Disclaimer: Please note, The Chromatic by ModRetro has ties to controversial figure Palmer Luckey. NINWR LLC feels it is important to cover this software, but we do not condone the actions or opinions of any individuals involved in its production.
One of the more interesting tidbits when the Chromatic was announced was the ambition by ModRetro to do re-releases of obscure and hard to find retro Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. As part of their ModRetro Classics Collection, two new re-releases can now be bought and experienced for the first time by Game Boy fans. Since these games are technically re-releases we felt it appropriate to cover these titles as mini reviews.
Project S-11 is a pretty traditional shoot ‘em up for the Game Boy Color. You control a powerful flying Hmachine that needs to reach headquarters in order to transmit vital battle information that can help withstand the alien invasion. Across eight worlds you can shoot, blast and bomb anything that moves.
For a Game Boy Color title the gameplay is incredibly smooth. While I’m not the biggest fan of needing to repeatedly tap the button to increase your firing speed, instead of holding down the button, the battles are fluid. I will say that the backgrounds can be a bit too chaotic to spot incoming bullets. Most shmups are defined by their power ups and I think that Project S-11 does an admirable job with the variety of weapons that can change up your approach depending on the boss you might be facing. What I especially found helpful was the fact that you don’t just die from a single hit. Instead your ship has a shield that slowly regenerates, but allows you to take some damage before losing a unit. It makes Project S-11 feel retro, but definitely more accessible for newcomers.
The standout here is the soundtrack, which manages to perfectly capture the atmosphere of the different worlds you’ll travel across. In particular Planet Cephei and Bern Jungle are certified bangers. It can be a bit difficult to make out while you’re tapping the shoot-button like a maniac, but the soundtrack helps to make Project S-11 feel like a complete package. Don’t expect any major mechanical surprises, what you see is what you get here. But for that, you’ll get a pretty great shmup on Game Boy Color that’ll keep fans of the genre pretty entertained!
