PixlBit

Thexder is an old PC game released by GameArts back in the late '80s. In order to hopefully bring the title to the NES, GameArts licensed the title to Square. Eventually a sequel was released titled, Fire Hawk: Thexder the Second Contact. Both games sold extremely well in Japan and are still revered by many older gamers today. Clearly, since Square first acquired the license back in the '80s, they have retained the publishing rights to the property since they have just released the download-only PSP game, Thexder Neo, a remake of the first title.

The interesting part of Thexder Neo is the premise the game is built upon and the unique gameplay that accompanies it. Players start the level as a Mech that can run, jump, and shoot lasers in order to kill the various flying foes that occupy the levels you are spawned into. Unfortunately, as a mech you're a bit on the bulky side and can't quite fit through small tunnels. Furthermore, you can't really jump all that high, so logically the solution to this issue is allowing you to transform into a jet... yeah.

As you might have already gathered, this is a wacky idea, but a totally awesome one. Controlling both the mech and the jet is fluid and easy, and morphing between the two is equally easy. What this allows the game to do is make some labyrinth-like levels that aren't just forced side-scrolling like most shooters. Players will need to explore every nook and cranny of a level to unlock more health and health expansions that will help them stay alive in subsequent levels. At the end of each level, players are scored; this score will determine how much life you will have in the next level.

Thexder has a few other interesting concepts that transform the way in which you play the game. As mentioned earlier, you can shoot lasers as both the mech and the jet. As you shoot them, your life bar will drain. This forces players to strategically and judiciously use their lasers when their life is down. Thankfully, there is a fairly decent automatic lock-on system that will hit anything in front of you 100% of the time given you are in range of the enemy. Also, almost all of the enemies drop life, allowing players to replenish as they go.

Because nearly every aspect of the game plays into how much life you are given, the game plays something like a gauntlet. Every move you make will affect your life, so you need to decide when it's worth killing enemies and when it's necessary to run away. As you might imagine this makes the game excruciatingly hard. I played the game on Normal and made it three levels in, bumped it down to Easy and still only made it to level seven.

I'm honestly not sure what the game's ending point is because countless playthroughs resulted in the same situation. However unique the gameplay, the title won't click with most gamers due to this extreme difficulty level. Those who enjoy that type of challenge will undoubtedly appreciate Thexder Neo. It's a well-made title with no recognizable flaws, just one that is clearly targeted at a particular market.