Battle Clash

Battle Clash
Western cover art by Stephen Peringer
Developer(s)	Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Makoto Kano Masao Yamamoto
Producer(s)	Gunpei Yokoi
Programmer(s)	Kouichi Abe Osamu Yamauchi Toru Narihiro Toshihiro Nishii
Artist(s)	Naotaka Onishi Toshitaka Muramatsu
Composer(s)	Yuka Tsujiyoko
Platform(s)	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release	NA: October 1992 EU: January–February 1993 JP: June 21, 1993
Genre(s)	Light-gun shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Battle Clash^[a] is a 1992 light gun shooter video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is one of several titles that requires the Super Scope light gun. The plot takes place in a futuristic post-apocalyptic Earth, where battles are fought with mechs called Standing Tanks (STs) and the winner takes control of the world. A young man named Mike Anderson participates in the Battle Game to face the ruthless champion Anubis and avenge his father's death. The player acts as the gunner of the ST Falcon piloted by Anderson, taking on Anubis and his subordinate chiefs in one-on-one fights.

Battle Clash was created by Team Battle Clash, a group within Intelligent Systems that developed games for the Super Scope, made up of Nintendo R&D1 staff responsible for light gun shooters such as Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley. It was co-directed by Makoto Kano and Masao Yamamoto, and produced by Gunpei Yokoi. The soundtrack was scored by Yuka Tsujiyoko, best known for her work in the Fire Emblem and Paper Mario series. The game garnered average reception from critics; praise was given to the visuals, but other expressed mixed opinions regarding the sound and gameplay. Some reviewers also criticized its low difficulty. It was followed by Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (1993).

Gameplay

Internal view of the ST Falcon, battling the ST Garam in New York

Battle Clash is a light gun shooter game which requires the Super Scope light gun peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to be played.^[1][2][3] The plot takes place in a futuristic post-apocalyptic Earth, where battles are fought with mechs called Standing Tanks (STs) and the winner takes control of the world. A young man named Mike Anderson participates in the Battle Game to face the ruthless champion Anubis and avenge his father's death.^[2][4][5][6]

The player acts as the gunner of the ST Falcon piloted by Anderson, and the main objective of the game is to take on Anubis and his subordinate chiefs in a series of nine one-on-one fights.^{[2][4][6][7][8]} The player can attack enemies using rapid fire by holding down the fire button, energy bolts, bombs, and a variety of limited-use special items.^[2][6][7][8] Energy bolts are charged when the player is not firing and are fired once a power meter fills, but is limited to a single shot.^[2][4][5][6] The player can counter enemy fire by intercepting their projectiles. Some enemy attacks can only be deflected by shooting energy bolts.^[2][4][5][6]

Each enemy ST has its own attack patterns and destructible weak points that the player must exploit to inflict damage depending on how powerful their shot is.^[2][4][8][9] The player wins if the enemy ST's energy is depleted first, but the game is over if the rival depletes the player's energy or if the stage is played for ten minutes.^[6] When the player completes the game, they will be given a cheat code that, when input at the title screen, unlocks multiple difficulty levels.^[4][10] In addition, the game also has a time trial mode where the player must defeat enemies to achieve the best time possible and a two-player mode.^[4][8]

Development and release

Battle Clash was created by Team Battle Clash, a group within Intelligent Systems that developed games for the Super Scope light gun, made up of Nintendo R&D1 staff responsible for light gun shooters such as Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley.^[11][12] It is one of several titles that requires the Super Scope.^[4][13][14] It was co-directed by Makoto Kano and Masao Yamamoto, both of whom formed Team Battle Clash, and produced by Gunpei Yokoi.^[2][11][15] Kouichi Abe, Osamu Yamauchi, Tadashi Inui, Toru Narihiro, and Toshihiro Nishii acted as co-programmers.^[16][17][18] Naotaka Onishi and Toshitaka Muramatsu were responsible for the graphical design.^[16][18] The soundtrack was scored by Yuka Tsujiyoko, best known for her work in the Fire Emblem and Paper Mario series.^[2][16][19] Nintendo first published the game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America on October 1992, followed by a European release between January and February 1993, and later in Japan as Space Bazooka on June 21, 1993.^{[1][9][20][21]} The Western cover was illustrated by artist Stephen Peringer.^[22]

Reception

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
Consoles +	72%[23]
Famitsu	25/40[20]
GameFan	67.75%[b]
GamesMaster	36%[24]
Joypad	72%[25]
Joystick	45%[26]
Nintendo Power	3.775/5[c]
Player One	84%[5]
Super Play	48%[1]
Total!	28%[28]
Electronic Games	81%[8]
Power Play	68%[29]
Super Gamer	57%[30]
Super Pro	67/100[9]

Battle Clash received average reception from critics and retrospective commentators.^{[2][4][20][31][32]} It received a 20.8 out of 30 score in a public poll taken by Family Computer Magazine.^[33] Nintendo Power's three reviewers found the game fun, highlighting the enemy mechs and sound effects, but noted its lack of depth.^[27] Super Pro's Mark Wynne considered it a decent attempt at a Super Scope game. He felt that the "tongue-in-cheek" plot translated well into the large enemy sprites, but said its sound department was weak.^[9] Chris Buxton of Total! commented favorably on the game's visuals, but criticized its forgettable soundtrack, very simple gameplay, and low difficulty.^[28] Electronic Games' Marc Camron praised the game for its graphical presentation, smooth gameplay, lack of slowdown, and variety of modes, but found the audio to be unremarkable and faulted its easy difficulty.^[8]

GameFan's five reviewers commended its colorful graphics, sound, and screen-filling bosses, but criticized the gameplay for lack of diversity and felt that the game did not take advantage of the Super Scope.^[7] Joypad's Nini Nourdine gave the game favorable remarks for its immersive sense of action, fast parallax scrolling, and music, but saw the lack of originality as a shortcoming.^[25] Joystick's expressed his disappointment with the game, finding it to be boring and uninteresting.^[26] Power Play's Michael Hengst pointed out the game's lack of variety, writing that "In the long run, the primitive shooting of Battle Clash is certainly no guarantee of long-lasting motivation".^[29] Super Play's Jonathan Davies found the game more exciting compared to previous Super Scope titles, but ultimately felt it was very limited and repetitive.^[1]

GamesMaster's Andy Lowe gave positive remarks to the audiovisual presentation, but faulted its limited playability, dialogues, and low difficulty.^[24] Player One's Olivier Scamps called it a very playable title, praising its varied bosses and action, but pointed out its easy difficulty.^[5] Sami Souibgui and Marc Lacombe of Consoles + celebrated the game's overall production values but criticized its repetitive action.^[23] Super Gamer labelled it as a nice-looking but shallow shooter game.^[30] Hardcore Gaming 101's David DeRienzo highlighted the enemy sprites for their animations and high level of detail, while also praising the game's special effects and catchy music.^[2] Retro Gamer considered Battle Clash to be a great showcase for the Super Scope, while Destructoid's Zoey Handley regarded it as one of the few games worth playing for the peripheral.^[4][34]

Legacy

Main article: Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge

A sequel to Battle Clash titled Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge was developed by the same team at Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo in North America on December 1993 and in Europe on May 1994.^[2][21][35] The game was only released in Western regions, as the Super Scope proved to be less popular in Japan.^[2][11][36] The ST Falcon was later included as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[37][38]

Notes

1. Known in Japan as Space Bazooka (Japanese: スペースバズーカ, Hepburn: Supeisu Bazūka)
2. GameFan's review was by four critics with different ratings: 60%, 83%, 65%, and 63%.^[7]
3. Nintendo Power provided scores of 3.9 for graphics and sound, 3.9 for play control, 3.6 for challenge, and 3.7 for theme and fun.^[27]

References

1. Davies, Jonathan (January 1993). "Import Review: Battleclash". Super Play. No. 3. Future Publishing. pp. 54–55.
2. DeRienzo, David (August 7, 2007). "Battle Clash / Metal Combat". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
3. Crusader, Capp'd; Blunder, Boy (October 1992). "Special Feature — Cart Treks: The Next Generation Sci-Fi Previews". GamePro. No. 39. IDG. pp. 22–27.
4. Handley, Zoey (February 24, 2023). "Battle Clash on SNES is good for all your robot dismembering needs". Destructoid. Gamurs Group. Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
5. Scamps, Olivier (March 1993). "Tests de Jeux: Battle Clash". Player One [fr] (in French). No. 29. Média Système Édition [fr]. pp. 86–87.
6. Battle Clash (Instruction Booklet) (North American ed.). Nintendo. 1992.
7. Halverson, Dave; Brody; Stratton, Tom; Cockburn, Andrew; Yoshi (January 1993). "Viewpoint: Battle Clash; Planet SNES - Super NES Review: Battle Clash". GameFan. Vol. 1, no. 3. DieHard Gamers Club. pp. 12, 41.
8. Camron, Marc (January 1993). "Video Game Gallery: Battle Clash". Electronic Games. Vol. 1, no. 4. Decker Publications. p. 69.
9. Wynne, Mark (December 1992). "Review (Official): Battleclash". Super Pro. No. 2. Paragon Publishing. p. 97.
10. Maxwell, Charles (June 1993). "S.W.A.T. Pro: Battleclash - Pick Difficulty Levels". GamePro. No. 47. IDG. pp. 150–154.
11. "Developer Profile: Intelligent Systems — An indepth history and look at the often overlooked R&D; group of Nintendo's EAD division". IGN. Ziff Davis. January 10, 2001. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
12. "Engaged Game Software". Intelligent Systems. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
    "作品紹介 - ゲーム" (in Japanese). Intelligent Systems. 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
13. "Nintendo News: Afina La Puntería". Nintendo Acción (in Spanish). No. 1. Hobby Press. December 1992. p. 6.
14. Dog, The Watch; Tangonan, Denver (November 1996). "Buyers Beware". GamePro. No. 98. IDG. p. 24.
15. Grajqevci, Jeton (October 23, 2000). "Profile: Gunpei Yokoi - Remembrance of a Pioneer". N-Sider. N-Sider Media. Archived from the original on 2004-04-04. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
16. Intelligent Systems (October 1992). Battle Clash (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). Nintendo. Level/area: Staff. (Ending screens by VGMuseum [The Video Games Museum]. Archived 2001-12-01 at the Wayback Machine)
17. "あのときサムスは裸だった". 任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーメトロイド - サムス・アランの2時間59分. ワンダーライフスペシャル 任天堂公式ガイドブック (in Japanese). Shogakukan. April 1, 1994. pp. 90–95. ISBN 978-4091024749. (Translation by Metroid Database. Archived 2022-12-02 at the Wayback Machine).
18. "「パネルでポン」ホームページ公開1周年記念特別企画 - 開発者インタビュー". 「パネルでポン」ホームページ (in Japanese). Intelligent Systems. August 19, 1997. Archived from the original on 1998-01-17. Retrieved 2024-01-17. (Translation by Graeme Howard. Archived 2020-05-23 at the Wayback Machine).
19. "Interview with Yuka Tsujiyoko". RocketBaby. Hollow Light Media. 2001. Archived from the original on 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
20. "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: スペースバズーカ". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 240. ASCII Corporation. July 23, 1993. p. 37. (Transcription by Famitsu.com).
21. "Super NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
22. Peringer, Stephen. "Video Game Art". stephenperingerartwork. Archived from the original on 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
23. Souibgui, Sami; Lacombe, Marc (April 1993). "Super Nintendo Review: Battle Clash". Consoles + [fr] (in French). No. 19. EM-Images. pp. 106–107.
24. Lowe, Andy (February 1993). "Reviews: Battle Clash". GamesMaster. No. 2. Future Publishing. p. 88. Archived from the original on 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
25. Nourdine, Nini (January 1993). "Battle Clash: En 1993, La Chasse Aux Robots Est Ouverte!". Joypad [fr] (in French). No. 16. Challenge SARL. p. 137.
26. Demoly, Jean-Marc (January 1993). "Consoles News: Battle Clash". Joystick (in French). No. 34. Sipress. p. 230.
27. Sinfield, George; Noel, Rob; Jade (November 1992). "Now Playing: Battle Clash". Nintendo Power. Vol. 42. Nintendo of America. pp. 105, 107.
28. Buxton, Chris (December 1992). "SNES Round-Up: Battle Clash". Total!. No. 12. Future Publishing. p. 68.
29. Hengst, Michael (January 1993). "Videospiele / Tests: Feuer Frei — Battle Clash". Power Play [de] (in German). No. 58. Markt & Technik. p. 152.
30. "A-Z of Games - Nintendo Games Index: Super NES". Super Gamer. No. 1. Paragon Publishing. April 1994. pp. 122–124.
31. "UK Review: Battle Clash". Super Play Gold (The Complete 1993 Super Nintendo Guide). No. Summer Special. Future Publishing. 1993. p. 26.
32. Wong, Amos (April 1994). "Super NES Review: T2 vs Battleclash". Nintendo Magazine System. No. 13. Trielle Corporation. pp. 44–45.
33. 超絶 大技林 '98年春版: スーパーファミコン - スペースバズーカ (Special). PlayStation Magazine [ja] (in Japanese). Vol. 42. Tokuma Shoten Intermedia. April 15, 1998. p. 248. ASIN B00J16900U.
34. Szczepaniak, John (March 17, 2022). "Feature: 30 Years of the Super Scope". Retro Gamer. No. 231. Future Publishing. pp. 44–47.
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37. D'Anastasio, Cecilia (November 1, 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's 'Spirits' Mode Detailed, And It's A Whole Lot". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
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External links

• Official website at Intelligent Systems (in Japanese)
• Official website at Nintendo (in Japanese)