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GINGA FUKEI DENSETSU SAPPHIRE
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銀河婦警伝説サファイア
©1995 Hudson Soft
Release : 1995-11-24 (¥6800)
ArcadeCDRom² HCD5080
Shooter / Vertical
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Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is an intense vertical shooter by Hudson Soft
and is probably the most popular PC Engine CDRom among gamers. The game was released
late in the console's lifespan and offers what no other PC Engine game ever dreamed
of - visual feast of psychedelic effects and outrageous action. The protagonists of the game
are four girls pilots part of a futuristic police unit called the Burning Rabbits.
Their duty is to go after bandits, to explore the far corners of the universe and to even
venture back in time, whatever the risks, to prosecute the worst criminals. Because humanity
is now advanced enough to travel through time, this special police force was created to
protect society from these new "time criminals". The player has four girls, and
therefore four spaceships, to choose from. Each one balances out the next and usually
trades off fire power for maniability and speed. Three weapon types are available throughout
the game - Vulcan gun, Multi Ways and Laser beams - and each one of
them can be significantly upgraded. Then special satellites soon fly close to the spaceship
and provide additional firepower. Interestingly, they can also protect the ship from enemy
bullets and be charged up to launch daring attacks. A two-player simultaneous cooperative
mode is also available.
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Interestingly, Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire was ported to the Playstation Portable
in 2008 and was part of the Ginga Ojousama Densetsu Collection
(aka Galaxy Fraulein Collection in the west). The compilation also included
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna and Galaxy Fraulein Yuna 2. I wondered for some
time why Sapphire was part of such collection and the answer is rather simple
- they both share the same character designer, Mika Akitaka.
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Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire was released late in the PC Engine system's
life which is certainly echoed by its hefty price tag. Is it often ranked as the most
expensive commercial PC Engine title and clean copy can today fetch between $300 and
$400 in the collectors' market (plus the price of an Arcade or Duo card if you
don't already own one). It is not, for that matter, a game that
anyone can afford. Until recently. Back around 2003, a counterfeit of the game appeared
(and I'm not ashamed to say that this is the version tested here) and was sold for $60.
Because the counterfeit copies are so close to the legitimate game - down to the minutest
detail including the registration and spine cards - some sellers (honest or not) have been
selling them at full price. It is rather easy to figure out if you own a counterfeit if the
case has been opened - the word CARE4DATA is clearly visible on the inner ring of
the game's CD (see picture on the right). If the game is brand new and still shrink wrapped
then it is a different story. I recommend you to visit
SuperPCEnginegrafx.net
and their excellent guide to distinguish legitimate copies of Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire.
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Game Staff (Copied from the end credits) :
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GINGA FUKEI DENSETSU
[ SAPPHIRE ]
Executive Producer
Yuuji Kudou
Directer
Osamu Tsujikawa (CAP)
< STAFF >
Character Design
Mika Akitaka
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Program
Taisyo (CAP)
Kenz (CAP)
Graphic
June Bride (CAP)
Kumiko Love (CAP)
Inaka Daioh (CAP)
Animation
JC Staff
Sound & Music
T'S MUSIC LIMITED COMPANY
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Tools
Izumi Fukuda (CAP)
Takashi Iwanaga (CAP)
Development
COMPUTER ARTIST PRODUCTION
Special Thanks
Takeo Itou
Tadahiro Nakano
Hidetoshi Endou
Mitsuhiro Kadowaki
©1995 HUDSON SOFT
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is an amazing game. Keep in mind it was released back in 1995,
eight years after the PC Engine system. This is truly remarkable and you can hardly believe
it until you actually play the thing. Sapphire is the ultimate game
made to celebrate and extend the final days of a brilliant system. Zooms and rotations,
smooth pre-rendered 3D sprites, morphing and lighting effects - Visually, Sapphire
is a fireworks display. But alas, everything is not bright and shiny. The game is rather
short and an experimented player will probably finish it very quickly, starving for more
(the "Cute but hard!" slogan found on the spine card is totally overrated). I'm also
not a big fan of the heavy-metal soundtrack and the sound effects - but it is all a question
of taste. Then comes the final drawback - no-one could truly accuse the game designers for
that though - the current insane asking price can fetch upwards of $350 and the game is not
worth that much. You could buy a Sega Saturn instead with Batsugun, Donpachi,
Radiant Silvergun and probably have some change left. Still, Sapphire is a
milestone, a monument, the zenith of the PC Engine library. No doubt about it.
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