Nanatsu no Hikan: Senritsu no Bishou (Dreamcast) (2000)
Developer: Koei

Review by Faididi and Co.

The best action adventure remake ever

Story: Above Average

Koei's Nanatsu no Hikan: Senritsu no Bishou is more than a mere remake of the original Nanatsu no Hikan; it's a complete retelling, because except for the main characters, everything about it is different. This time, the two protagonists, Reina and Kei, are a pair of young college students who are visiting a professor who lives and works on an island. However, when they arrive at the research institute where their scientist pal is supposed to be, the man is nowhere to be seen. Worse still, nasty mutants with saws and rusty chains are running loose all over the place. Being good guys, Reina and Kei decide to investigate the island and to rescue the missing professor. The story is decent stuff, and there are multiple endings, which are always a nice bonus.

Gameplay: Excellent

Of course, story isn't the only area where Senritsu no Bishou differs from the original Nanatsu no Hikan. Whereas the earlier game is a graphic adventure that's about solving abstract puzzles involving arcane and creepy artifacts, Senritsu no Bishou is a real-time action adventure where Reina and Kei actively work together to defeat monsters and to overcome down-to-earth obstacles, such as security locks and lethal viruses. As a matter of fact, it plays somewhat like Climax Graphics' Blue Stinger, but with far more sensible level design. The old mansions have been replaced by several research buildings, and their relatively realistic layouts never feel like sprawling mazes of bizarre chambers.

What Senritsu no Bishou really offers over Blue Stinger, though, is its ass-kicking 2-Player splitscreen mode. You've read that right; you and a friend can each control one of the heroes as they gang up against the bad guys and tackle the puzzles. Reina and Kei can trade items between themselves, and they can also talk to each other to swap ideas and hints. Is there a door that has a hold switch? Have Reina keep it open while Kei goes in to search for goods. Facing a tough boss? No problem; Kei can distract the bastard while Reina shoots it in the back. The option to actively cooperate with a friend is a rare yet fun feature in the genre, making one wonder why there aren't more action adventures like this. (If you're playing alone, you control one character while the other automatically follows, attacking or avoiding enemies who get in the way.)

The game mixes up the action in an interesting fashion, too. Whether you play as Reina in the single-Player mode, as Kei in the single-Player mode, or as both heroes in the 2-Player mode will cause certain puzzles to change. As if the option to go through the story mode with a buddy isn't enough, Senritsu no Bishou comes with a training mode that also features 2-Player support. This actually plays more like an instant-action mode, because it consists of a variety of short challenges, such as death matches and scavenger hunts.

Controls: Excellent

The controls are responsive on the most part. Walking, running, sidestepping, and using weapons are all easy to do. Even though the heroes sometimes catch against other characters when they move too close to each other, the hefty set of options makes this game very Player-friendly. In the single-Player mode, you can switch among three different views at any time, and the behavior of the computer-controlled ally can be adjusted to suit whatever playing styles you prefer. In the 2-Player splitscreen mode, both Players use a first person view, but the screen can be divided horizontally or vertically.

Graphics: Above Average

The visual effects of Senritsu no Bishou are a bit better than those of Blue Stinger. The environments are textured well, and the highly detailed characters are animated smoothly. Barely any slowdown or framerate issues exist in the splitscreen mode, even when the heroes choose to separate and visit different areas simultaneously.

Audio: Excellent

The voice acting is top-notch, and the sound effects are perfectly fine, be they the noise of footsteps, the slamming of doors, or the clacking of weapons being reloaded. Having few loud, overly dramatic tunes of any sort, Senritsu no Bishou also prefers to build suspense with subtle, eerie music, and it all sounds great.

Overall: Excellent

Nanatsu no Hikan: Senritsu no Bishou is a fantastic remake that essentially changes every single aspect for the better. Its totally revamped gameplay with impressive level and puzzle designs, its awesome 2-Player mode, and its plethora of handy options definitely set this action adventure apart from the rest.