Einhander

by Sony

Product Features

• Squresoft Shooter
• Very Rare Game

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00002STPM
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,117 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

There's no denying that the space shooter isn't what it used to be. The once-thriving genre, championed by such classics as Gradius and Raiden, has boiled down to more of a nostalgic pastime. People just aren't as jazzed about blowing away hordes of alien space ships and racking up billions of points like before. While the occasional shooter still shows up every now and then, it seems like it'd take a miracle for a company to produce one that would rejuvenate the genre and renew public interest. Leave it to Squaresoft to accept the challenge. And while the fruit of its efforts may not be the miracle this genre needs for a complete revival, it's just about as good as shooters get.

Einhander isn't particularly long, but shooters almost never are. The half dozen or so stages are seamlessly interconnected and demand just over an hour to plow through in total. Each stage - in fact, each part of each stage - grows progressively more difficult, such that you'll constantly face new challenges in the form of smarter, meaner enemies and more of them. Likewise, the mid and end-level bosses will constantly keep you guessing, as they tend to be both unpredictable and versatile in their attack styles. Even shooter veterans will have their hands full with Einhander, though multiple difficulty settings make the game accessible and enjoyable even for those whose hand-eye coordination isn't what it used to be.

You star as an enigma who hails from the moon and swoops down upon Earth's powerful defenses, seeking to eliminate them single-handedly. You have a choice of three different superpowered spacecraft to fly, with two more hidden ships waiting to be discovered. Any of these handles beautifully, and you can adjust its velocity at a whim. All come standard with a typical peashooter that doesn't do much damage but gets the job done when you're dealing with lots of weak enemies. Some of the bigger flying vehicles and robots that'll come gunning for you will demand considerably more attention, but as reward for your effort, you can snatch their weapons from them as they convulse in explosive death throes. Over a dozen special weapons are available for your destructive whim. These include a vicious bullet-spewing Vulcan machine gun and its bigger, much nastier brother the Juno; the massive Cannon, capable of tearing through multiple opponents with a single slug; and the Wasp missile launcher that fires swarms of seeking rockets. Less typical weapons in the arsenal include the Blade, a short-range but powerful laser sword that can swirl around the hull of your ship to vaporize anything in your vicinity; and the Riot, a lightning gun that grows more powerful the longer you charge up its energy.

Each of these weapons can be swiveled between two positions, both having equivalent strategic importance. Further complicating the situation, these special weapons pack limited ammunition, meaning you need to make your shots count. Unfortunately, outside of all these great weapons, there are no power-ups or bonuses to be found anywhere. And you'll need all the help you can get out there, since one direct hit to your ship spells destruction and a trip back to the last continue point.

Finely tuned play mechanics aside, it must be said that a shooter doesn't add up to much if it doesn't look good. Ideally, you want to see as much detailed destruction crammed onto one screen as possible, without any irritating slowdown. Einhander delivers all that and more in full polygonal glory. The game flies by at a furious, consistently smooth frame rate, and everything onscreen down to the dinkiest enemy fighter is a carefully crafted polygon with moving parts, flickering lights, and plenty of style and attitude. Meanwhile, the background scenery is simply gorgeous. Countless levels of scrolling, complete with colored lighting and other impressive effects, make such settings as a futuristic downtown and a watery robotics facility really look alive. There's attention to detail all over the place, from undulating reflections in the water, to flickering neon signs advertising hi-tech nonsense. You'll fight any number of crafty enemy opponents along the way, and while the little guys explode in a blaze of glory, the bigger ones get shot apart piece by piece. But nothing compares to running into some of Einhander's boss robots for the first time. Your ship may look pretty slick, but it's nothing but a flea compared with the hulking, fully animated steel monstrosities you'll face at the middle and conclusion of each level in the game. These bad boys are as mean as they come and aim at you with blistering beam weapons, machine guns, and just about anything else you can think of. And should you defeat them, they really go out in style, with full-screen cataclysms, enough to make you avert your eyes.

Einhander sounds good, but not quite so striking as it looks. If anything, the musical score is a little subdued. Though the first stage opens with orchestral chords and an operatic soprano, all music thereafter is your typical rhythmic, ambient techno fare. It keeps the adrenaline going, but doesn't hold up too well in light of Einhander's graphics. Sound effects here are likewise in the typical shooter style, with high-pitched explosions piercing the soundtrack every inch of the way. Your ship's standard-issue gun sounds disappointingly '80s, though the special weapons you'll find along the way are appropriately deafening. Strangely (or perhaps predictably) enough, Einhander is also riddled with bits of German speech - usually shouted at you by the end-level bosses.

Though there are some hidden areas in the game, for the most part Einhander follows a set linear course. To help keep things fresh, you can look out for secret weapons and ships, and you can examine your performance once the dust has settled, with Einhander's keen player ranking system. The various difficulty settings and challenging bosses likewise lend Einhander much more play life than your typical shooter, and on top of all that, the game even sports a fascinating plot (fully revealed only in the last stages of the game). It's an excellent game that boasts all the assets that the best of its genre have to offer, as well as many of their inherent shortcomings. With that in mind, it probably won't make you a fan if you don't like this type of game in the first place. But rest assured, if you like shooters, you'll love Einhander. --Greg Kasavin
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

There's no denying that the space shooter isn't what it used to be. The once-thriving genre, championed by such classics as Gradius and Raiden, has boiled down to more of a nostalgic pastime. People just aren't as jazzed about blowing away hordes of alien space ships and racking up billions of points like before. While the occasional shooter still shows up every now and then, it seems like it'd take a miracle for a company to produce one that would rejuvenate the genre and renew public interest. Leave it to Squaresoft to accept the challenge. And while the fruit of its efforts may not be the miracle this genre needs for a complete revival, it's just about as good as shooters get. Einhander isn't particularly long, but shooters almost never are. The half dozen or so stages are seamlessly interconnected and demand just over an hour to plow through in total. Each stage - in fact, each part of each stage - grows progressively more difficult, such that you'll constantly face new challenges in the form of smarter, meaner enemies and more of them. Likewise, the mid and end-level bosses will constantly keep you guessing, as they tend to be both unpredictable and versatile in their attack styles. Even shooter veterans will have their hands full with Einhander, though multiple difficulty settings make the game accessible and enjoyable even for those whose hand-eye coordination isn't what it used to be.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A side-scrolling dream come true, May 26, 2001

By 

"numskull" (Holyoke, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Einhander (Video Game)

There's a reason why this game is held in such high regard among true blue shooter fans. Einhander has the trappings of a legendary game within its genre. Dazzling graphics, tight control, outstanding music and sounds, and a strong variety of weapons. They're all here, but that's not where the fun stops. There's also an art gallery that grows as the quality of your performance increases and an intriguing story, much different from the usual "an evil alien empire wants to destroy humanity, let's send one fighter pilot to stop all 500,000,000 of them" fare. In Einhander, you're on a suicide mission and you're painfully aware of it. Beautiful!

Einhander's visuals are beyond reproach. The backgrounds are vibrant and detailed without being garish or distracting, especially stage five. Ship designs are cool all around, and every enemy, from the mightiest boss to the lowliest peon, goes out in a blaze of glory when you destroy it, instead of merely blinking out of existence or disappearing in a bland red puff.

On the audio front, the sound effects are excellent. Launching rockets, shattering neon signs, and, of course, explosions. All well done. The intentionally emotionless female voice that addresses you after each stage is very credible, and the German commands you hear during boss encounters lend a terrific sense of atmosphere to the game. Moody and catchy techno tunes provide the musical backdrop and, for the most part, complement the corresponding areas perfectly. The operatic female vocals at the beginning of stage one clash very effectively with the destruction that ensues and let you know your ears are in for a treat from the start. And, the music for the sixth stage end boss (after the rocket with the time limit) is so rousing, you won't even care when he kills you 20 times in a row.

Eight special weapons are readily available and there's something for every taste, from the heat-seeking Wasp ("You can run, but you can't hide!") to the lightsaber-like Blade ("I don't need no Force to kick your sorry butt!") to the no-nonsense, wallop-packing Cannon ("JUST DIE!!!!"). Plus, there are four others (each a sort of variation on one of the ubiquitous eight) hidden throughout the game.

Einhander's developers hit the nail squarely on the head (pun absolutely intended) where the challenge level is concerned. The game can get pretty rough, but it's the GOOD kind of rough. No shields or defensive power-ups are available (one of the game's very few flaws) so one hit will kill you, but it has to be solid, direct impact. Enemy bullets that travel at 2 MPH and just barely graze the little ball on the top of your radio antenna don't count. The last two bosses are tough to beat, and some of the earlier ones aren't exactly a cake walk either, but the only one that I think crosses the line between "challenging" and "frustrating" is the robotic ape mid-way through stage five. Oh, how I despise that banana-chewing abomination!

You get three lives per credit and nine continues for a total of 30 lives, though you'll earn an extra life or two along the way when you attain a certain score. However, there is one point in the game...the rocket you approach from behind...where, if you fail to defeat it within the given time limit, it's GAME OVER no matter how many lives or continues you have left! So, unless you want to see the "bad" (or should I say "worse"?) ending, I'd advise you to get yourself killed if it looks like you're not gonna get the job done in time. Then, you'll get another shot at it.

If proof was ever needed that 2-D games can still be plenty of fun, Einhander is that proof. I revel in the fact that it outshines many more modernized games on all fronts despite the old-fashioned 2-D gameplay. The only exception is the Wasp missile being able to seek and destroy on-screen enemies that have yet to align with your ship (and certain objects in the background, too...that's a hint). Some might complain about the lack of a two-player mode, but in my opinion the gloomy suicide mission aspect of the game would be jeopardized if it weren't played solo. With three ships to select from and no shortage of secrets (including two additional ships), the replay value is strong, but even if that weren't the case, you'd want to play it again and again anyway, because it's crafted with such tender, loving care and, on many levels, it's flawless. I have no qualms about calling Einhander one of the all-time great games for the PlayStation. Square would be well advised to re-release it (along with Final Fantasy Tactics and Xenogears). Don't hesitate to grab a copy if you come across one, as I for one am NOT selling mine!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality Shoot-Um-Up, November 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Einhander (Video Game)

Einhander is a classic 2D (left to right) shooting game. The 'plot' involves a futuristic war between the Earth and the Moon. The Moon has far fewer resources than the Earth, and thus uses suicide pilots which simply destroy as much capitol as possible before being taken out. You are one of those pilots. This game features three fighters to play, as well as 10 or so special weapons. The fighters differ in how many special weapons they can use. Special weapons are generally obtained during game play, but you can start with one of your choice. Einhander is very fast paced. My usual 'strategy' involves holding down all the firing buttons and hoping that I live. If you get hit, your dead. Fortunately, you are provided with three fighters per game with the option to continue up to ten times. I have had this game for several months, and haven't beat it yet. The different bosses (and there are tons) are very well presented, powerful, and amusing to fight. Often times, you hear a german voice on a loudspeaker as the bosses come out; it really adds to the overall effect of the game. In summary, Einhander is an excellent game that I would recommend to gamers of all levels. It lends itself well to mindless destruction as well as strategy involving the special weapons. The graphics are well done, and this game has good extended play value.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alloy Butterfly, May 26, 2002

By 

Matt (Bethlehem, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Einhander (Video Game)

Einhander is the most impressive game in its class. Awesome graphics coupled with a fantastic array of weapons, arcade style handling, and outstanding, challenging objectives make it THE first choice for anyone interested in aerial combat.

The Einhander ship is a blue, jet-propelled weapons-handler that looks similar to a butterfly. The reason it's called Einhander? It has gunpods. "Einhander" in German means "one hand." In addition to its mounted machine gun, it has gunpods capable of taking on up to three special weapons. A few of these: Wasp, a compact and effective guided-missile launcher, Vulcan, a gatling gun capable of extreme rates of projectile discharge, and a devestating cannon.

This is a game you have to see for yourself. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it at any local video stores, but you can trust my words: This game is worth it. Buy it, borrow it, whatever. Give this game a try.