Overview
Cyborg Hunter, known in Japan as Chou-On Senshi Borgman ("Sonic Soldier Borgman"), is a side-scrolling action game from Sega for the Sega Master System. It was one of the last Sega Master System games ever released in Japan. Chou-On Senshi Borgman is actually an anime TV show about a trio of young heroes attempting to prevent an invasion of Earth from alien forces, using their high-tech cyber armor and weaponry. It is an example of the sci-fi tokusatsu genre, much like Power Rangers or Ultraman.
Gameplay
The game superficially resembles something like Metroid, where there is a map and the player must explore the level and find the right item to proceed to the end. However, each stage is relatively linear and future areas can only be explored once the player has done everything they need to in the previous. The game has a couple of odd GUI elements - at the top left of the screen is a virtual view of the corridor ahead of the main character, from their perspective. Items and objects will appear here before they appear on the main action screen below, and will give the player an noisy indication that one of the area's bosses is in range. To the top right is the map screen, which gives the player an approximation of where they are.
The game is notable for its odd control issues. In order to use the elevators, the player must be standing in the correct location before pressing up, as pressing up will also activate a bomb in the player's inventory which are vital and limited in number. Once in the elevator, the player must head to the right and use the keypad (visible in the "first-person view" at the top left of the screen) and select the floor manually with the up and down buttons. If the player wants to access their inventory, they must press a button on the second controller to do so.
Log in to comment