Galerians: Our Little Secret

Display:
Galerians finally catches up to the rest of the 3D combat pack with a lock-on feature. Enemies close enough to lock on to display four green arrows, and locked enemies have red arrows. The game locks on automatically when an enemy is within a certain proximity to Rion. Conveniently, once locked, the enemy's HP is displayed above its head, and you can watch the numbers decrease as Rion pummels them. It's oddly satisfying. ^_^; It is worthwhile to note that, unlike other games with similar combat engines, G:Ash does not have gentlemen enemies - in other words, nearby enemies will attack even while Rion is engaged with another one.

Other screen features will no doubt look farmillar to those who played G1, like the map and the gauges. Its unfortunate that the onscreen map only shows the room Rion is presently in, but bigger maps are available via menus. Two new onscreen elements are the area display, which lists the name of Rion's current location, and the tension meter. The tension meter directly relates to the speed at which Rion accumulates AP, depending on the extent of his exertions and the level of danger in his surroundings. One of the most convenient new features is the ability to turn on RPG-style ratios for Rion's various meters. Finally, it is possible to toggle various combinations of the maps, guages, and ratios on and off with R3.

New Drugs:
Bustanor - A psychic equivilent of a heat-seaking missile - only it bounces and comes in voleys. An ideal long-distance weapon, it can home into enemies outside of lock range and deal repeated damage, but it is of little use on enemies at short range. Bustanor becomes available about halfway through the game. Refills of the drug are hard to come by, so despite it's effectiveness, it's difficult to make Bustanor a regular part of Rion's arsenal.

Breakaron - Allows Rion to charge the air in his immediate vicinity with electricity for heavy damage. While potent, Breakaron's range is small, and it's long power-up period leaves Rion open to attack. However, the damage often destroys enemies instantly. Breakaron is first available late in the game, and extra vials of it are very scarse, so it is best saved for sticky situations. Some of its best applications are in breaking out of tight spots or putting the hurt on bosses that have high defense.

Power Upgrades:
Any of Rion's powers can be upgraded, including the shield ability, and the means of doing so are Skip pills. The effects of Skip are permanent in Galerians: Ash, and it only appears after major battles. Each upgrade roughly doubles the range, cuts down the charging time, and increases the power of attacks, and improves the coverage and speed of the shield. Every power has a maximum of three levels, and once upgraded, it is possible to move back down to lower power levels if desired. There is not enough Skip in the game to raise all Rion's powers to the highest levels, so you'll have to be careful while chosing what to take to level three.

Index