Overview
Do you believe in Magic?
Unless you are heavy into import shooters, you'd probably never know that Dimahoo is actually the the third in the Mahou Daisakusen series. The series started off in 1993 with MD (or Sorcerer Striker), followed by the shooting/racing game Shippu Mahou Daisakusen (AKA Kingdom Grand Prix everywhere else) and then in 2000, this game was released on Capcom's CPS2 system. At first the, the theme of neo-modern knights and cybernetic dragons may seem a little odd, but it's this unique approach that make for an interesting series. "What does Mahou Daiskusen mean?" The best way to interpert that is "Magic War". Dimahoo is actually a take on the Japanese term "Dai Mahou" or "Big Magic"
Great Battle Is Beginning
Once again, the human race is threatened by an, evil merciless race known as the Gobligan Empire. The fate of the world lies in the hands of four bounty hunter pilots. The main palyer characters are: Solo-Bang, an 'Elvis-esque' warrior with a cool guy look (he pilots the Detroit, the 'knight fighter'); Karte, the cute sorceress with the odd-looking Kelba-Nukuku (yes 'it's robes' do move!), Miyamoto, the Samurai Dragon who doesn't need a ship since he is as big as any of the player ships himself, and also Grimleen, a trio of Necromancers whose ship, the Karigyuran (sp), is made of bones and skulls.
This was before that black and white game?
As with most modern shooters, you can always count on there being a gimmick of some kind. (you know like the hit chains in DoDonPachi, the color chaining in Radiant Silvergun or even the Buzz System in the Psyvariar games). Dimahoo actually has several gimmicks that add a different dimension on shooter gameplay:
-Elemental Burst: By holding the shot button, your ship changes from fire mode to ice mode and back. Yep, this is much like Ikaruga since the opposite element deals double damage to the enemy (and can kill you as well), and the same element only does half damage but you can nullify only the same type of enemy element shots and taking a hit will not kill you, but cause your power level to go down.
-Items: Besides the usual power up items (to be covered later), you also have a series of RPG-type items to collect. These items range from food to shoes to swords to rings and more. There are even secret Legendary items, fairies, and even classic Capcom symbols! Items are obtained by destroyine the enemy with your Elemental Burst. The longer you charge your Elemental Burst, the higher the item level is (up to 8 max). By collecting all of the items in a group, you also get a multiplier that is applied to the items based on how many groups you completed as well. For example, if you get all of the Food and Shoe items and then grab a Slayer Sword, you get the sword's value times three. Some secret items require certain criteria to be met before you can reveal them. Some are easy pull off, and others require planning to get. Also, completing a group of items also affects your ship's attibutes. Getting all of the Armor will reduce your hit area, and all of the shoes will speed you a little. The incentive with collecting items also encourages use of the Elemental Burst at opportune times.
Power-Ups. The power-up system in Dimahoo is much like that in the other MD games. Five small (or one big) P coins make your shot level go up a level. Magic books power up your sub-weapon. Crystals fill up your bomb meter a little. When it completely fills up, you gain an extra bomb. As with most shooters, you get three bombs. In this game you can give or take each other's bombs in a 2P game!
Great Challenge
Dimahoo consists of six medium length stages that get progressively harder as you go. To even do a good run on the first stage takes some practice. Of course you can creit-feed your way through, but the real fun is trying to survive on one credit. (some people see that with most games, regardles of genre, right)
Here are the stages:
Stage 1: Over a forest and a town. You're just starting off. Don't take it as an invitation that this is easy, though.
Boss: Super Demolish Walker BUSTURTLE
Stage 2: In the Air. Various Gobligan aircraft approach from many angles at high speed. I think the Stealth Dragon is going to come back...
Boss: Dragon Bomber DRATRION
Stage 3: Giant Land Cruiser. This thing is so big that you don't even see all of it. You definitely feel the intensity here.
Boss: Super Demolish Walker DRIBLING
Stage 4: Undergound Sewer(?)
By now you should have mastered using the Elemental Burst since there are even more enemies with their own elemental attacks! Since you've worked so hard in getting here, Take some rewards from the Chest Monsters.
Boss: Huge Spider Guarder CYPIDER
Stage 5: Gobligan base 1.
You think it's over? Not quite. In fact, your first encounter with the Stealth Dragon only made him angry. By the way, they have no mercy.
Boss: High Speed Bomber INFERNON
Stage 6: Gobligan Base 2.
Give it all you got! What would a "save the World" story be without a big, climatic battle? Did I mention that you have to face four bosses?
BOSS: Royal Super Attacker GIGAFACER
Let Ass Kick Together Again!
One nifty bonus that Raizing/8ing shooter fans get is Bonus Characters! You get Gain and Chitta from the first two MD games and also Birthday The Criminal, and Golden the Prince from Armed Police Batrider. While their ships look different, they play like one of the default characters with a different sub-weapon. It's features like this that make me glad to see that the development team didn't forget their roots.
Graphics 9/10
Take the visually striking Raizing graphic style and give it CPS2 power. Now you have a very beautiful 2D shooter that boasts creativity and loads of detail. Everything from Busturtle snarling to the innocent villagers cheering you on is done in such great detail. Even at times when there is a lot going on, there is no slowdown (at least none that I could notice). Very nicely done from beginning to end.
Gameplay/Controls 8/10
The Elemental Burst and Item collection systems may seem intimidating, but most players might understand after a credit or few. Like Ikaruga, being the right color at the right time can mean the difference between victory and defeat-as well as big points. Getting a good number of items is not an easy task. As stated above, some have preset criteria that must be met in order to obtain. It's so much of a challenge that even expert players bypass some items to survive. Some items can be found frequently and others can only be obtained at one point in the game.
As for the controls you have joystick and two buttons (machines with the third are for auto-fire). Seeing as your special technique is done with only one button, the controls are easy to understand, if not figure out.
Sound/Music 8/10
To fit the neo-modern fantasy theme, you get a music score that's orchestrated almost like what you'd find in summer blockbuster movie. (I know...that's the best I can think of). On the othe other hand you get a climax-building rock theme for the boss fights. It's not as memroable as other Raizing shooter tracks but it is good. The voice and sound effects are good too. There's not too much for the in-game voice except various enemy growling and the deep-voiced announcer, but there are plenty of sound effects to be heard too. Once again, it's very nicely done.
Replay Value 7/10
Like with most 2D shooters, credit-feeders are not likey to play this game again (especially after seeing the ending). Experienced players will try to collect more items, as they do change your scoring methods as well your general survival accordingly.
Overall 8/10
Dimahoo is an excellent game that will appeal to both casual and expert players alike. I personally feel it's kinda sad that this game will pretty much stay confined to CPS2 and it didn't stay around long enough for it to be widespread. With that said, collectors will be happy to know that this game can be obtained for a really good price. If you see it, give it a spin. It's a rollercoaster ride of pure shooting satisfaction!
- by eight one
