I often grow frustrated when games within the industry discourse are cast aside simply for their aesthetics. Many complain that certain titles (particularly those originating in Japan) possess such grating art styles that they can’t take them seriously, or worse, look down on those who enjoy them.
At first blush, I can understand why people would feel that way about Mamorukun ReCurse!. Its aggressive anime facade can be offputting, especially for “serious gamers” who don’t want to be associated with “that kind of stuff”. Unfortunately, this mindset prevents them from experiencing all sorts of great projects, and while ReCurse! isn’t the cream of the crop, it’s a fun bullet hell timewaster perfect for those looking to chase a high score.
ReCurse! is technically an enhanced port of Mamorukun Curse!, an arcade game that hit Japan in the summer of 2008. Given its initial trappings, you might expect the story to be threadbare, and you’d be correct. Somewhere in here there’s a plot about people being sucked into the Netherworld, where you’ll need to battle a generic “Darkness”, but it’s not likely to hold your attention.
Narrative isn’t too much of a concern for an arcade experience, and the gameplay is more than capable of picking up the slack. ReCurse! is a shmup, featuring a bunch of stylized anime kids. Each has a different shot spread; some fire straight, others in an arc, and one even has homing attacks.
Along the way, you’ll have to dodge plenty of projectiles, with precise movement being just as important as actually killing enemies. It’s a thrill to narrowly avoid death, but should you get hit by an errant shot, your character is done for. Your score in a stage is dictated not only by how many foes you gun down, but by how quickly you can complete it.
ReCurse! does add one interesting wrinkle to the shmup formula, that being the curse bullet mechanic. Charging one up and blasting an enemy will make them take damage over time, but they’ll also fire more projectiles back and drop increased rewards when killed. Alternatively, you can shoot a weak curse right in front of you, where entering it will temporarily buff your firepower. These are great ways to boost your effectiveness as you chase high scores, and the risk-reward tradeoff keeps skirmishes with even low-level enemies engaging.
If you’re deadset on discovering why the game’s events are happening, you can check out story mode. Here you’ll be ushered through various stages, all of which are bookended by relatively static character portraits exchanging dialogue. While this might be considered the premiere offering for a home console release, it’s hard to recommend it when the arcade mode is also present. It allows you to play through many similar environments, even letting you choose which path you’d like to take, without needing to entertain a weak plot.
There’s also the obligatory challenge mode. You’ll be given access to a small handful of stages, and after finishing them, you’ll unlock more grueling gauntlets to battle through. Unfortunately, these are made up of the same scenarios and boss fights you’ve already experienced, offering little in terms of new playable sections, so your enjoyment will be based purely on how motivated you are by chasing scores.
Completing levels across all modes will give you unlockables to view in the gallery. They’re almost all illustrations of the cast, but if you enjoy the anime art style, they can be fun to browse through. You’re also able to view the cutscenes from the arcade release and story mode if you want a refresher.
Is Mamorukun ReCurse! for everyone? No. Is Mamorukun ReCurse! even for most people? Probably not. The game caters to a very niche audience with its gameplay and art style, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that the package on offer is solid, and those who appreciate the genre will find it a decent addition to their collection.
