Cotton Reboot lands on Switch and PS4 from ININ Games while proposing countless hours of fun in-game mechanics and audio and visual sections.
This title belongs to a sub-genre called cute them-up, similar to Konami’s Parodius and TwinBee series. Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams was a Mega-Hitt in Japan, a shooter game endowed with aesthetic lines brimming with joy, wacky characters, and flashy colours. It appeared in arcade games and later transferred to other systems. Its exciting gameplay and more than attractive graphics and musical tunes conquered the hearts of thousands of Japanese gamers. And now we got Cotton Reboot, a title that has just been revitalized to the extreme limits thanks to Beep and ININ Games.
Cotton Reboot – Cute them up
The title comes as a pack that includes both the original title in its X68000 version and a 4K Arrange mode that is an enhanced version of the same title while staying true to its core. In addition, it integrates several gameplay improvements and much-improved visuals. Two titles have enough packaging and unique characteristics to offer two differentiated gaming experiences. The base is the same, as is the development of the levels and their arrangement (final enemies, extension, design, etc.), but specific changes established in the modern version significantly change part of its original gameplay.
The title 1991 is a shooter of scroll side is played by a young witch called Cotton. She can fly using her magic broom, and a fairy named Silk accompanies us during our journey. Silk acts as a power-up to assist us. Stages have several levels to overcome, and the final location being the hardest of them all. Some levels are well designed and a decent size that comes to be like fantasy kingdoms populated by various creatures depending on the level itself. And at the end, a final boss awaits us that is humongous with a huge life-bar and powerful attacks.
The development of each phase is a shooting frenzy in which, frequently, the screen is flooded with rivals and projectiles in a bullet hell plan, being able to enhance the main shot of the protagonist as well as use different magic that acts as special attacks or defensive items, following the playable mechanics arranged in the Konami TwinBee classic in this same with one difference where the bells replaced with crystals. As we progress, crystals appear that act as enhancers and, depending on their colour, we get countless improvements for collecting them. You have to shoot them to change their colour, and you need to be fast and shoot them since gravity causes them to rush quickly towards the bottom of the screen.
A new feature introduces a couple of new colours (green and purple) that grant further special attacks to the witch; the crystals do not rush towards the bottom of the screen but remain static. Another new addition is the Fever meter that appears at the bottom of the screen. Once activated, it allows us to multiply our score to achieve the best High Score possible, one of the most defining characteristics of the genre. And since it is possible to compare our scores with those of the rest of the users, this adds a lot of life to the title, as also happens with the additional Time Attack mode.
The truth is that these changes and the faster pace at which the action takes place in the Arrange version make one and the other two different experiences. And given the inherent replayability that the vast majority of lifelong shooters possess, the short half-hour in which it is possible to beat each of the titles shockingly multiplies their useful life. And this same qualifier is what we can use to describe what the developers have done with the modern version. It is hard to believe that the original title is three decades old, yet it has aged well in gameplay mechanics. Visual glory that has been excited by an outstanding remixed soundtrack and beautifully crafted effects.
Final Thoughts
It would be best if you gave this cute-them up a try because it is a truly visual and playable delight. You get two titles that, despite being the same in most of their aspects, the truth is that they have enough differences so that they can be considered almost as two unique experiences. A pack that proposes captivating gameplay if you like the genre and its modern version with visual enhancements is nothing short of its original version but offers an entirely unique experince. In short, Cotton Reboot is a highly recommended game.
We prepared this review with a digital review key for the PS4 version provided by PR Hound.
