Steam-Heart's

Steam-Heart's
PC-98 cover art
Developer(s) Giga
Publisher(s) TGL
Platform(s) PC-98, PC Engine CD-ROM² System, Sega Saturn
Release PC-98
  • JP: March 15, 1994
PC Engine
  • JP: March 22, 1996
Sega Saturn
  • JP: September 23, 1998
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up, eroge
Mode(s) Single-player, cooperative

Steam-Heart's[lower-alpha 1] is a shoot 'em up and eroge developed by Giga and published by TGL. The story follows two siblings as they fight off a virus that is negatively altering the behavior of people in their world. The game features shooter gameplay paired with ample erotic cutscenes with scantily clad women. Steam-Heart's was initially released on PC-98 personal computers in 1994. It later made its way to the PC Engine CD-ROM² System in 1996 and then the Sega Saturn in 1998. All releases have been limited to the Japanese market. Critics generally found the gameplay to be average, with the erotic content being the sole distinguishing feature.

Gameplay

Top: The gameplay is standard for vertically scrolling shooters. (Saturn version shown) Bottom: The erotic cutscenes were common discussion points among critics.(PC-98 version shown)

Steam-Heart's is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up and eroge.[1] The primary weapon on the player's ship can either be a vulcan cannon or laser. These shot types can be upgraded or swapped by picking up power-ups. The player can also choose from a variety of secondary weapons which vary between the versions of Steam-Heart's, but include fixed turrets, flamethrowers, and satellite ships that hunt down enemies among others. The ship can also temporarily boost in any direction to dodge enemies or pick up items.[2]

The player only has one life but can take about six hits before losing the life.[2] There are only continues in the cooperative two player mode. In single-player mode, the player must start the level over again.[1] The Saturn version includes an arcade mode (a mode devoid of all cutscenes and character dialogue), and a score attack mode.[3]

The story surrounds a world that is taken over by a virus, changing the way people behave. Two siblings however, Blondia and a hermaphrodite Fallandia Varady are immune to the virus and set off to fight it.[4] The characters exchange dialog during gameplay to progress the story.[3] The bosses at the end of each stage are mecha piloted by scantily clad women including catgirls. After each boss is defeated, the characters interact with the boss characters through erotic cutscenes.[1][3]

Development and release

Steam-Heart's was developed by Giga[3] and published by TGL.[5] The character artwork and animation was done by Takahiro Kimura.[6] It was originally released for the NEC PC-9800 series of personal computers in Japan[2] on March 15, 1994.[7]

The game's first port was in March 22, 1996 for the PC Engine CD-ROM² System.[8][9] For this release, all the graphics were redrawn, the secondary weapons were weakened or removed all-together, and the two player mode was pulled.[2] It was released near the end of the system's lifespan as its last shooter.[10]

A port for the Sega Saturn was released on September 23, 1998,[3] as the Saturn was beginning to lose market share.[4] Again, all the graphics were redrawn, but this version retains the cooperative mode and also includes more secondary weapons. The Saturn version also makes more use of the scaling and rotation effects supported by the hardware.[2] Eroge was known for being more graphic on personal computers than consoles, so when the game was ported to the PC Engine and Saturn, the cutscenes were completely redrawn to be less graphic, albeit more suggestive.[2] The Saturn version is the most censored.[2] The text scrolling in the original was also replaced with voice acting in the console versions.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP)6.0/10 (SAT)[lower-alpha 2]
Super GamePower4.3/5 (SAT)[4]
Revival7/10 (PCE)[10]

PC Engine Fan praised the quality of the cutscene graphics and character designs in a preview of the PC Engine version.[5] Revival did not find the game to be much of a technical feat, despite coming out towards the end of the system's life. They felt the game was enjoyable but ultimately found it to be a weaker offering than other shooters on the system such as Gate of Thunder (1992).[10]

Reviewing the Saturn version, Video Games magazine wrote that the game was standard shooter fare, and was only worthwhile for those that enjoyed the erotic cutscenes. They believed the game could not stand up to the likes of Radiant Silvergun and R-Type Delta (both released in 1998), and found the graphics were not much of an improvement over the PC Engine version.[1] Three reviewers covered the game in Sega Saturn Magazine (Japan). The two more critical reviewers felt the gameplay was unbalanced and generally uninspired. One criticized how the cutscenes would show still images for too long while the voices continued on top, and they compared the game to old eroge for personal computers. The more receptive reviewer appreciated the erotic themes, and felt the bullet hell gameplay was balanced and enjoyable.[3] Super GamePower was also receptive of the game.[4]

In a retrospective review, Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 wrote that beyond the unique approach to cinematics and the dodge mechanic, the game does very little to distinguish itself from other shooters. He deemed the Saturn version the best because of the improved graphics and gameplay, and the PC Engine version the worst because of cut content and slower gameplay. He believed the Saturn version was better than most Raiden games, worse than Dodonpachi and Terra Diver (both 1997), and about on par with Batsugun (1996).[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Suchīmu hātsu (スチーム・ハーツ)
  2. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine scores are aggregated. Two reviewers gave a 5/10 while a third gave an 8/10.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Karels, Ralph (February 1999). "Import: Steam-Heart's" (PDF). Video Games (in German). Vol. 87. p. 63. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 30, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kalata, Kurt. "Steam Hearts". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "スチームハーツ" (PDF). Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) (in Japanese). Vol. 27. October 2, 1998. pp. 72–73, 174. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lord Mathias. "Saturn: Steam Hearts" (PDF). Super GamePower (in Portuguese). No. 57. p. 27. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "スチームハーツ" (PDF). PC Engine Fan (in Japanese). February 1996. p. 94. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 30, 2018.
  6. ↑ Giga (1994). Steam-Heart's. TGL. Scene: End credits.
  7. ↑ "スチームハーツ - 中古 - PC-9801 3.5インチソフト - 通販ショップの駿河屋". Suruga-ya.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  8. ↑ "製品紹介". TGL (in Japanese). 2000. Archived from the original on August 2, 2001.
  9. ↑ "スチームハーツ [PCエンジン] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  10. 1 2 3 "Test: Steam Heart's". Revival. No. 26. 13 April 2005. pp. 14–15.
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