is a great game, although not perfect. There were a couple bad guys that were really annoying (the dudes on the hover bikes, for one). And there were a couple spots in levels that were very frustrating and sickeningly difficult, but I suppose that's because this is an NES game. Still, Shatterhand is a great game. The action is good, the platforming is solid, and the inclusion of partners is the best part of the game, in my opinion. This is a game worth playing. Dude, you get to punch bad guys in the face! 

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.