Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero [Review]
Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero is a blast from the Super Famicom Satellaview past.
Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero is the final game in the Shockman series and the only one for the SNES, while the rest are on PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16. Originally released on the Nintendo Satellaview service in 1997 and was unavailable until a limited edition physical cartridge was issued in 2017, making it a hard to find game. This new version published by Ratalaika Games is the first time the game is available in English.
The game is a sidescrolling action platformer, but unlike previous entries in the series, Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero (Zero for short) has beat-em-up mechanics. Combat is simple, with the ability to do small combos. You can also do a low kick to knock down enemies or hold the punch button to power up an energy projectile. None of the enemies will cause you any trouble unless they catch you off guard; once you hit an enemy, they’re stunned until you finish your combo.
As far as similar games from this generation go, Zero was easy. I was able to finish it in just over an hour with one of three credits left. In case you find the game too difficult, it also includes a rewind feature as well as a Debug menu that will let you activate cheats or skip levels. One of the debug features disables the unskippable cutscenes, a blessing for anyone who wants to speed through the game again to get any missed achievements.
Zero features a co-op two player mode. I didn’t get a chance to try it, but I love co-op in games like these and look forward to replaying it with a friend.
Zero was fun, but I enjoyed it more as a curiosity. It’s cool to be able to play a Satellaview game, since the service wasn’t available in the United States and they typically didn’t get released any other way.
Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 / 5, and Xbox One / Series X|S.
Overall Score: 5/10
Played on: PS5
