In terms of games you may have been expecting to make their way to the Switch, it’s fair to say that a Sharp X68000 version of an arcade shooter featuring witches may well have been near the bottom of the list. But none the less the cute’em up with the cult following has not only made its way to the system but has also managed to secure a Western physical release thanks to ININ game.
The release contains both the enhanced reboot version and
also the original X68000 release. The X68000 version is included over the
original arcade version due to it generally being held up as a superior game
containing changed attack patterns and extra bosses. The reboot is based on
this version as well. That said, both version of the game present are
dramatically different in terms of look, speed and generally how they play so
you are effectively getting two games for your money.
Cotton is a side scrolling shooter in the vein of R-Type and
Deathsmiles – Just with witches taken from a studio Ghibli movie backed up by a
laser toting fairy. The gimmick with Cotton revolves around coloured gem
pickups and the magic system. The gems act as power ups and give different shot
types, add to your magic and bomb stock and also raise your experience level
which in turn improves your damage output. The gems do more than this as well
though and are key to building your score. When shot, the gems split your shots
meaning you have increased fire power. This in turn also acts to raise the
score multiplier. Once the gems turn black though your shots no longer split
and instead simply block your shots which acts as an effective risk reward
system.
The magic system effectively gives you a host of special
skills you can use such as raining boulders down from the sky or blitzing the
screen with lightning. You pick up the various spells from gems as you go
through the game and can also raise their level and set off a sub version of
what they do. I had real issues with this system as it’s completely colour
coded so not great for the colour blind. As a result I would normally just be
pressing the button and seeing what happened next without the ability to plan
any sort of real strategy.
The reboot version of the game also presented some issues in
this area. The sheer amount of stuff, enemies, bullets, background art and
general beauty hitting the screen did cause a lot of problems with bullets and
enemies disappearing into the explosion of colours. Again, this could be a
colour blind thing but I suspect this will cause issues for a fair few people –
especially in handheld mode. The same issue doesn’t really effect the X68000
version as the different colour palette and slower pace of the game reduces the
issue significantly.
Both versions of the game do look decidedly lovely though.
The cartoon visuals of the reboot match the original style well and though
incredibly busy at times it does make you want to stop and take screen shots at
every possible moment. The original version of the game also looks great in its
retro way. It has a slightly more low-key colour palette but it’s a remarkably
well designed game from a visual point of view.
Overall, Cotton is a fun and worthwhile shooter for fans of
the genre to experience. Aside from the look it doesn’t really do anything particular
outstanding or different compared to the big hitters in the genre but it’s
certainly strong enough to warrant a purchase. Not many games look as good as
this either and it’s clear a lot of care and attention has gone into bringing a
fairly niche franchise to a Western audience. All in all it’s a great fun
package that will serve shooter fans well.
Overall 7/10
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