If you are a gamer of a certain age then no doubt you would have heard of a game called Strider. It is said to be one of the all-time great platformers ever made and I would say rightly so as I remember losing so much time to this title in the arcades. Kouichi Yotsui who created the game left Capcom and went on to do other projects, one was a arcade game called Cannon Dancer, considered to be the spiritual successor. It never made it to the homes and this was sad but now nearly 30 years on it has been released on home consoles for all to enjoy.
Publisher: ININ Games
Developer: ININ Games
Release Date: 13 April 2023
Thanks to PR Hound for the review code.
Cannon Dancer: Osman is a digital download that actually contains two games. You have the original Japanese release which was known as Cannon Dancer and you also have the Westernised version know as Osman in the arcades. There was really no difference in the games other than characters name were changed to give it more a feel for the gamers outside of Japan, but still, it is interesting to have both versions here in the same release to see for yourself.
The presentation does feel very minimal and as is the norm with most re-releases of retro games from that era you have various filters to give old-school CRT feel. The game is very action packed and it is side-scrolling platformer that has the same feel that Stride had back in the day. The gameplay is probably not very long and could probably be completed in around forty minutes, so it is useful if you just fancy a quick blast while you have a spare hour or so to kill.
The action is fast paced and the combat works well, especially the hand-to-hand combat. You have a range of attacks and combos that can help defeat enemies and the power-ups take the form of different colour shorts that not only add style to your character, but additional abilities which is cool. The levels are your standard style for the games from this era and you can jump around and climb to get the advantage on your enemies.
The stages are basically time affairs that you get given a set period to complete it and if not, you get a game over screen for failing. Those gamers who likes to do speed runs and brag about their times will love this and also the various cheats that ca be selected from the title screen makes this great for newcomers to the style and want to learn the stages and game. Graphics are colourful and sharp and look good on modern consoles and with the filters give a great retro feel to a fun game.
Final Thoughts
Cannon Dancer: Osman is a fun platform game that is now finally seeing the light of day outside of the arcade. The game is action-packed and fun but is short which adds to the fun and replayability. This game is a worthy purchase and great to add the retro collection of games.
Nice Visuals” negatives=”Very minimal menu presentation”][rating title=”Gameplay” value=”8.5″]
[rating title=”Graphics” value=”9″][/review_summary]